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A title from The Old School Press Venice Approached An extract from John Ruskin's The Stones of Venice |
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Two of the twelve de luxe copies
About the book A printing of an extract from chapter 30 of book one and chapter 1 of book two of John Ruskin’s The Stones of Venice. About the edition Hand-set in 24pt Bembo italic, printed on Zerkall in a large landscape format, the paper folded on the fore-edge and all copies bound in the Japanese style. One illustration: the Venice waterline from the Dogana, printed from a line-block of a digitally processed photograph. 31pp. Fifty copies. Copies I to XII were bound by Rachel James, with a black card protective wallet bearing the title on one edge and inside the first flap. Copies I to VI each covered with a different hand-blocked paper from Legatoria Piazzesi, Venice; the binding tape was red. Copies VII to XII were covered with paper specially hand-marbled in the Spanish style by Ann Muir, with a slate blue rippled background on which black, gold, and terracotta ‘globules’ float; the binding tape was black. Copies 13 to 50 were bound with soft covers of hand-made Wookey Hole Royal carrying the title pasted on, printed from the same type as that used for the title page; they were presented in a simple wrapper of black card, the title on the spine and again on the front cover. Ordinaries £19. Specials £44. The story Work started in early 1991 and was intended to be completed that year – hence the date on the title page. However, the weather turned unfavourable for printing in the November and had to be stopped (with two pages and the colophon to go) until the following Spring. Ann Muir marbled the paper in 1992 and Rachel James prepared a trial binding (using suminagashi paper) that Spring. Printing was finally completed on 27th June 1992 – the illustration (very much a late addition) being the last sheet printed. The binding of the specials was completed during that July. The specials sold very well – they looked grand. Binding of the ordinaries started in July and continued in step with sales. The last six copies were sold at the Oxford Fine Press Book Fair in 1994 – we could have sold more. The one illustration, the Venice waterline from the Dogana, was printed from a line-block of a digitally processed photograph taken on a visit to Venice in October 1991, when the paper was also bought at Legatoria Piazzesi. Some copies (all of the ordinaries) contained a slipped-in sheet about the press, with its address. |
