William Morris and the Private Press Movement

 William Morris, The well at the world’s end (Printed by Kelmscott Press, 1896)

 

  A Book of Verse, 1870

A Book of Verse, 1870

 

The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Printed by Kelmscott Press, 1896

 

Odes of Horace, 1874

   

 

"The Nature of Gothic" By John Ruskin Printed by Kelmscott Press, 1892

 A Book of Verse, 1870

Morris must have had some extra time on his hands in 1890 so he decided to found yet another movement -- the Private Press Movement.  Private Press refers to books manufactured with traditional methods of printing and binding with the goal of producing a book that not only conveys information but is also a work of art.  Art and craft as one.  Morris founded Kelmscott Press to realize his vision of books as works of art, producing more than 18,000 copies of 53 different works between 1891 and 1898.

Here is a link to a wonderful on-line archive of Morris book pages/illustrations curated by Dr. Florence Boos of the University of Iowa.  She is currently President of the William Morris Society in the U.S. which definitely qualifies her as a fan!