Typesetting on a Winter's Afternoon

Liberty, WI: The Heavy Duty Press, 2018. Softcover. Fine. Softcover. Number 8 of 26 copies. This charming and beautifully printed book is a fitting tribute to the art of fine printing. It reprints an article by master printer Stan Nelson that originally appeared in Parenthesis in 1999. The article described the pleasurable steps and details of typesetting and hand printing. Stan wrote that the essence of fine printing "is really the marriage of the right paper, excellent presswork, perfect type, and good typography." The Heavy Duty Press has produced a book that fulfills Stan's criteria for fine printing. The text is printed on both translucent and opaque sheets that allow the words on separate pages to show through and continue the flow of sentences. Interspersed are designs showing snow through a window. Tipped in is a small facsimile of a letter sent by Stan to Mike Koppa in 1998 about printing. Printed in 10 pt. Century Old Style type on Zerkall Laid and Classic Crest papers on a Vandercook press. The book is hand bound and inserted into one-of-a-kind covers, constructed without adhesive, featuring designs taken from the Specimen Book and Catalogue of the American Type Founders Company. In fine condition. Measures 4.5 x 6.5 inches. Unpaginated. PRI/050719. (Inventory #: 33296)