Printing

Printing — marelibri

[PRINTING: FIRST WORLD WAR] William Archibald Clowes (1866-1937), Chairman, William Clowes & Sons Ltd, English printers:Biblio.com

Clowes Printer; Royal Society of Arts 12 Typed Letters and one Autograph Letter re the printing of the 'Society of Arts Journal' addressed to Sir HT. Wood and G.K.Menzies Secretaries Royal Society of Arts together with one printed circular.

ref. 502510 August 1915 to 23 November 1917. Clowes is an eminent firm of English printers founded in London in 1803 and still thriving in Suffolk. The twelve typed letters are each one page quarto on the firm's Duke Street letterhead. The autograph letter is one page 12mo with mourning border. The collection in good condition overall with a few items aged and lightly creased. Most items docketed and bearing the Society's stamp. All items except the circular signed by 'W A Clowes' who he informs Wood in his first letter has taken over from his cousin Captain W. C. Knight Clowes whose copy of the First Folio was subsequently bought by William Foyle. The collection provides an fascinating insight into the effect of the Great War on the printing trade with Clowes reluctantly announcing repeated increases in costs. In the third letter 21 October 1915 he states: 'We wish to wait and see what the effect of Lord Derby's recruiting scheme will be on the printing trade because if many more men are taken from it the cost of production will again be greatly increased . I am glad to say that for the moment we have a stock of the old Journal paper at the usual price'. Letter four 14 August 1918 warns of 'another large rise in wages in the London District in the near future' and letter five 27 March 1918 confirms 'the large increase in wages that the printing and binding trades have been compelled to grant their workpeople. All materials used in printing and binding have again risen and are still rising . we shall be obliged to raise our prices to you for printing and binding by a considerable percentage'. Letter six 20 March 1918 responds to a complaint from Menzies regarding the printing of the Journal's wrappers: 'I . cannot in any way defend the printing. I was having the matter thoroughly looked into before your letter came and the type renovated'. He complains that 'labour is so scarce' but promises that he will be 'keeping an eye on it until it is done properly'. Letter of 13 June 1917 announces '15% extra on composition machining and binding owing to the increases in wages which took place previously to October 1916 and the large increase that took place then and the still larger increase which had to be paid on this June 1st'. A printed circular announces another rise of 15% from 31 October 1917 'owing to the further increases in War Bonuses and the never ceasing increases in the cost of all materials'. On 28 March 1917 Clowes warns that the firm has 'only sufficient paper in stock to take us to about June 30th' and that 'prices will rise very sharply immediately owing to the great scarcity of materials'. In the handwritten letter which ends the series Clowes thanks Menzies for his 'kind letter of sympathy with us on the sad loss we have sustained by the death of my Cousin Mr Knight Clowes. I note with pleasure that you intend to insert a short obituary notice of him in your Journal. You may have seen the one in "The Times" for Wednesday last'. 10 August 1915 to 23 November 1917. unknown

Richard M. Ford Ltd · United Kingdom£500.00≈ €599.66

[New York]. [Printing]. New York Protestant Episcopal ChurchABAA

Circular. The Trustees of the New-York Protestant Episcopal Press Having Completed the Necessary Preparatory Measures Have Opened Their Printing and Binding Establishment Sake Depository and Office. caption title and first line of text

1829ref. 5234New York: New York Protestant Episcopal Press 1829. Very good. Broadside 10.5 x 9 inches. Old folds foxing creasing and toning with substantial but irregularly-trimmed margins. An unrecorded New York broadside advertising the opening of the New York Protestant Episcopal Press NYPEP and related activities at No. 46 Lumber Street in New York City in 1829. The text states that "PRINTING of every description will be executed for Churches Bible and Common Prayer-Book Societies Tract Societies Missionary or Education Societies and all other religious institutions of the Protestant Episcopal Church at the lowest rates and in the best manner" and that the new establishment will "also be the publication office of The Family Visiter and Sunday School Magazine; and of The Children's Magazine." The text also includes notes about the business of the organization as well as notices to "Booksellers who are members of the Protestant Episcopal Church" and "secretaries of religious and charitable associations." In addition to their printing and binding work the broadside states that the NYPEP will take charge of the depositories of five New York institutions -- the General Protestant Episcopal Sunday Union the New York Bible and Common Prayer-Book Society the Auxiliary New York Bible and Common Prayer-Book Society the New York Protestant Episcopal Tract Society and the New York Protestant Episcopal Sunday School Society. The bottom half of the broadside is taken up with a listing of the organization's Board of Trustees "Other Managers" the general agent book-keeper printer William Van Norden and binder Christian Brown along with a postscript with details on various forthcoming publications by the press. William Van Norden was a prolific printer in New York in the first half of the 19th century producing more than just religious works. He printed the collected works of Benjamin Franklin Hannah Moore's memoir and the Proceedings of the New York Historical Society among many other works and later helped produce The National Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Americans. We could locate no other copies of this broadside anywhere. [New York Protestant Episcopal Press] unknown books