Paper-Making by Hand: A Book of Suspicions

Hardcover. Number 108 of 200 copies of which 170 were for sale. The founder of this press and author of this book, Walter Hamady (1940 - 2019) was an American artist, book designer, papermaker, poet and teacher. He is especially known for his innovative efforts in letterpress printing, bookbinding, and papermaking. In the mid-1960s, he founded The Perishable Press and the Shadwell Papermill, and soon after joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he taught for more than thirty years. Noted for its fine handmade paper, distinguished typography and unique colophons, Hamady's Perishable Press challenged traditional notions of the book. Over the years, his press produced a body of work highly sought after by collectors -- books prized for their meticulous and complex physical structures, quirkiness and inventive collaborations between typesetter, binder and illustrator. [Wikipedia] Many Perishable Press books are notable for their innovative use of paper - in addition to the Perishable Press, Hamady also operated the Shadwell Paper Mill - and for Hamady's rambling, light-hearted, but highly informative colophons. Hamady's role as a teacher made the Perishable Press highly influential, with many of his students founding presses working in a very similar tradition. Hamady wrote in the prospectus that this wonderful book was begun in 1969, but took much longer to complete than anticipated. The text is in three parts. Part One is the Introduction. Part Two is about needs and equipment. Part Three, the longest section, is about procedures and techniques, and gives a detailed account of exactly how to make paper as they do it. It was worth the amount of time it took to write and make. It is a beautiful book replete with about 80 pages of handmade paper in five colors, some with text and six blank pages from other paper mills bound in as examples. Bound in light brown Irish linen cloth with title in blind to spine. The title page calligraphy was by Herman Zapf. With numerous illustrations, includine one signed by Walter Hamady. This very fine book was included in the Grolier Club's A Century for the Century. Measures 7 x 10.5 inches. About 42 pages of text plus paper samples. PRI/092024.