100th ‘Leaves of Grass’ Work of Art
The craft of fine printed books is alive and well at Arion Press. Here, the binding of “Leaves of Grass,” the 100th book, is being hand-sewn. Photo by Jeremy Raff TRANSCRIPT RELATED LINKS HARI SREENIVASAN: Finally, Gutenberg in the age of the digital tablet. Jeffrey Brown has a story […]
Whitman was 36 years old when he self-published the first edition in 1855. A trained printer, he personally hand-set some of the lines of type in the book. Now Whitman’s work is being printed again, just as he did it in the 1800s, on movable type printing presses, the setting this time, in an old industrial building in San Francisco’s Presidio National Park, where the Arion Press is one of the country’s last fine book printers, and limited edition, handmade works are crafted from start to finish under one roof.
To mark the printing of Arion’s 100th book, and its 40th anniversary, Hoyem wanted something special, and found it in “Leaves of Grass.” An iconic portrait of a young bearded Walt Whitman greets readers on the opening page, just as it did in the original. Whitman would revise and republish “Leaves” throughout his life. But it was the first edition that changed everything.
Arion raises funds not only for its books, but to preserve the historic equipment, and for the apprenticeship program that’s trained and graduated 20 individuals since 2000. A number have stayed on, including lead bookbinder Sarah Songer, who we watched putting the final touches on the “Leaves of Grass” edition
Click here to view original web page at www.pbs.org
Category: Anniversary
