Tampa Book Arts Studio

Moving Days: Part Three

2012-01-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

Photograph by Alina Ryabovolova. Carl Mario Nudi (left), TBAS Letterpress Coordinator, at the Vandercook 4 with Nathan Deuel (right).

Itwas a sticky summer day not that long ago when the necessity of moving the TampaBook Arts Studio became apparent. The nuances of the move had seemed dauntingwhen laid out on blueprint paper and tiny measuring-tape-markings blocked outon an empty stone floor. And for weeks, as this move progressed, it was the slog of many to endure – and many to whom we are all grateful. Though now on a grey Florida winter afternoon and after atleast a hundred-tons of precise pushes, pulls, and slight nudges – it is safe to say that the newTampa Books Arts Studio has been reborn at 214 North Boulevard, Tampa, Florida.

Testedalready during an inaugural MFA event, the new studio surpassed expectations as ithandled a class load of over 30 creative writing students, all drawn for a taste of the mechanical lore of the letterpress crafts. The goal of the visit was to create an original keepsake for each student, which featured a fitting quote from a guest-MFA author, Francine Prose. The production process tied together several kinds of printing and techniques. For example, the deep green palms as seen below were printed on an 1848 Hoe Washington hand press that once belonged to J.J.Lankes (Lankes is the noted American woodcut artist who illustrated books by Robert Frost and other literary figures). The large type was hand-set and cast on a Ludlow Typograph and printed in black ink on a hand-turned Vandercook 4 press. The small type was handset in Kennerley Italic, cast as individual letters on our Monotype sorts caster.

Colophon: This keepsake in celebration of the first residency of the University of Tampa MFA in Creative Writing, with Francine Prose as a guest author, was printed by students in the inaugural class during their visit to the Tampa Book Arts Studio, January 11, 2012.

Todescribe the event, it would be right to say simply that it was as it should havebeen: An event filled with fellowship and promise. New writers. Old writers. Oldmachines. Fresh ink.

And walking into the newly christened studio today, or any day soon, and seeing letterpress coordinator, Carl Mario Nudi engrossed in finalizing the aesthetics of a new print, it might seem that this was the workshop that had always been intended and that this was the space that all these storied machines were always meant to call home. But the story of how they all got here is another tale altogether. And though interestingly enough, while the TBAS was only formally named in 2004, the letterpress tradition at the University of Tampa does go back some 25 years with the arrival of Richard Mathews. And so with that said, here’sto the next 25 years of the Tampa Book Arts Studio!

Photo by Gregg Wilhelm.
Carl Mario Nudi with Catherine Duncan Moore

Photo by Gregg Wilhelm.
Poet Terese Svoboda (back facing the camera) and Derry Smith

Photo by Gregg Wilhelm.
Kathy Lockwood-Fleming and Andi Tomassi with a wet-ink keepsake

Photo by Gregg Wilhelm.
Type to be printed with black ink, locked-up on the bed of the Vandercook 4

Photo by Alina Ryabovolova.
Martin Fulmer prints on the 1848 Hoe Washington hand press with help from UT graduate Alysia Sawchyn

Moving Days: Part Two

2011-12-02T11:43:00.001-08:00

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A MONTH CAN MAKE. We’ve packed and we’ve lifted and we’ve hauled and we’ve leveraged and we’ve blocked, and we’ve lowered and we’ve pushed, and finally the new home of the Tampa Book Arts Studio is starting to look like — well — home.

Or, at least almost a home! We’re still a long way from being fully set up and operational. One major advance is that we’ve gotten all the equipment into one building, instead of having it spread out in the two. And as you will see in the pictures below, all the machinery has found its place in the new studio floor plan, but what’s left to do is the process of organizing and unpacking.

"Slowly but surely,” TBAS Letterpress Coordinator Carl Mario Nudi says when referring to cleaning the workshop up for the premiere incoming MFA class of creative writers. “What’s also great,” he says is that, “[TBAS] is going to be organized better now and everything will have its own place. There's going to be a place for casting and composing, for presses, and a bindery/multipurpose room, while the office and library will have their own separate area. It’s overall a better use of space, compared to the old setup, and will have a very clean and inviting look to it.”

The benefits of this new floor plan will pay out in dividends once TBAS is put to use and when those working in the studio find that they won’t have to be working right on top of each other and can spread out in the workspace. As well, the bindery having its own dedicated room now and the better arrangement of work tables and reference materials will offer opportunities for more creative explorations and collaborations in the studio than were possible before.

The well-worn clamp wheel of our vintage Peerless Gem paper cutter.

Tucked away in their own nook, our Challenge and Peerless Gem paper cutters await fresh sheets to trim to size for printing or binding. In addition to the guillotine cutters, this area will include paper storage shelves and a work bench with a drill press for working with caster nozzles and mats.

Click here to see the studio in 360 degrees and what it looks like now (But it did take some work to get here). Special thanks goes out to the crew for making this transition happen so smoothly. Check back soon to see the conclusion of the Tampa Book Arts Studio moving days and the final pictures of the completed studio and the opening engagement.

The Hancock Printing Equipment crew lift one of the cabinets holding full and heavy California job cases with a forklift in early November to move to the Tampa Book Arts Studio new location. Gene Hancock and his crew used their skills and experience to load and transport all of the heavy machinery and equipment to the new facilities.

Wrapped in protective plastic, the type cabinet is lifted onto the truck for the three-block trip to the Tampa Book Arts Studio new location.

The moving crew, Gene, Eric, Larry, and Kirk, place the type cabinet in a temporary holding spot at Tampa Book Arts Studio new location.

Gene Hancock, left, owner of Handcock Printing Equipment, helps Kirk, maneuver a piece of equipment at the Tampa Book Arts Studio new location. The crew had already placed the Intertype, seen in the backgroud, into its permenant spot.

A metal cabinet, full of type, is pulled out of the former foundry of the Tampa Book Arts Studio to be moved into the new location.

Our Monotype “Orphan Annie” caster still needs to be unwrapped, but is positioned with its own drip pan for catching oil drips, shavings, and “squirts.” We use it for casting ornaments as well as fresh type for the cases.

Eric, left, operates a fork lift at the direction Gene, kneeling, as they position the Washington hand press, that belonged to woodcut artist J.J. Lankes, in place at the Tampa Book Arts Studio new location.

Eric, Kirk and Gene work, seemingly with ease, to place a heavy metal cabinet filled with type into place atop another cabinet, a delicate maneuver despite the weight and size of the cabinet.

Harold Sterne Letterpress Collection Takes Center Stage at Ringling College of Art and Design

2011-11-30T11:59:00.001-08:00

Some of the 600 cases of foundry type the estate of Hal Sterne donated to theLetterpress and Book Arts Studio at Ringling College of Art and Design inSarasota.

The late Harold Sterne had a life-long affection for letterpress printing, starting as a hobby printer at the age of 14 andcontinuing with a career in the graphic arts industry in Cincinnati.

During this time Hal, a friend of the Tampa Book Arts Studio,accumulated a collection of type, engravings and equipment that he eventuallymoved with him and his wife, Judi, to Sarasota upon his retirement.

Over the years, Hal became familiar with faculty of theprintmaking classes at Ringling College of Art and Design and had always wantedto leave his collection to the institution as a legacy.

That wish was fulfilled just over a year after Hal’s deathwith the opening of the Letterpress and Book Arts Center at the Sarasota artscollege.

A reception to honorHal's contribution and love of letterpress was held at Ringling on Thursday,Nov. 17.

A placard on thewall tells the story of Hal Sterne, whose collection of letterpress equipmentmakes up the Letterpress and Book Arts Studio at Ringling College of Art andDesign in Sarasota.

The evening began with Ringling Vice President for AcademicAffairs Melody Weiler introducing Judi Sterne, who spoke of her latehusband's involvementwith letterpress over a 60-year period. According to his obituary, Hal bought his first printing press atthe age of 14, graduated from West Virginia Tech with a degree in printingmanagement, and retired as vice president of manufacturing at the printing firmof S. Rosenthal Co. in Cincinnati. He also purchased the remaining stock andrecords of the Vandercook Press/Vandersons Company, saving the brand fromextinction. The Ringling Letterpressand Book Arts Center has Hal’s Vandercook Model SP15 cylinder press, his Chandler and Price platen press, about 600 cases of foundry type with cabinets,and a vast collection of sorts, cuts and engravings, as well as a library ofbooks on printing and publishing.

Mrs. Judi Sterne, left, accepts a plaque of appreciation from Jill Lerner.

Judi said she was happy that her husband's collection has found a home atRingling, which was his wish for many years before his death in October 2010.

Jill Lerner,coordinator of the Ringling Letterpress and Book Arts Center, welcomed thevisitors and introduced guest printmaker, Ke Francis.

Ke, amulti-discipline artist, including printmaking, oversees the production at theUniversity of Central Florida’s Flying Horse Press. He held a workshop anddemonstration on Nov. 18-19 at Ringling on hand engraving and Vandercookoperation.

Jill Lerner, director of the Letterpress and Book Arts Studio at RinglingCollege of Art and Design in Sarasota, stands behind the Chandler and Priceplaten press from the Hal Sterne collection.

Carl Mario Nudi, letterpresscoordinator, attended as a representative of Tampa Book Arts Studio.

Moving Days: Part One

2011-11-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

EXPECTED TO BE READY THIS JANUARY for the start of the first residency of UT’s new Low-Res MFA in Creative Writing program, The Tampa Book Arts Studio (TBAS) has begun the transition to its new home on campus in the Edison Building, across the street from the Art Department studios and the Scarfone-Hartley Gallery. Transplanting the Book Arts Studio will be the result of several tedious months of planning between the University of Tampa, Dr. Richard Mathews, and Letterpress Coordinator Carl Mario Nudi.

The Tampa Book Arts Studio, which has been located temporarily in the Library Annex building for the past few years, has served as a hands-on museum paying homage to the history of letterpress and has played a unique part of the publishing work for the University of Tampa Press. It's a one-of-a-kind place that is as special as it is integral to UT. Even by definition, TBAS is described not as a workshop, but as a letterpress laboratory, where the refinement and mastery of typography and the letterpress crafts can be practiced and celebrated. Its storied collection includes myriad foundry types, typecasting machines, and printing presses from the 19th and early 20th century. One highlight of the shop is the 1848 Hoe Washington Hand Press of American woodcut artist J. J. Lankes, on which he printed illustrations for books by Robert Frost, Sherwood Anderson, and others.

To arrange for this move, expert planning and attention was needed due to that of the special needs of these century-plus-old machines, which though wrought of iron and steel (weighing in at many tons) are also very delicate and require experienced riggers to move and set up. Most of the moving time involved so far, though, has been in the organizing and packing of TBAS's extensive library, which totals over 7,000 items— divided between important reference manuals, typographic samples, and other letterpress tools. Not to mention, its rare archive of books about bookmaking that are located in the McDonald Kelce Library’s Special Collections area, and which includes the Peter Pauper Press Collection, the Lee J. Harrer Collection of Books about Books and the J. B. Dobkin Collection of Nineteenth Century Letter Writing.

In an age where they say traditional publishing is dying—or digitally evolving to say the least—there is really no price that can be put on preserving what is left of the historical understanding and hands-on practice of the art of letterpress printing. The Studio’s new home is a welcome change, and with better lighting, better airflow, and Spackle still wet, we look forward to the continued celebration of this craft . . .

Click through for more pictures of the move.

The New Space

Carl Packing

Packed and Ready to Go

The Masterplan!

Printing, Publishing and Book Arts May Term:Putting It All Together

2011-06-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

As the May Term intensive in Printing, Publishing and Book Arts drew to a close, students began to present their final projects. Individual projects included an original poetry chapbook, hand-decorated broadsides, a portfolio of marbled papers, and specially bound blank books. The class project was a little book called Collated Collaborations: A Series of Fortunate Signatures. The playful title originated from some happy memories classmates shared of a children's book many of them had read growing up—Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Their Collated Collaborations included a four-page signature by each member of the class. It was handbound, with endsheets of paper made in the class.

A display of student work from the course will be placed on display at the Tampa Book Arts Studio special collections room on the second floor of the Macdonald Kelce Library. Letterpress coordinator Carl Mario Nudi has put together a video of the experience; take a look by clicking TBAS on YouTube.

Working with Hot Metal Typesetting and Letterpress Mechanics

2011-06-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

Student Cody Waters sets type at the Intertype keyboard while volunteer Henry Wehle offers guidance.

Cody receives Intertype casting advice from Henry Wehle and Paul Moxon.

During the second week, students took their typesetting techniques from handset foundry type in composing sticks—a process that dates from the fifteenth century—to the 1920s, setting type on the Ludlow Typograph and the Intertype linecaster. Both of our machines were made in the 1920s, and form a nice complement to our 1920s Miehle V-36 vertical cylinder press.

Dave and Beth Seat of Hot Metal Services in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, who spend about 250 days each year on the road to bring their repair and maintenance expertise to letterpress shops throughout the country, had arranged to visit the Tampa Book Arts Studio in time for the last day of class. After a week of heavy use, the Ludlow was especially in need of their attention, and they soon had it tuned-up and casting beautifully. They also worked magic with the Miehle V-36, which had been under rehab in the studio but had not yet been running. By the time he finished, Dave had stacks of paper smoothly feeding through the press!

Visiting letterpress expert Dave Seat, of Hot Metal Services, tuned up equipment from the 1920s. Here Dave (left) works with Carl Mario Nudi and Richard Mathews to adjust the automatic feeding mechanism on the Miehle V-36.

Hands-on Papermaking and Marbling

2011-06-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

Adam Kuhns and Krystle Canan watch as Alysia Sawchyn lifts her paper mold from the vat of pulp.

This scan of part of a finished sheet of paper shows the pale blue color, gentle texture, and part of the deckled edges. The full sheet is too large for the scanner.

By the end of the first week, students were at work making and decorating paper that would be used in binding and printing some of their course projects. Prof. Kendra Frorup turned part of the sculpture studio into a papermaking workshop on Saturday. Students used specially built molds to make enough archival handmade paper to bind and to create paper labels for the class project book.

After students dipped and couched an assigned quota of sheets, they moved on to experiment with marbling. While the full class only spent spent Saturday on this activity, some students enjoyed the work and returned to do additional work in paper as part of their individual course projects.

As a first step in paper marbling, students floated colored inks on water and combed the colors.

The paper then placed on the floating inks were removed and set aside to dry.

Students try their hands at binding

2011-05-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, May 12th, students attended a session on binding at the Bailey Art Studios. Professor Kendra Frorup demonstrated how to cut and assemble the boards, paper, and cloth to make portfolios for the class's letterpress postcards.

Prof. Frorup explains how to cut the paper for the pocket.

Students assemble the boards and bind them in paper and cloth.

Aaron Fagan putting together his portfolio.

Prof. Ina Kaur praises the work of a student.

Florida artist Barbara Stubbs sorts the students' postcards.

May Term Students Explore Printing Processes

2011-05-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

Florida artist Michael Massaro (back to camera) explains silk screen printing.

Students in the intensive “Printing, Publishing and Book Arts” May Term class with Paul Moxon spent Wednesday looking beyond letterpress to explore other printing techniques. Here Mike Massaro explains silk screen processes in the Bailey Art Studios.

From silk screening, the students moved to the fine printing studio where UT art professor Ina Kaur demonstrated intaglio and relief processes, including printing from wood and linoleum cuts.

Professor Ina Kaur demonstrates how to thin ink to the correct consistence to print from linoleum cuts.

Professor Kaur's print studio includes presses for printing dry point and engraved plates as well as linoleum. Students compared the operation of Vandercook presses to the Takach presses in the art department and considered using mixed media in the book projects they will complete during the class.

Professor Kaur discusses examples of linoleum prints, woodcuts, and engravings with Barbara Stubbs and Kendra Frorup of the art department while Paul Moxon (at left of photo) compares the studio presses to the Vandercook presses students are using at the Tampa Book Arts Studio.

A Letterpress May Term with Paul Moxon

2011-05-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

University of Tampa students gather at the composing stone while visiting professor Paul Moxon demonstrates the process of tying standing type on a galley.

Summer is nearly here and the University of Tampa is a quiet place after graduation, but students with the stamina to take a semester's worth of classes in just two weeks have stayed for May Term. Eleven UT students in art, English, and creative writing met early on the morning of May 9th for the first of fourteen consecutive classes in "Printing, Publishing, and Book Arts." The course is an introduction to the art and history of the book. It includes studio experience with letterpress printing, typography and typesetting, principles of editing and publishing, creative writing, graphic design, illustration, papermaking, and bookbinding. The primary aims of the class are to introduce students to the aesthetic, cultural, and material dimensions of the reading experience, to enhance their understanding of how physical and visual presentation shapes a reader's perceptions, and to introduce the history, craft, and art of the physical book.

The course is being taught by guest faculty Paul Moxon, a studio letterpress printer and editor of the American Printing History Association Newsletter, as well as a nationally known workshop instructor and Vandercook press consultant. He prints for hire and publishes limited edition books and broadsides under the imprint Fameorshame Press. Assisting Paul are Carl Mario Nudi, a veteran printer and TBAS letterpress coordinator; Henry Wehle, Intertype operator; and three of UT's own faculty members: Kendra Frorup, papermaker, binder, and book artist; Ina Kaur, fine art printmaker; Richard Mathews, printer, publisher, type founder.

Letterpress Broadsheet Celebrates Poet Shane Seely's Reading at UT

2011-01-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

Student volunteers Conner S. McDonough ( in profile on left) and Jenny Goodwin, both creative writing majors themselves, check an early proof of “Two Boys in the Woods,” a poem by visiting poet Shane Seely that they designed and printed as a letterpress broadsheet to celebrate his reading at the University of Tampa. It is the first time the TBAS has issued a limited-edition broadsheet in connection with the annual Writers at the University Series.

With the help of Carl Mario Nudi, letterpress coordinator at TBAS, Conner set the poem on a Ludlow Typograph. Jenny and Conner printed it on a Vandercook 4. Fifty copies were printed on dampened paper in two colors.

With careful attention to detail, Jenny and Conner carried out the work. Seely, whose 2009 collection The Snowbound House received the Levine Prize and was published by Anhinga Press, congratulated them on the result and signed all fifty copies. He is Senior Lecturer in English at Washington University in St. Louis. His poems have appeared in Crab Orchard Review, Arts & Letters, Notre Dame Review, Bellingham Review, Prairie Schooner, and other journals, and on the Poetry Daily website.

In the photos below, Conner checks the inking and impression; Carl and Jenny adjust the lockup on the Vandercook.

Used Book Sale to Support Book Arts Studio

2010-11-25T06:10:00.001-08:00

The University of Tampa Press and its Tampa Book Arts Studio will hold their first-ever used book sale on Saturday, December 4, from 9 am until 3 pm at the Music Room of Plant Hall. All proceeds will support the handcraft and antique letterpress printing activities of the Tampa Book Arts Studio on the University of Tampa campus.

Over a thousand books of all kinds have been donated for the sale by Friends of Tampa Book Arts Studio and other interested supporters. They range from classic and popular novels and nonfiction titles, to more unusual books issued in attractive illustrated editions or books about books and book collecting. Most books will sell for $1, paperbacks for 25 cents, and there will some better books at higher prices.

The Music Room is located just off the main lobby of the historic Plant Hall, the former H. B. Plant Hotel, on the University of Tampa campus.

Donations of books for the sale are still being accepted. Phone 813-257-3099 for information on dropping off books, or for other questions.

First Annual TBAS Letterpress Excellence Awards

2010-11-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

New awards from the Tampa Book Arts Studio will recognize excellence and achievement in contemporary letterpress printing and design.

Letterpress publishers and book artists are invited to submit work published during the 2009 and 2010 calendar years, to the First Annual TBAS Letterpress Excellence Awards.

Private presses, independent publishers, and individual artists as well as trade and university presses are eligible to enter the competition. All entries must have been printed letterpress and completed during the designated calendar years.

Winners will be named in five general categories:

• hardback book
• paperback book
• artist’s book
• broadside
• ephemera.

Judges have the right to create special categories for entries that transcend conventions and merit special distinction.

There is no entry fee.

Judges for the competition are the Associates of the Tampa Book Arts Studio. Awards will be made on the basis of design, typography, materials, craftsmanship, creativity, and overall achievement. Content is considered only in relation to the manner in which the design and execution complement, enhance, and convey the spirit of the verbal or visual text to the reader.

Publishers of winning entries will receive a certificate of recognition. Their work will be featured in a letterpress exhibit opening at the University of Tampa and available for tour to libraries, book arts studios, and other venues for one year following the award. Profiles of winners will also be featured on the Tampa Book Arts Studio blog and in printed press releases.

Winners will be asked to provide additional technical information and returnable materials for preparation of the exhibit, including a separate display copy if available, samples of unbound pages, sketches of preliminary designs, copies of rejected trials or correspondence, photographs of the work during production or preparation, and representative supplementary letterpress work.

To enter the competition, a publisher, author, or artist should simply submit one copy of the book, along with the completed entry information. Any number of books may be entered. Books entered in the competition will not be returned and will become part of the Tampa Book Arts Studio Library Collections.

The deadline for submitting books is June 1, 2011.

Mail entries to:

TBAS Letterpress Awards
Tampa Book Arts Studio
The University of Tampa Press
401 West Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33606

TBAS LETTERPRESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The following information must accompany each entry, though it does not need to be provided on this form. Please type or print clearly.

Publisher:

Author of the Entry:

Category of the Entry:

Complete Title of the Entry:

Year of Publication:

Notable features of this submission:

Number of copies produced:

Retail price:

Brief Description of Press, Publisher, or Artist:

Contact Person:

Contact Information (including address, phone, and email):

In Memoriam: Harold E. Sterne

2010-10-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

The Tampa Book Arts Studio and the entire Florida letterpress community feel a deep sense of loss at the passing of Hal Sterne on October 2, 2010. We at the TBAS had appreciated his books and contributions to the field for decades when we finally met him in 2008, with a visit to his printshop in Sarasota. Hal welcomed us with warmth and wit and we all enjoyed the many treasures and anecdotes we found in every corner of his shop.

Hal’s enthusiasm was infectious, and it was nowhere more in evidence than when he talked about Vandercooks, whether it was the favorite model SP15 in his shop that had gone wandering for years before it found its way back to Hal to roost or offering tips about making adjustments or improvements to another model. He was proud of having helped save the stock and records of the Vandercook Press/Vandersons Company and of his role in owning Vandercook for a time; he enjoyed telling how he had bought the Kelsey Company, which fit in the back of his car by the time he purchased it. And he enjoyed discovering and sharing details of printing history and equipment of all kinds.

Hal encouraged us to participate in celebrating the Vandercook Centennial, and it led us to invite Paul Moxon as well as Hal to the Tampa Book Arts Studio for talks and a workshop to observe the landmark occasion. Though of course he didn't need an introductory course himself, Hal was the first to enroll in Paul's Vandercook Workshop, and he helped make the weekend delightful and memorable.

We mourn the loss and celebrate the contributions of our friend and “neighbor” Hal Sterne. You can find more details of his life and accomplishments at this link:

http://tinyurl.com/298qzlt

Alice C. Morse exhibit was a popular success

2010-09-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

This past spring, the Macdonald-Kelce Library at the University of Tampa played host to an exhibit of trade book bindings designed by Alice C. Morse between 1890 and 1903. The exhibit was curated by Mindell Dubansky of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and first shown at the Grolier Club. She based the exhibit in large part upon an archive donated to the Metropolitan by Morse, who had an active career designing bindings for major trade publishers like Dodd, Mead and the Century Co.

On the first floor of the library visitors found displays of books from two broad periods of the Golden Age of decorated trade bindings: 1830-1890 and 1890-1920. Upstairs were the handsome panels lent by Dubansky, as well as complementary displays of books by Alice Morse and her contemporaries.

A New, Vintage Vandercook Arrives

2010-08-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

With the help of longtime letterpress printer Gene Hancock and Hancock Printing Equipment Co., and through the generosity of Henry and Gerry Wehle, the Tampa Book Arts Studio welcomed the addition of a Model 219AB Vandercook this summer.

This model, serial number 18565, was manufactured in 1957. For many years it was part of the shop equipment at Tampa Thermogravers, the Wehles's shop at 1506 West Kennedy Boulevard. It offers a larger print area (18¾" × 28") than our Vandercook 4, and features an adjustable bed, especially useful when printing non-standard blocks or cuts. The press will also provide the chance for a few more students to gain hands-on experience with printing.

Thanks also to Carl Mario Nudi and Jim Anderson for helping the move go smoothly. With a little cleaning and pampering, we hope the Vandy 219 will be producing pages sometime this fall.

In Memoriam: J. B. Lankes

2010-03-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

J.B. Lankes, a supporter and donor to the Tampa Book Arts Studio, passed away in Hampton, Virginia, on March 11, 2010, at the age of 94. Son of the woodcut artist J. J. Lankes, J.B. devoted great energy and talent toward the preservation and recognition of his father's artistic work.

Among his many contributions, J.B. facilitated the relocation of J. J. Lankes's 1848 Washington Press, on which his father had printed his woodcut illustrations for the books of Robert Frost, Sherwood Anderson, and other major literary figures, to the Tampa Book Arts Studio. (J.B. is shown in the photo above holding one his father's blocks at the press in his own studio, before the press was moved here to Tampa and restored.) J.B. actively encouraged our use of the press, supported our work on J.J. Lankes: His Woodcut Miniatures printed on it last year, and donated original prints made by his father and by himself from the original blocks, to the TBAS Library Collections.

J.B. was born in Buffalo, N.Y., on Aug. 30, 1915, to Julius John and Edee Bartlett Lankes. He attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and graduated from the Bliss Electrical School in Takoma Park, Md., now Montgomery College, in 1938. After serving in the U.S. Army, 41st Infantry Division, during World War II, he became a professional engineer, retiring from Virginia Electric Power Company in 1975, after many years of service. Mr. Lankes was a member of the Tidewater Virginia chapter of Mensa, and he frequently wrote articles for its publication.

Memorial donations may be made to Peninsula Rescue Mission, 3700 Huntington Ave., Newport News, VA 23607.

Join Us March 13 for a Special Talk by Mark Samuels Lasner

2010-01-23T09:53:00.001-08:00

Noted collector and scholar Mark Samuels Lasner will present a talk about his experiences while “COLLECTING THE LATE VICTORIANS” on Saturday, March 13, 2010, noon-12:45 at the MacDonald Kelce Library, University of Tampa. (At right is a portrait of James McNeill Whistler from his collection.)

This illustrated talk by Lasner, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Delaware Library, will complement an exhibit of items from his collections presented in "Facing the Late Victorians" at the H. B. Plant Museum. The show opens in March and will remain on view during the national conference of the Nineteenth Century Studies Association, hosted this year at the University of Tampa. This special talk, with an opportunity for questions, is sponsored by the Friends of the Tampa Book Arts Studio and the Friends of the University of Tampa Library. It is free and open to the public.

In addition to Mark's talk, those attending could also visit the full exhibit of “Facing the Late Victorians” at the H. B. Plant Museum. Also, in the Macdonald Kelce Library, we will have two free exhibits for booklovers to see before or after Mark’s talk: the touring exhibit of “The Bookbindings of Alice C. Morse,” prepared by Mindell Dubansky of the Thomas Watson Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and originally exhibited at the Grolier Club, plus a display of Victorian Publisher's Bindings from the Tampa Book Arts Studio Library Collections.

We hope you will be able to join us for this special talk with a fascinating collector. And you may even want to pick up a copy of the handsome original catalog published by the University of Delaware Press.

Learn more about "Facing the Late VIctorians" at this link:

www.facingthelatevictorians.com

Have a look at the Metopolitan Museum link below for more about Alice C. Morse:

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mors/hd_mors.htm

Lankes: His Woodcut Miniatures

2009-09-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

Lankes: His Woodcut Miniatures, the subject of a recent series of blogs detailing the printing of the book, is now available. This miniature was several years in the making, and despite its size, cost its makers much time, ink, sweat, and occasional tears.

It's available for sale at the University of Tampa Press website -- http://utpress.ut.edu -- in two editions: a signed, leather-bound edition limited to 75 copies; and a 200-copy edition bound in boards covered in mulberry paper. There is also the option to purchase a slipcase, either to hold a single volume, or to hold two volumes if a buyer purchases one copy of each edition.

Printing with Steve Heaver - Day 5

2009-08-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

Work continued at high speed on Monday, the last day of Steve Heaver's visit to the TBAS. He worked with Carl, Laura, Richard, and Sean to wrap up the printing of the first sheet. By the end of the day, the second form was placed on the bed of the press, and the careful proofing and printing would begin again the next day.

About the photos 1) Carl and Laura inspect their work; 2) Carl and Laura working together on the press; 3) a buzz of activity; and 4) the second form is placed on the press.

View more photos on our Flickr account:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41353232@N02/sets/72157621889051365/

Printing with Steve Heaver - Day 4

2009-08-11T08:53:00.001-07:00

Sunday was not a day of rest at the Book Arts Studio. Too much work had to be done and we didn't want to lose the momentum gained over the previous three days. Time was spent adjusting each page of text in the form, adding and removing underlay during an intensive trial-and-error process. A few lines were corrected with new castings made on the Intertype. By mid-day, it was time to print in earnest.

About the photos 1) Steve discussing a finer point of the project; 2) a marked-up page from a proof sheet showing problems with the underlay; 3) fixing the underlay; 4) the results of the improved underlay are apparent in this subsequent proof; 5) Carl resetting a line on the Intertype; 6) Richard replacing the line cast by Carl; 7) a stack of finished pages; and 8) a detail from the sheet showing a page spread.

View more photos on our Flickr account:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41353232@N02/sets/72157621889051365/

Printing with Steve Heaver - Day 3

2009-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Work began early on Saturday, August 1st, at the Book Arts Studio. A long series of preliminary proofs were pulled blind (without inking the form) to help the TBAS team identify issues with the packing and underlay. After addressing the most apparent problems, it was time to ink the form. A new, wide roller had been bought from Tarheel for the Lankes project, and a slab of marble served as a plate for inking. Steve demonstrated his technique for inking the roller consistently and gave everyone a chance to handle it.

Work continued through the early afternoon, and then guests began to arrive for the open house between 2 and 4 pm. More than two dozen printing enthusiasts came to observe work done on the hand press, connect with old friends and make new ones, and to get a spirited demonstration of the Intertype from our friend Henry Wehle. Among the visitors were Peter and Jeanne Meinke, Stephanie Gemperline, Elizabeth Hillman, Sue Tihansky and Jack Walsh, J. B. Dobkin, Lori Johns, Kim Cannon, Maggie Sage, Kathleen Ochshorn and her mom, Lois Touchton, Thuy Ma and her husband and daughter, Tim Kennedy, Tom Gessler and Thaddeus Root of the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, and Leland Hawes.

Some folks came from as far as Orlando and Sarasota for the occasion, but Parker C. Agelasto took the prize for longest distance traveled for the open house. He drove all the way from Richmond -- in one day! Parker wrote the notes for the Lankes book, and did a tremendous amount of work with Welford Taylor to prepare the book for publication. He didn't want to miss the chance to see the book go through the press. To augment the modest display of Lankes materials owned by the TBAS collections, Parker brought an original painting, bookplates, and gorgeous prints by Lankes for visitors to enjoy. He even brought along an original wood block loaned for the occasion by Welford Taylor, together with an original print from it, pulled on the press by J. J. Lankes. One immediately sees that reproductions do not do justice to the beauty of the original prints pulled by Lankes himself -- most of them printed on the 1848 Washington press now at the TBAS.

In addition to the original Lankes materials, the Open Studio presented a showing of fine bindings by David Barry, who will be binding this miniature book, fine printing from Steve Heaver's Hill Press in Baltimore, and an array of miniature books from the TBAS Library Collections given by Lee J. Harrer and J. B. Dobkin.

About the photos 1) Steve inks the roller; 2) Steve applying ink to the form; 3) Sean and Steve pulling an impression; 4) Steve, Richard, and Sean studying the results of an impression; 5) our friends Leland Hawes and J. Dobkin having a chat; 6) Parker Agelasto shares his enthusiasm for Lankes with Carl Nudi; 7) a few of the Lankes gems that Parker brought to share at the open house; 8) Henry Wehle holds court at his beloved Intertype as Peter and Jeanne Meinke, Tom Gessler, Thaddeus Root, and Tim Kennedy watch a demonstration.

View more photos on our Flickr account:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41353232@N02/sets/72157621889051365/

Printing with Steve Heaver - Days 1 & 2

2009-08-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

It has been more than a year since work first began on Lankes, His Miniature Woodcuts, an ambitious little project to collect J. J. Lankes's miniature woodcuts for the first time and reproduce them in a miniature book, with an introduction by Welford D. Taylor and notes by Parker C. Agelasto. During that time the Tampa Book Arts Studio's associates -- Richard Mathews, Carl Mario Nudi, Henry Wehle, Leland Hawes, Janine Awai, Laura Theobald, and Sean Donnelly -- have prepared for the time when they would do the actual printing. First, Welford and Parker prepared their texts and provided scans of the original Lankes prints. Then, after suitable fonts were chosen from those available on the Intertype, Henry Wehle undertook the composition. High resolution scans were coordinated and prepared for plating here in Tampa, and Owosso Graphics in Michigan made photoengraved copper blocks of the Lankes cuts. Designing the appearance and structure of the book, arranging and editing the text, determining how the cuts and text blocks would be arranged, and then carrying out the imposition of the pages turned out to be complex and demanding tasks that fully engaged the collaborative talents of Richard Mathews, Carl Mario Nudi, and Henry Wehle over much of the spring and summer.

By mid-summer of this year enough effort had been spent preparing, and it was time to think about printing. The decision had been made to print the book on the 1848 Washington press once owned by Lankes. This posed challenges to everyone at TBAS, because the press had never before been used for fine book work, the bed of the press still had signs of rust and rumors of being "dished," and none of us had much experience printing on a hand press. If the job was going to be done well, then TBAS would need the assistance of an accomplished hand press printer. That's when Richard contacted Steve Heaver.

Steve Heaver operates The Hill Press in Baltimore. Among his letterpress books are editions of "The Story of the Unknown Church" by William Morris and "The Great Litany" by Thomas Cranmer. His work on such fine productions has given him the experience that the TBAS needed to print Lankes as well as could be done.

Steve arrived in Tampa on Thursday, July 30th, and he worked with Richard, Carl, Laura, and Sean until evening, re-covering the tympan and frisket and cleaning the press.

On Friday, the platen was adjusted, packing was added to the tympan, and then the guide pins were positioned on the frisket. After all this work was done, the first of four forms was positioned on the bed and locked in the chase, and it was time to pull blind impressions to check for problems with the make-ready and packing. Once Steve was satisfied with the results of blind proofing, the form was inked, and everyone worked late into the night making additional adjustments to the underlay and make-ready. It was exhausting but satisfying work.

About the photos 1) Laura Theobald admires a copy of "The Great Litany"; 2) Laura and Steve Heaver work on the tympan and frisket; 3) Laura helps Steve attach the frisket; 4) Richard Mathews adjusts the platen; 5) Steve cuts windows in the frisket; 6) Sean Donnelly and Steve add packing to the tympan; 7) Carl Nudi cuts mylar for the packing; 8) Steve locks up the chase; and 9) Steve examines a blind impression of the form made during early proofing.

View more photos on our Flickr account:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41353232@N02/sets/72157621889051365/

See Historic Letterpress Hand Printing August 1 at Tampa Book Arts Studio's OPEN STUDIO

2009-07-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

The Tampa Book Arts Studio will open its doors to visitors from 2-4 pm Saturday, August 1, 2009. Those who stop by can see guest hand press printer Steve Heaver of Baltimore at work with TBAS staff and volunteers to print the studio’s first limited-edition miniature book.

Heaver (shown in this Terry Chouinard photo doing late-night printing on his Reliance Press) is widely respected as a “printer’s printer” whose meticulous presswork is legendary and whose knowledge of the traditional iron hand press is both broad and deep. His fine press editions from his own Hill Press are sought-after collector's items, and he is a past Chairman of the Fine Press Book Association (North America). In consultation with the Hostmann Steinberg ink company he developed “Hostmann Steinberg Special Oil Based Letterpress Ink,” considered by many to be the finest ink available for letterpress work.

The ambitious project underway at TBAS is LANKES: His Woodcut Miniatures. This miniature edition will be the first-time gathering of twelve miniature woodcuts by the American artist J. J. Lankes (1884-1960), best known for his woodcut illustrations for books by Robert Frost and Sherwood Anderson, and it is being printed on Lankes’s own 1848 Hoe Washington Press that he used in his studio to print his famous blocks.

The book includes an essay on the Lankes miniatures by Welford D. Taylor and short commentary on each cut by Parker C. Agelasto, both of them noted Lankes collectors and scholars.

Not only will the book be printed on a Lankes press, but also will be bound with Japanese papers originally purchased by J. J. Lankes for his own projected use in presenting his miniature cuts, though the project remained uncompleted at his death. This printing will be limited to 200 numbered copies for sale in boards covered with the Lankes Japanese paper in a hand binding by David Barry of Griffin Bindery. An additional 75 copies will be available in a deluxe edition leather binding, with Lankes Japanese endsheets, each copy signed by the editors. All proceeds will support the nonprofit Tampa Book Arts Studio at the University of Tampa.

Printer Steve Heaver will explain the traditional process of hand printing and answer printing questions from visitors during the session on August 1. He will be joined by Lankes expert Parker Agelasto, a historian of American printmaking who has served as Curatorial Assistant of prints and photographs at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and co-editor of the Washington Print Club Quarterly. Agelasto is currently compiling the catalogue raisonné of prints by J. J. Lankes and will answer any Lankes-related questions.

Space is limited. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience to allow us to save a place for you:

To RSVP:
Email: utpress@ut.edu
Phone: 813-257-3099

Be sure to give us your contact information. We’ll reply to confirm your spot and to send directions to the studio.

Paul Moxon Leads a Tampa Celebration of the Vandercook Press Centennial

2009-05-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

Paul Moxon conducted a day-long workshop for eight participants, and a half-dozen friends of TBAS, on Saturday, February 28. The attendees were Denise Bookwalter, Lee Harrer, Sara Mantle, Megan Mitchell, Anne Stagg, Hal Sterne, Cat Thompson, and Jonathan Vaughan, along with Don Black, Sean Donnelly, Richard Mathews, Carl Nudi, Bob Turner, and Henry Wehle. The morning began with an introductory session at the studio, followed by Paul's presentation on the history of the Vandercook at the Macdonald-Kelce Library, and then an afternoon of printing back at the studio.

A Visit with Hal Sterne

2009-05-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

Several friends of the TBAS made a pilgrimage earlier this year to visit Harold "Hal" Sterne. Hal has a long history in the printing industry, starting with a high school course in letterpress printing. The 1978 first edition of his Catalogue of Nineteenth Century Printing Presses was a valuable and pioneering resource; it was reissued in an expanded edition in 2001 from Oak Knoll Press and The British Library.

Another influential contribution to letterpress printing occurred when Hal and a partner bought and preserved the name and assets of the famed Vandercook Press/Vandersons Company, and later the Kelsey Company, eventually passing the torch to Fritz Klinke and his NA Graphics. Though retired now, Hal maintains a comfortably crowded letterpress studio in a Bohemian setting near downtown Sarasota. He met Richard Mathews, Sean Donnelly, Carl Nudi, and Leland Hawes there on January 22, 2009, to give a tour and talk shop. One of the highlights, in the second photo below, is Hal's own Vandercook SP15 Press, which he once sold, only to find that it made its way safely home to his shop eventually, like "the cat that came back"!

Celebrate the Vandercook Press Centennial with an Introductory Paul Moxon Workshop in Tampa

2009-01-29T08:51:00.000-08:00

This year (2009) marks the Centennial of the Vandercook Press. The Tampa Book Arts Studio will celebrate it with a visit and workshop with one of the country's best-known masters of the press, Paul Moxon, shown above presenting his Vandercook Maintenance Workshop at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle.

A full-day introductory workshop will be held on Saturday, February 28, at the Tampa Book Arts Studio. Registration is $125, including materials. Enrollment will be limited to ten.

Information is available by email from utpress@ut.edu.

The Studio also hopes to schedule a short, illustrated talk by Moxon on the history of the Vandercook Press. Please check back for updates on that event. And to learn more about the Vandercook Press and Paul Moxon, browse

http://vandercookpress.info/

"Shakespeare Appears in a Florida Scriptorium": An Illustrated Talk by Calligrapher Ruth Pettis

2008-09-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

The word “calligraphy” contains echoes of the Greek words for beauty (kallos) and for writing (graphe). For thousands of years before the invention of printing, calligraphy was the way of making books. In the centuries since Gutenberg, calligraphic letterforms and page arrangements have inspired type design and book design—and have continued to inspire the public with compelling fusions of the art of beautiful writing with beautiful and significant expressions in language.

St. Petersburg calligrapher Ruth Pettis has earned a national reputation as one of the distinguished calligraphers of our day. Her passion for calligraphy and penchant for experiential research have led her to travels in the Orient, Middle East, and Europe, and her knowledge and mastery of ancient writing as well as creative modern lettering are evident in her sensitive treatment of word as image.

Over the past few decades, Pettis has engaged in the regular practice of writing spontaneously in a studio setting together with other dedicated practitioners, bringing to a well-lit Florida sunroom the traditions and practice of the medieval scriptorium.

Pettis will share her insights and artistry at the University of Tampa’s Macdonald-Kelce Library in a free presentation on October 8, 2008, at 4 p.m. when she presents a talk entitled "Shakespeare Appears in a Florida Scriptorium." Pettis will discuss the scriptorium experience and illustrate her talk with samples from the sonnets of Shakespeare that she has completed during scriptorium work over the last few years.

The event, sponsored by the University of Tampa Book Arts Studio and its Friends, and the Friends of the Library at the University of Tampa, is free and open to the public.

For questions or to reserve a seat, contact the University of Tampa Press at 813-253-6266 or email utpress@ut.edu

AAPA Convention 2008: A Review

2008-06-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

By Sean Donnelly

This year's convention of the American Amateur Press Association was a great success. President Leland Hawes reports that 49 people attended one or more of the events — 25 members of the AAPA and 24 visitors. This turn-out gratifies everyone who worked for several months to make the annual convention a memorable weekend here in Tampa. The co-hosts of the convention — Leland Hawes along with Richard Mathews and Sean Donnelly of the TBAS — couldn't have done it without the help of many friends, especially (in random order) Victoria Alt, Carl Mario Nudi, Henry Wehle, J. B. Dobkin, Marlyn Pethe, Bill Moss, Gene Hancock, Cynthia Gandee, Gianna Russo, Bob Turner, Jeanette Weiss, Frank Lidiak, Chang Ashby, Curtis White, and Luis Barragan.

The convention's success can be credited to the wide variety of engaging presentations, panel discussions, and hands-on experiences it offered. The conventioneers who arrived Thursday gathered for a traditional Chinese dinner at Hao Wah in South Tampa. Early the next morning the convention officially convened at the Macdonald-Kelce Library at the University of Tampa. The lobby greeted visitors with several displays: an array of vintage printing artifacts loaned by Gene Hancock; a sampling of century-old amateur journals; another display of early AAPA papers; a tribute to long-time member Fred Liddle; and large displays devoted to the work by special guests Mike Anderson and Richard Hopkins. Brief "welcomes" by Richard Mathews (Director of the TBAS), Marlyn Pethe, (Director of the Library), and J. B. Dobkin (Chief of the TBAS collections) were followed by Mike Anderson's talk on his re-creation of Johann Gutenberg's original "D-K" type, created about 1440. A slide show chronicled the painstaking care Mike took in studying the type, cutting his own mats, and casting a font from those mats. Gutenberg's type posed an interesting challenge — some letters occur in multiple forms, notably the letter "i." Mike explained that Gutenberg made these variations in imitation of handwriting because his printed books competed with the work of scribes. Lunch at the Valencia Gardens followed Mike's talk. [This writer sat between Gene Hancock and George Hamilton and enjoyed listening to them "talk shop" about presses and printing equipment.] We returned to the library after lunch for a talk by Rich Hopkins, of the Hill & Dale Private Press and Typefoundry, about making type for handsetting and re-creating a historic newspaper page in metal type with his Monotype casters. Rich starred in and directed a video tour of his plant, located in the basement of his West Virginia home. We saw the machines in operation and marveled at Rich's fusion of old and new technologies — one of his Monotype composition casters is run by a Mac computer!

By mid-afternoon, having nourished our bodies and minds, we were ready to get our hands dirty at the Book Arts Studio. Located in the Library Annex on the west side of the university's campus, TBAS is home to a variety of letterpress equipment. The gem of the collection, on loan from the University of Richmond Museums, is the 1848 Washington Hoe press once owned by woodcut artist J. J. Lankes. Conventioneers also found a Vandercook 4, an Intertype, an 1856 Washington Hoe, a Ludlow caster, and hundreds of cases of type for handsetting. Veteran printer and typesetter Henry Wehle was ready and waiting to demonstrate the Intertype: a machine beyond the dreams of Rube Goldberg. Henry's knowledge is encyclopedic, and his enthusiasm is infectious. He is a marvel to behold as he climbs around the Intertype . . . pulling levers, loading magazines full of mats . . . oiling this, tuning that.

While Henry demonstrated the Intertype, everyone had a chance to print their own keepsake on the Lankes press and the Vandercook. Mike Anderson provided a form that recreated Gutenberg's Calixtus Bull of 1456, as well as the hand-made paper on which to print it. Each visitor had a chance to experience the art of printing as Gutenberg conceived it — inking the form, placing the paper to be printed between the tympan and frisket of the Lankes press, rolling the bed under the platen, pulling the handle to make the impression, and then appreciating the result. To finish the keepsake, it was walked over to the Vandercook for the printing of the initial letter "C" in red. Registration proved to be a challenge, but Mike Anderson quickly solved the problem and everyone had a beautiful letterpress keepsake to take home.

Dinner on Friday night was "on your own." Stumps at Channelside hosted Richard Mathews, Mike Anderson, Sean Donnelly, Rich Hopkins, George Hamilton, and Michael Delgado. Discussion was lively — in fact too lively to give any details on this family-friendly blog — and we all had a great time together. It's hoped that everyone else had a fine time wherever they met to break bread.

The convention served up a traditional program of talks and panels on Saturday at the Howard Johnson in downtown Tampa. Joe Diachenko opened the morning with practical advice on typography and the design of an appealing amateur journal. Long-time newspapermen Al Hutchison and Charlie Robins discussed the fate of print media and the future of newspapers. Sean Donnelly gave a presentation on Walter John Coates (1880-1941), a Vermont poet, amateur journalist, proprietor of the Driftwind Press, and publisher of Driftwind magazine. George Hamilton, a long-time resident of Vienna, Austria, gave a lively talk on his experiences as a travel writer. Bob Tauber and Dale Starr, of Ohio State Libraries' Logan Elm Press, revealed what went on behind the scenes during the planning and printing of their book, Cat & Mouse. Local authors Jack Fernandez and Andy Huse talked about their experiences in getting their books published. The convention officially ended that evening with a group photograph and a banquet dinner. Steve Otto, a columnist for the Tampa Tribune, gave an entertaining talk that touched on his travels with Leland Hawes, his search for the elusive Skunk Ape, and the future of print media.

Many conventioneers adjourned to the hospitality suite on the 14th floor. Leland had it stocked with beer, soda, and snacks, but thanks to a donation from Dale Starr and Joe Diachenko we added four more exotic beers to the fridge. We talked and drank until nearly midnight, and bid one another goodbye, until next year, with great reluctance.

For more points of view and photos of the convention, please visit these links:

http://picasaweb.google.com/AmericanAPA/AAPA2008Convention

http://americanapa.blogspot.com

The convention photo: seated on floor, Max Feland, Dale Starr, Bob Tauber, Rich Hopkins, and Jack Scott; seated in chairs, Helen Doolittle, Jim Doolittle, Jiyani Lawson, Linda Donaldson, George Hamilton, Susan Petrone; first standing row, Sylvia Fernandez, Carol Robins, Betty Liddle, Fred Liddle, Joe Diachenko, Maurine Scott, Sue Tihansky, Mike Anderson; back row standing, Ray Jerland, Jack Fernandez, Charlie Robins, Sean Donnelly, Michael Delgado, Richard Mathews, Steve Otto, Leland Hawes, Jack Walsh, and Dianne Otto.

American Amateur Press Association in Tampa June 12-14, 2008

2008-05-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

The Tampa Book Arts Studio at the University of Tampa joins AAPA in inviting you to the 2008 convention of the American Amateur Press Association in Tampa, Florida, June 12-14.

Presentations, panels and demonstrations should satisfy the tastes of anyone interested in writing, printing or publishing. Programs and activities are open to AAPA members and Friends of TBAS. Membership information and arrangements for non-member registrations can be obtained by email from utpress@ut.edu.

Members planning to attend the convention must make reservations at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel BY MAY 13 in order to receive the special low rate ($85 a night, for either a single or double room). To do so, you must call Maureen McGuire at (813) 223-1351 or FAX at (813) 229-2358. The mail address is 111 West Fortune Street, Tampa FL 33602.

Some of the sessions will include:

• A Mike Anderson talk with PowerPoint visuals on the steps he took from computer to typecaster to reproduce the typeface used by Gutenberg in printing his first Bible.
• A panel discussion by several members on the subject, “How I Got My Book Published.”
• Damien Diachenko on creative computer designs in amateur journals.
• Rich Hopkins on re-creating in metal type the first page of the first newspaper published in Salem, N.C., for display on a period press at Old Salem Museums and Gardens.
• Sean Donnelly on rediscovering the work of amateur printer Walter J. Coates (1880-1941).
• Printing and typesetting demonstrations and hands-on activities in the Tampa Book Arts Studio.

Lankes Scholar Speaks to Friends of Book Arts

2008-04-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

   Dr. Welford D. Taylor, America's leading scholar on the work of woodcut artist J. J. Lankes, spoke to the Friends of Tampa Book Arts Studio at the University of Tampa Library April 1.
   Dr. Taylor described some of the formative events and influences upon Lankes as an artist and printer. During his talk, he illustrated major subjects, styles, and techniques in the work of Lankes by showing original prints from the Book Arts Studio Special Collections. He also had brought two original Lankes woodcut blocks from his personal collection for those attending the event to inspect.
   The talk was followed by informal conversation and refreshments, with a chance for everyone to more closely examine the selection of prints and the original blocks.
   Then those attending were invited to the Book Arts Studio in the Library Annex to print a keepsake: a French-fold notecard featuring J. J. Lankes's “Bee and Clover" woodcut, which each participant printed on Lankes's 1848 Hoe Washington Press. In the photo Dr. Taylor stands at the Lankes press with a copy of the printed keepsake. The display board near the press includes a photo of J. J. Lankes in his studio in 1926, and a later photo of his son, J. B. Lankes, at work on his father's press.

Welford Taylor Introduces Woodcut Artist J. J. Lankes

2008-03-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

Please join us at the University of Tampa Library on Tuesday, April 1, at 3 p.m. for a short talk by Welford Dunaway Taylor of Richmond, Virginia, entitled "A Brief Introduction to J. J. Lankes, His Work and His Press."

Prof. Taylor edited the splendid new edition of J. J. Lankes's A WOODCUT MANUAL for the University of Tampa Press in 2006, and was instrumental in arranging for the Tampa Book Arts Studio to acquire Lankes's 1848 Washington handpress on long-term loan. He is the leading authority on Lankes, one of the premier American woodcut artists of the 20th century, best-known for his many collaborations with Robert Frost.

Prof. Taylor will speak at 3 p.m. in the MacDonald-Kelce Library, second floor, room AV 2. Original prints and publications by Lankes, some of which were given to the Tampa Book Arts Studio collection by Prof. Taylor, will be on display to illustrate the talk.

Welford Dunaway Taylor taught American literature for forty years at The University of Richmond, retiring in 2004 as James A. Bostwick Professor of English, Emeritus. He is the author of numerous books on American literature and the graphic arts, including THE WOODCUT ART OF J. J. LANKES, ROBERT FROST AND J. J. LANKES: RIDERS ON PEGASUS, SHERWOOD ANDERSON, and REGARDING ELLEN GLASGOW: ESSAYS FOR CONTEMPORARY READERS.

The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. RSVP to 813-257-3099 or by email to utpress@ut.edu to reserve a seat.

Preserving Traditional Arts & Crafts of the Book

2008-03-12T13:31:00.000-07:00

The Tampa Book Arts Studio preserves the traditional arts and crafts of letterpress printing and fine bookmaking. Operated by the University of Tampa Press, the Studio allows students and visitors to experience a historic collection of antique printing presses and equipment. Its library of books about books, including rare books, private press publications, and samples of historic and artistic letterpress printing is a non-circulating research collection of national distinction.

Programs, exhibits, and workshops offer hands-on experiences that will change your understanding of the book and enrich your appreciation for a great tradition.

The Friends of Tampa Book Arts Studio foster and support the work and programs of TBAS. Members receive discounts on publications and special events as well as many other benefits. Please consider lending your support with an annual tax-deductible membership donation of $25. Email us for details.