The Private Press Revival and Wood Engraving
08/04/2026 General, Books & Autographs
The heyday of the Private Press movement is generally held to be from the 1890s and to Kelmscott Press to the last books of the Ashendene Press in the 1930s. The influence of this enormously fruitful period of typography continued for several decades, but by the 1950s and the advent of phototypesetting the quality of book design, both English and American, had retreated and the few practitioners of hand-press work were (with a few noble exceptions) hobbyists. It was not until the 1970s that something of a revival of fine typography got underway, in the United Kingdom with Will and Sebastian Carter at the Rampant Lions Press from the mid-1960s on, and the Whittington Press, founded by John and Rosalind Randle in 1971. These presses were the wellspring of inspiration for a whole new generation of typographers and illustrators. The Randles started publishing their annual journal Matrix, on matters of interest to aficionados of the book arts, in 1981. This was enthusiastically received (it would continue through the final issue 36 in 2020). By the 1980s in both England and America, a whole new crop of printers, illustrators, typographers and bookbinders were on the scene, producing work of the highest standards. Of especial note is the resurgence of wood engraving that has accompanied the revival in the private presses. Examples of many of the major presses and illustrators are included in our current rare book auction, closing August 13.
The Barbarian Press of Crispin and Jan Elsted was founded in Kent in the United Kingdom in 1977 and moved to Canada in 1978. The combination of superb letterpress printing and typography excellence. coupled with careful choice of illustrators (with a very strong emphasis on wood engraving) has given the Press a well-deserved reputation for excellence. Lots 201 through 203 in the present sale feature some splendid groups of their books.
The Fleece Press is a private press specializing in the work of twentieth century British artists, especially those from the pre-war period who worked in wood engraving. Simon Lawrence, the proprietor of the Press was inspired by the example of the Randles at the Whittington Press, and at this point he has produced well over a hundred books. These include a number of superb references, impeccably designed and elegantly printed. See lots 206 and 209.
Gaylord Schanilec's Midnight Paper Sales features his extraordinary color wood engraving. This technique, popularized by Rudolf Ruzicka in the United States in the early part of the last century, is technically exceptionally demanding, and Schanilec has shown himself a true master of it ever since his illustrations to Wrenching Times issued by Gwasg Gregynog in 1991. We are delighted to offer one of the broadest selections of his work to come to market in lots 233-240. This includes the extraordinary large-paper edition of his Sylvae limited to just 26 lettered copies (lot 237).
Abigail Rorer at the Lone Oak Press combines wood engraving with a thoughtful choice of texts that reflect her interest in gardening and environmental matters. Lest that sounds overly dry, her edition of a Reginald Farrer text On the hunt for the King of the Alps is actually very funny, while beautifully produced (and in this case, one of the fourteen special copies). See lots 229-231 (and her work in a few works by other presses).
The Wiesedruck of Sarah Horowitz has produced some of the loveliest modern books illustrated with etching. These include (in the present sale) her Wildflowers, Vogel Totentanz and Footprints, the last of these reminiscent (in no derivative way) of Sol LeWitt. Lots 252-254.
These and many others may be viewed in the Private Press section of our current auction.
Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
Timed Online Auction Closes Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 10am
Viewings by Appointment
