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Special Collections >Private Press Collection
Curwen Press
The Curwen Press founded in 1863 by the Reverend John Curwen concentrated on printing music for the tonic sol-fa method, but when his grandson Harold joined in 1908, he broadened their output to include limited edition books of high quality. He asked Oliver Simon, later to become a renowned book designer, to join him and encouraged artists to illustrate their publications. Oliver had contact with the Royal College of Art, which led to commissions by young artists, including Paul Nash, Edward Bawden and Eric Ravilious.
The Curwen Press formed The Curwen Studio in 1958 in order to set up a print studio for artists at a time when print unions were controlling who had access to print facilities. For more information about the Curwen Studio, please visit the Curwen Studio website.
Resources about the Curwen Press and Curwen Studio
- Hardy, Thomas. “Yuletide in a Younger World.” (?) London: Faber & Gwyer Limited. Drawings by Albert Rutherston. Ariel Poems Series, Number 1. Limited edition of 350 copies printed on Zander's hand-made paper and printed at the Curwen Press. UMCP has copy numbered 180. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no.1.
- The Mystery of the Nativity. (1924) London: George and Allen and & Unwin Limited. Translated from the Liégeois of the XVth century and with a foreword by Richard Aldington. UMCP has an unnumbered and unsigned copy. Special Collections Stacks PQ1357 .N2 E5
- Elliot, T.S. Journey of the Magi. (1927) London: Faber & Gwyen Limited. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 8. Drawings by E. McKnight Kauffer. Limited edition of 350 copies printed at the Curwen Press on Zander's hand-made paper. UMCP has numbered 29. Rare Stacks PR 1225 .A7 no.8.
- Davies, W.H. (William Henry). “Moss and Feather.” (1928) London: Faber & Gwyer. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 10. The illustrations are by Sir William Nicholson. Limited edition of 500 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has copy numbered 489 and signed by the author. Rare Stacks PR6007. A8 M6 no. 10
- Wolfe, Humbert. “Troy.” (1928) London: Faber & Gwyer. Ariel Poems Series, Nnumber 12. Drawings by Charles Ricketts. Limited edition of 500 copies printed at the Curwen Press. UMPC has copy numbered 473 and signed by the author. Rare Stacks PR 1225 .A7 no. 12
- Monroe, Harold. “The Winter Solstice.” (1928) London: Faber & Gwyer. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 13. The illustrations are by David Jones. Limited edition of 500 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has copy numbered 415 and signed by the author. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 13
- Sitwell, Edith. “Popular Song.” (1928) London: Faber & Gwyer. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 15. The illustrations are by Edward Bawden. Limited edition of 500 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has two copies: a copy numbered 320 and signed by the author; and an unnumbered copy. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no.15
- Elliot, T.S. “A Song for Simeon.” (1928) London: Faber & Gwyer. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 16. The illustrations are by E. McKnight Kauffer. Limited edition of 500 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has two copies: a copy numbered 172 and signed by the author; and an unnumbered copy. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 16
- Blunden, Edmund. “Winter Nights: A Reminiscence.” (1928) London: Faber & Gwyer. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 17. The illustrations are by Edward Bawden. Limited edition of 500 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has copy numbered 206 and signed by the author. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 17
- Eliot, T.S. “Animula.” (1929) London: Faber & Gwyer. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 23. The illustrations are by Edward Bawden. Limited edition of 400 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has copy numbered 83 and signed by the author. . Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 23
- Monro, Harold. “Elm Angel.” (1930) London: Faber & Faber. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 26. The illustrations are by Eric Ravilious. Limited edition of 250 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has copy numbered 16 and signed by the author. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 26
- Elliot, T.S. “Marina.” (1930) London: Faber & Faber, Limited. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 29. The illustrations are by E. McKnight Kauffer. Limited edition of 400 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has two copies: a hardcover copy numbered 255 and signed by the author; and a softcover copy unnumbered and unsigned. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 29
- De la Mare, Walter. “News.” (1930) London: Faber & Faber, Limited. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 31. The illustrations are by Barnett Freedman. Limited edition of 500 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has a hardcover copy numbered 39 and signed by the author. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 31.
- Newbolt, Henry. “A Child is Born.” (1931) London: Faber & Faber, Limited. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 32. The illustrations are by Althea Newbolt. Limited edition of 200 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has a hardcover copy numbered 15 and signed by the author. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 32
- De la Mare, Walter. “To Lucy.” (1931) London: Faber & Faber, Limited. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 33. The illustrations are by Albert Rutherston. Limited edition of 275 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has a hardcover copy numbered 220 and signed by the author. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 33
- Sassoon, Siegfried. “To the Red Rose.” (1931) London: Faber & Faber, Limited. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 34. The illustrations are by E. McKnight Kauffer. Limited edition of 400 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has a hardcover copy numbered 321 and signed by the author. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 34
- Eliot, T.S. “Triumphal March.” (1931) London: Faber & Faber, Limited. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 35. The illustrations are by Barnett Freedman. Limited edition of 300 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has two copies: a hardcover copy numbered 297 and signed by the author; and a softcover copy unnumbered and unsigned. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 35
- Sitwell, Edith. “Jane Barston, 1719-1746.” (1931) London: Faber & Faber, Limited. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 36. The illustrations are by R.A. Davies. UMCP has a softcover copy, unnumbered and unsigned. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 36
- Sackville-West, V. “Invitation to Cast Out Care.” (1931) London: Faber & Faber, Limited. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 37. The illustrations are by Graham Sutherland. Limited edition of 200 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has a hardcover copy numbered 43 and signed by the author. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 37
- Campbell, Roy. “Choosing a Mast.” (1931) London: Faber & Faber, Limited. The Ariel Poems Series, Number 38. The illustrations are by Graham Sutherland. Limited edition of 300 copies printed on English hand-made paper. UMCP has a hardcover copy numbered 203 and signed by the author. Rare Stacks PR1225 .A7 no. 38
- Simon, Oliver, and Julius Rodenberg. Printing of to-day, an illustrated survey of post-war typography in Europe and the United States. (1928) London, P.Davies Limited: New York, Harper and Brothers. With an introduction by Aldous Huxley. Printed in England at the Curwen Press using a variety of typefaces. Special edition of 300 copies printed in England by Oliver Simon. UMCP has two copies, one of which is from a special edition printed on handmade paper and numbered 52 of 300. Rare Folio Z250 .S59 1928b.
- Lawrence, D.H. Love Among the Haystacks & Other Pieces. (1930) London: The Nonesuch Press. With a reminiscence by David Garnett. An edition of 1,600 copies printed from Caslon Monotype on Auvergne hand-made paper, and printed at the Curwen Press. 550 sold by Random House. UMCP has copy numbered l97. Special Collections Stacks PR6023 .A93 L66.
- Jackson, Holbrook. The Fear of Books. (1932) London: The Soncino Press; New York: C. Schribner's sons. An edition of 2,000 copies, numbered 1 to 2,000, and 48 special copies, signed by the author and printed on J. Barcham Green's hand-made paper, numbered I to XLVIII. Printed in England at the Curwen Press. UMCP has numbered 215. R.D. Remley Collection. Special Collections Stacks Z1003 .J3.
- Moore, Marianne. The Pangolin and Other Verse. (1936) London: Brendin Pub. Co. The drawings are by George Plank. Limited edition of 120 copies. Printed at the Curwen Press, Plaistow, London. UMCP has an unnumbered and unsigned copy. Special Collections Stacks PS3525 .O5616 P3.
- Sitwell, Sacheverell. Old Fashioned Flowers. (1939) London, Country Life Limited. Illustrated by John Farleigh. Printed at Curwen Press. UMCP has two unnumbered and unsigned copies. R.D. Remley Collection. Special Collections Stacks SB407 .S5.
- Blackwell, Basil, Sir. “Bernard Newdigate, Typographer: an address.” (1945) London. Limited edition of 120 copies. Delivered by Basil Blackwell at the 79 th meeting of the Double Crown Club, held at Kettner's, 8 th March 1945. Special Collections Stacks Z232 .N45 B52.
- Warner, Sylvia Townsend. Boxwood: twenty-one engravings by Reynolds Stone. (1960) London: Chatto and Windus. Illustrated in verse by Sylvia Townsend Warner. Designed by Ruari McLean, and printed at Curwen Press, and set in Dante Roman and Italic. UMCP has two unnumbered and unsigned copies. R.D. Remley Collection. Special Collections Stacks PR6045. A812 B6.
- Simon, Oliver. Introduction to Typography. (1946, 1953, 1963) London: Faber and Faber. Edited by David Bland. Printed at Curwen Press. UMCP has three editions: 1946 (hardcover), 1953 (hardcover), and 1963 (softcover). R.D. Remley Collection. Special Collections Stacks Z244 .3 .S6.
- Simon, Herbert. Introduction to Printing: the Craft of Letterpress. (1968) London: Faber. Illustrated by Tom Hughes. Printed at Curwen Press. R.D. Remley Collection. Special Collections Stacks Z244 .S587.
Resources about the Curwen Press
- Curwen Press. Catalogue Raisonné of books printed at the Curwen press 1920-1923. (1924) London. With an introduction by Holbrook Jackson. Limited edition of 400 copies of which numbers 1-150 were for presentation and 151-400 were for sale. UMCP has copy numbered 22. Special Collections Stacks Z232 .C98 J.
- Curwen Press. A Specimen Book of Types & Ornaments in use at the Curwen Press, Plaistow, London. (1928) London: published for the Curwen Press by the Fleuron Ltd. Edited and designed by O. Simon. Cf. H. Simon, and inscribed by O.S. Limited edition of 135 copies. Special Collections Folio Z250 .C8.
- Harley, Basil. The Curwen Press: A Short History. (1971) London: Curwen Press. R.D. Remley Collection. Special Collections Stacks Z232 .C98 H37.
- Simon, Herbert. Song and Words: a History of the Curwen Press. (1973) London: G. Allen & Unwin. Catalogue raisonné of books printed at the Curwen Press, 1920-1932. Printed in 12 point monotype Caslon at the Curwen Press. R.D. Remley Collection. Special Collections Stacks Z232 .C98 S55.
- Gilmour, Pat. Artists at Curwen: a Celebration of the Gift of Artists' Prints from the Curwen Studio. (1977) London: Tate Gallery; Paris: Distributed by Idea Books. Catalog of an exhibition held at the Tate Gallery, Feb. 23-Apr. 11, 1977. R.D. Remley Collection. Special Collections Stacks Z232.C98 G5.
- McKitterick, David. A New Specimen Book of Curwen Pattern Papers. (1987) Andoversford, Gloucestershire: Whittington Press. Limited edition of 335 copies; 250 copies are quarter-bound in buckram and Curwen pattern paper; 85 copies quarter-bound in leather with five additional full sheets of pattern paper. Special Collections Stacks Z721 .3.E53 M35.
- Spirit of Joy: Notes from an Exhibition of Books, Periodicals, and Ephemera printed at the Curwen Press during its Heyday, 1916-1956. (1990) Edmonton: University of Alberta: Bruce Peel Special Collections Library. Limited edition of 500 copies printed on La Scala Text paper. Special Collections Stacks Z232 .C98 B78.
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