Tudor Black Press
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James Guthrie
&
The Pear Tree Press
2024 marks the 150th year of the birth of
James Guthrie
Printer, Designer and Illustrator of books.
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The Tudor Black Press is creating a book to celebrate the life of James Guthrie and his work at the Pear Tree Press, the book will be a small biography and bibliography of his life and work.
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The book contains the paper 'The Hand Printer and His Work,' a paper that was read before the Double Crown Club dinner at the Cafe Royal in London, March 1934.
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'I desire strongly to declare the separate identity of hand-printing
as an art having its own subsidiary vitality.'
James Guthrie 1934
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THE EDITION​
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In this edition the main text will be hand set in 14pt Caslon Old Face, this is a typeface that was used by James Guthrie in a number of his publications.
A number of plates have been made to illustrate the book, these have been taken from the original designs and press marks in various books and prospectuses.
A small handlist of works has been printed, however it only represents a selection of works that came from the Pear Tree Press in its 53 years of existence.
The illustrations of Guthrie's work for the book, are but a small selection of his output for the time that he ran the press.
SPECIAL EDITION
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Twenty special copies will be printed onto dampened Italian Vice Versa handmade paper, these will be half bound in Alran Saphir blue leather, with Prina marbled paper on the boards, every special copy will have an original sheet illustrated and printed by James Guthrie and housed in a Solander box.
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These special copies are available at a pre-publication price of £450.00 thereafter £480.00.
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The title page of the Special Edition, printed on handmade paper.
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Below is the detail of the presses watermark.
The Pear Tree Press logo printed on the title page was taken from one of Guthries engravings and has been made into a block with a colour match from one of Guthries original printings.
The following images that appear in this book are just a sample of the work of James Guthrie, he had a vast output of drawings and engravings.
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The engraving on the page to the right is from when Guthrie moved to Harting in West Sussex, and represents a Hart and the initials of the press.
Block designed and engraved by Guthrie for Hymn on the Morning of Christ's Nativity by John Milton
1904
This Linocut is part of a folio page in Frecoes in Buried Temples and cut by the engraver Beth S Robertson
STANDARD EDITION
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Thirty standard copies will be printed onto 145gsm off-white Zerkall paper, these will be bound in a quarter blue cloth, with Prina marbled paper on the boards and housed in a slipcase.
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These standard copies will be available at a pre-publication price of £230.00 and thereafter £250.00
Cloth binding of the Standard Edition with marbled boards.