Book Arts and Fine Press

The Book Arts Collection at Stephen O. Murray and Keelung Hong Special Collections is made up of items that embody and treat as their subjects all aspects of the book as a physical structure. Among the topics covered in this growing collection are book history, book design, bookbinding, illustration, papermaking and paper decoration, typography, calligraphy, fine press printing, and offset printing. There is a collection of contemporary artists' books, as well as printed books from the 15th through 21st centuries representing the works of important European and American master printers and binders. Artists' books can take any format, from a codex to a tunnel book and beyond, and offer non-traditional yet innovative approaches to the relationship between book and reader. Our Artists' Books Collection includes around 400 titles by artists like Laura Davidson, Julie Chen, Emily Martin, Lynne Avadenka, and Peter and Donna Thomas. The Cuban Artists' Books Collection contains nearly 200 titles created by artists at Ediciones Vigía, a cooperative that has produced limited-edition books since 1985. Fine press items include works from the major presses of the 18th through 20th centuries (Strawberry Hill, Kelmscott, Doves, and Ashendene), as well as the output of modern practitioners like Russell Maret, Gaylord Schanilec, Chad Pastotnik, and others.

For more information, please contact Tad Boehmer, Rare Books Curator.