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A fascinating book describing the facilities and services (both passenger and freight) of the Port of Southampton that was, in 1955, indeed the 'gateway' to Britain especially for transatlantic travellers. This was just before the growth of afoordable Trans-Atlantic air services that would see a rapid decline in the port's passenger services and closure of the remarkable "Ocean Terminal" that had not long opened. The book is published by the British Transport Commission, the nationalised operator of most UK ports at the time and of British Railways - Southampton Docks having fallen into the fold with the nationalisation of the Southern railway in 1948. For a nationalised industry the BTC had unusually high standards of publicity and printing - even allowing for that this book is a real gem of its time. The book was designed by J Denison-Hunt FSIA, the book was printed by the exemplary Curwen Press in Plaistow, London and to cap it the cover seen here is by Hans Schleger, one of the most influential graphic designers and typographers of the twentieth century. Schleger (1898 - 1976) was German born but came to the UK in 1932 and working as "Zero" became an influential poster artist and designer (working for LT for example) and designing the familiar 'look' of Penguin Books for many years. I can find little about Denison-Hunt apart from an entry in the London Gazette for 1945 notes that a John Reginald Hunt, a commercial artist, of Whalley Range in Manchester, had assumed the name of John Reginald Denison-Hunt by deed poll. That I think is our man.
In the postwar years Penguin Books issued both a free Pengins Progress, as seen here and that was posted free to over forty thousand subscribers, and a 'Classified List' that was issued less frequently. Although the List detailed both available and upcoming books of the Penguin family, the Progress gave a more in depth resume of titles and series that were underway.
This issue as well as being posted from the Vase Press at Thrapston was also printed there. Sadly no designer is shown - the covers showing variations on the Penguin and the end papers cleverly adapting woodcuts from the forthcoming King Penguin book on Bewick's woodcuts. Indeed the front cover carefully takes Bewick's original owl and replaces it with the penguin!
Tipped in to a Penrose Annual is this example of a book jacket (or dust wrapper) for the 1934 novel by Alec Waugh, The Balliols. The design is by Eric Fraser.
One of the many books issued by the UK's then dominant chemicals concern ICI. Formed in 1926 by merger from four of the largest chemicals, explosives and dyestuffs companies, ICI was a vast organisation and even included its own in-house printing works. the noted and highly regarded Kynoch Press.
This book, that tells the story of colour dyes from antiquity to modern days, was published by the Kynoch Press of Birmingham, and designed and illustrated by Vernon Shearer and Arthur Smith for the Dyestuffs Division whose headquarters were in Manchester.
This page helps tell the story of an important discovery by ICI, at their Scottish Dyes subsidiary, of Monastral Fast Blue that was launched in the UK in 1935.
A splendid little booklet issued by the British Transport Commission to support the exhibition on London's transport in the Nineteenth Century in 1953. This was held in the historic Shareholders' Meeting Room at Euston station; the Commission thought that there was "no better way of making this Room accessible to the public" at the time but sadly, less than a decade later, this historic space along with the other major components of the Victorian station were bulldozed in an act of redevelopment that is still a conservation cause célèbre.
The booklet is beautiful typeset and printed by the Shenval Press who, at the time, were acknowledged as one of Britain's finest printers. The layout and typography are very typical of the Commission's careful 'look' that saw them take great care in the graphic design of their publications. The cover and title page are shown.
1969 hardcover version published by Van Nostrand Reinhold
Recently reissued. Avail here: Amazon
History, details and book info here: Woodtyper
Online reference and collection here: Rob Roy Kelly American Wood Type Collection
photographed by
Frank Dinger
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A rather clever promotional 'book' issued by the paper manufacturers Grosvenor, Chater & Co Ltd in 1930. Entitled "An Essay on Silence" by F A Corbett it consists of nearly 30 pages of blank paper composed of the company's Basingwerk Parchment paper in boards that are bound with their Royal Cornwall Cover Papers. The rear pages give information as to the papers, their sizes and costs.
It is a shame no designer or agancy for the production of the book is shown as the typeface and vignettes are charmingly of their age. Grosvenor, Chater's history went back to the 1600s as stationers and in 1854 they purchased the Abbey Paper Mills at Holywell in North Wales. This mill, built close to the site of Basingwerk Abbey, gave the name to one of their high quality papers, products they were noted for. The mills closed in the 1980s.
Wilhelm Pinder (Text)
Walter Hege (Photographien)
Der Bamberger Dom und seine Bildwerke
Berlin, Deutscher Kunstverlag, 1926; hier: 2. Auflage 1933
Format 31 x 23
darauf:
Bucheinbandvignette von Ernst Böhm
120 x 65 mm
In the postwar years Penguin Books issued both a free Pengins Progress, as seen here and that was posted free to over forty thousand subscribers, and a 'Classified List' that was issued less frequently. Although the List detailed both available and upcoming books of the Penguin family, the Progress gave a more in depth resume of titles and series that were underway.
This issue as well as being posted from the Vase Press at Thrapston was also printed there. Sadly no designer is shown - the covers showing variations on the Penguin and the end papers cleverly adapting woodcuts from the forthcoming King Penguin book on Bewick's woodcuts. Indeed the front cover carefully takes Bewick's original owl and replaces it with the penguin!
This is research we are doing to determine the style & design of our upcoming book on business model innovation...
A very fine page, in the Press's own 'Golden Cockerel' face, of H E Bates Flowers and Faces. The book is illustrated with John Nash's wood engravings that are joyful works.
A splendid little booklet issued by the British Transport Commission to support the exhibition on London's transport in the Nineteenth Century in 1953. This was held in the historic Shareholders' Meeting Room at Euston station; the Commission thought that there was "no better way of making this Room accessible to the public" at the time but sadly, less than a decade later, this historic space along with the other major components of the Victorian station were bulldozed in an act of redevelopment that is still a conservation cause célèbre.
The booklet is beautiful typeset and printed by the Shenval Press who, at the time, were acknowledged as one of Britain's finest printers. The layout and typography are very typical of the Commission's careful 'look' that saw them take great care in the graphic design of their publications. The cover and title page are shown.
Knots Untied or, Ways and By-Ways in the Hidden Life of American Detectives by George S. McWatters, 1871
www.royalbooks.com/pages/books/121570/george-s-mcwatters/...
The title page from the 1964 "Alphabet", an international annual of letterforms, a magnificent production put together by the highly regarded ICI 'house' printers, the Birmingham based Kynoch Press. It was edited by R S Hutchings and published for them by James Moran and was the only volume of an intended series issued. The right page folds out to reveal the full alphabet. The main titling is Bodoni I think.
A rather period childrens picture book telling the story of the manufacturing and utility of town gas and issued by the British Gas Council in 1947, a few months before the industry was Nationalised by the postwar Labour Government. By way of text, line drawings and twelve colour plates the history of 'fire' and the town gas industry is shown to Susan and Micahel by Mr Therm. Mr Therm was the gas industry's 'mascot' for many years; developed by artist and designer Eric Fraser in the early 1930s for the London Gas Light & Coke Company he was rapidly adopted for use across the whole industry. The language is, of course, very much of its time, including the furious fairy of the flames, Mr Therm himself!
The premise in the book is that gas is cleaner and more convienient when seen against the use of coal for domestic purposes and indeed, the production of town gas although an often messy business itself made better use of coal as a fuel and as a source of numerous by-products and chemical derivatives. These were after all the days before the whole issue of carbon release was fully understood and before the UK's coal gas production was phased out with the introduction of Natural Gas.
The book although produced by the Gas Council was designed and produced by no less than Adprint Ltd for A N Holden & Co Ltd, London & Birmingham. It was printed by Tapp and Toothill of Leeds and London.
One of the long lived Shell Guides, produced by the petrol and oil giant for many years, and this covering London is one of the 'Junior Guides'. Published in 1965 it is an idosyncratic look at the capital city for children and was compliled by Isobel Barnett and illustrated by the incomparable Ronald Searle. The latter is probably why both visitors and inhabitants bear more than a passing relationship to St. Custard's and St. Trinians! The book is designed by Bruce Robertson (d.2014) who went on to found the design partnership "Diagram".
An interesting one this as this bold and quite powerful cover presaged what were to be major changes in the identity of British Railways in the next two years. This 'principal' services timetable was issued in conjuntion with the regional timetables that had been a feature of BR since nationalisation in 1948. For 'national' coverage one went to Bradshaw's Guide, a feature of rail travel almost since it was invented in the 1830s. This 'main line' timetable was amongst the first to be issued in the new larger format although it still carries the heraldic symbol of the British Railways Board and uses Gill Sans. The new "British Rail" title and logo would come into use in 1964/5 and finally in the latter year the 24 hour clock became standard. Nevertheless this timetable has many of the hallmarks of things to come. One oddity is that the title page note it is published by the British Transport Commission - an organisation technically abolished on 1 January 1963, six months before this was produced. It was printed at the Baynard Press, Sanders Phillips, in London.