Private press publishing, with respect to books, is an endeavor performed by craft-based expert or aspiring artisans, either amateur or professional, who, among other things, print and build books, typically by hand, with emphasis on design, graphics, layout, fine printing, binding, covers, paper, stitching, and the like.

Description

The term "private press" is not synonymous with "fine press", "small press", or "university press" – though there are similarities. One similarity shared by all is that they need not meet higher commercial thresholds of commercial presses. Private presses, however, often have no profit motive. A similarity shared with fine and small presses, but not university presses, is that for various reasons – namely quality – production quantity is often limited. University presses are typically more automated. A distinguishing quality of private presses is that they enjoy sole discretion over literary, scientific, artistic, and aesthetic merits. Criteria for other types of presses vary. From an aesthetic perspective, critical acclaim and public appreciation of artisans' works from private presses is somewhat analogous to that of luthiers' works of fine string instruments and bows.

Etymological perspective

The private press movement, and its renowned body of work – relative to the larger world of book arts in Western civilization – is narrow and recent. From one perspective, collections relating to book arts date back to before the High Middle Ages. As an illustration of scope and influence, a 1980 exhibition at the Catholic University of America, "The Monastic Imprint," highlighted the influence of book arts and textual scholarship from 1200 to 1980, displaying hundreds of diplomas, manuscript codices, incunabula, printed volumes, and calligraphic and private press ephemera. The displays focused on five areas: (1) Medieval Monasticism, Spirituality, and Scribal Culture, A.D. 1200–1500; (2) Early Printing and the Monastic Scholarly Tradition, ca. 1450–1600; (3) Early modern Monastic Printing and Scholarly Publishing, A.D. 1650–1800; (4) Modern Survivals: Monastic Scriptoria, Private Presses, and Academic Publishing, 1800–1980. Private presses are active at three New Zealand universities: Auckland (Holloway Press) and Otago (Otakou Press).

North America

A 1982 Newsweek article about the rebirth of the hand press movement asserted that Harry Duncan was "considered the father of the post-World War II private-press movement."

Further reading

  • Will Ransom, Private Presses and Their Books. New York City: R. R. Bowker, 1929;
  • Roderick Cave, The Private Press (2nd ed.). New York City: R. R. Bowker, 1983;
  • Johanna Drucker, The Century of Artists' Books. New York City: Granary Books, 1995
  • Colin Franklin, The Private Presses London: Studio Vista Ltd. (1969);
  • Colin Franklin, The Private Presses (2nd ed.). Aldershot: Scolar Press; Brookfield: Gower Publishing Company, 1991;
  • John Carter, ABC for Book Collectors. Oak Knoll Press, 1995;
  • Charles L. Pickering, HMI, The Private Press Movement, an address by Pickering to the Manchester Society of Book Collectors, Maidstone, Kent: Maidstone College of Art, School of Printing (1967);
  • Gilbert Turner (1911–1983), The Private Press: Its Achievement and Influence, Birmingham, England: Association of Assistant Librarians, Midland Division (1954);
  • The Private Press Today, for the 17th King's Lynn Festival: an exhibition, arranged by Juliet Standing, designed to show the scope and quality of work produced during the last few years at various private presses [etc.], illustrations by Rigby Graham, The Riverside Room, July 22–29, 1967, published at The Orchard, Wymondham, Leicestershire by the Brewhouse Press (1967); ;
  • Bruce Emmerson Bellamy, Private Publishing and Printing Press in England Since 1945, New York City: K. G. Saur Publishing; London: Clive Bingley (1980); ; (U.S.); (U.K.)
  • The Private Libraries Association
  • International Register of Private Press Names