Printing with the Handpress. Herewith a Definitive Manual to Encourage Fine Printing through Hand-craftsmanship.
1969. Kentfield, CA: Allen Press, 1969.
4to, 75 pp. With illustrations by Victor Seward and Mallette Dean. Original full Irish linen. A fine copy with the original prospectus and a 2pp. typed and autograph note from the Allens.
§ One of 140 copies. Printed in red, blue, and black at the Allen Press, the text presents the technical procedures involved in printing by hand, including details on damping paper, inking techniques, assembling the press, etc. Illustrated in black & white by Victor Seward. The engraved hand device, by Mallette Dean, which is used throughout at the beginning of each chapter, is printed in red on the front cover.
In 2011, Heavenly Monkey wrote about the book and its influence: "Lewis Allen's Printing With the Handpress may be the most widely known of 20th century books on the subject. He, along with his wife Dorothy, spent 50 years designing and printing books that took the fullest possible advantage of the techniques and freedoms offered by the handpress, such as printing multiple colors with a single impression and using wonderful handmade papers (which, of course, had to be printed damp to realize their fullest potential). By the mid-1960s Lewis Allen had become recognized as one of the few practising experts on handpress printing, and he spent many hours replying by mail to inquiries about technique, materials, etc. To avoid answering the same questions repeatedly, he and his wife decided to print a manual describing the equipment, materials and techniques used at the Allen Press to publish a book..." (https://tinyurl.com/HM-Lewis-Allen) (123069). Item #123069
Price: $1,750.00