Large archive of American amateur press publications

Full catalog of the archive's contents provided upon request.

This archive consists of rare chapbooks, amateur journalism, joke books, printer's dummies, Christmas cards, and what would nowadays be referred to as zines. Their content is often secondary to their aesthetic dimensions and their relationship to other zines and the community of hobby printers of the time. Much of what they had to say was in their designs. While the origins of the amateur press movement date back to the late 19th century, this era of amateur publications traces the diffusion of printing technology in the era before photomechanical reproduction became widely used (and inflated limitations of zines), and also before the countercultural ethos became dominant in zine-making. With a few notable exceptions (such as the integration vs. segregation debate of the '50s and early '60s) most of these publications were not "political" in any way; the authors weren't concerned with striking an oppositional stance to the dominant culture of the time. Instead, their "square" subculture was centered around the art and craft of printing.

Horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, the most famous luminary of the amateur press scene, casts a long shadow over the earliest publications herein, although none of his work is included. Some issues of The Tryout and one of The Silver Fern (both publications that first printed his poems and stories) are here, including one of the latter that mentions him as the Boston rep to NAPA.

Other unusual items include Minur-Pruf, a zine printed on pink Kleenex, as well as an untitled zine printed in a spiral pattern. An unknown printer tried his or her hand at making colorful late 19th century-style sarsaparilla labels. Overall, the tone is light-hearted.

This archive illuminates a vibrant American subculture in the mid 20th century that really can only be experienced as the extensive collection of physical items it is. In an era of ubiquitous intangibility and instant communication, these rare missives are a welcome reminder of something precious we may have nearly lost.