Category: Rare Books

New Purchase: William Morris’ Kelmscott Press Romance Trilogy

Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) recently purchased the English Arthurian romance trilogy printed by William Morris, the nineteenth-century British artist who was a central figure in the movement to return to the medieval and early Renaissance artistic ideals he felt had been abandoned by contemporary society. The three works are titled:  The Romance of Syr Perecyvelle of Gales (1895), The Romance of Sir Degrevant (1896) and The Romance of Syr Ysambras (1897).

Morris was an ardent socialist and a central figure of the Arts and Crafts movement, which began in England as a reaction against the mechanized production of objects that was a hallmark of the Industrial Revolution and spread throughout much of the Western world. He believed in the ability of beautiful things to improve the human condition and that beautifully crafted objects should be accessible to all people. Morris insisted that all workers should take pride in craftsmanship. The revival of handpress printing using handset type based on fifteenth-century designs, handmade paper, and a lush style informed by medieval illuminated manuscripts was among Morris’s greatest contributions, and his work initiated the 20th-century revival of the book arts.

In 1844, James Orchard Halliwell edited this English medieval manuscript, which is held at the Library of Lincoln Cathedral (Cambridge) and published it as The Thornton Romances: The Early English Romances of Perceval, Isumbras, Eglamour, and Degravant (1844). The medieval manuscript was compiled and copied by the fifteenth-century English scribe and landowner Robert Thornton. The manuscript is notable for containing single versions of important poems such as the alliterative Morte Arthure and Sir Perceval of Galles and gives evidence of the complex literary culture of fifteenth-century England. The manuscript has three main sections: the first one contains mainly narrative poems (romances, for the most part); the second contains mainly religious poems and includes texts by Richard Rolle, giving evidence of works by that author which are now lost; and the third section contains a medical treatise, the Liber de diversis medicinis. Brewer cites The Lincoln Thornton Manuscript’s historical value since it represents a rare contemporary witness to much of its content. The manuscript is also seen as evidence of a change in religiosity taking place during the fifteenth century, when a broader dispersion of religious material allowed the laity through vernacular texts an increasing ability to instruct themselves on religion and other topics.

Morris first came across the trilogy while a student at Oxford University and the works became one of his favorite reads, according to Sydney Cockerell, Morris’ secretary. At Oxford, he also became close friends with Edward Burne-Jones in 1852 and bonded over a shared love of poetry. Their lifelong collaboration resulted in some of the most beautiful books of the nineteenth century, influencing generations of printers and artists to the present day.

Burne-Jones illustrated the frontispiece in all three books. Morris so enjoyed his illustrations that he asked Burne-Jones to paint them on the walls of his home. Burne-Jones moved in radical circles, too. Both men were associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of British artists and writers who sought inspiration from the art created before the painter Raphael (1483–1520) and who glorified medieval and early Renaissance Italian art. The Pre-Raphaelites strove to return to what they saw as the pure ideals of an earlier time. Many of the friends that Morris, Burne-Jones, and the other Pre-Raphaelites met in college became their creative collaborators for life.

All three books were also edited and distributed by Frederick Startridge Ellis (1830–1901), an English bookseller and author. Ellis had a wide circle of literary and artistic friends. He was a publisher, on a small scale, and brought out the works of Morris and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who became close friends. Among other associates were A. C. Swinburne, Burne-Jones and John Ruskin, whose Stray Letters to a London Bibliopole were addressed to Ellis and republished by him (1892). Ruskin referred to him as “Papa Ellis”. In 1864, Morris was introduced to Ellis by Swinburne, and after Morris’ death, Ellis served as one of the poet’s executors.

The Romance of Syr Perecyvelle of Gales (1895)

Two open pages of an elaborately illustrated book. Floral and leaf-like patterns border a doorway in which two people embrace.
The Romance of Syr Perecyvelle of Gales (picture by author)

Syr Perecyvelle of Gales opens with the young Percival saying farewell to his mother before he goes off to find his fortune as a knight. The scene is the forest where she raised him in hopes of protecting him from outside influences. Burne-Jones’s image, informed by medieval aesthetics and fifteenth-century woodcuts, shows Percival enveloped by his mother’s embrace, within a thatch-roofed hut made from trees and branches. Set within a floral border designed by Morris and reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts, the scene is both poignant and foreboding. Percival’s mother is unable to protect him forever, and, at the end of this version of the story, he is slain in the Holy Land.

William Morris at the Kelmscott Press., Upper Mall, Hammersmith. Hammersmith, Kelmscott Press., 1895. 8mo. Upper Mall, Hammersmith. Printed by William Morris at the Kelmscott Press. 1895. Limited Edition. Octavo. 98pp. Original quarter linen and blue-gray paper covered boards; a few pencil notations on the front free endpaper, else a fine copy. One of three hundred fifty copies. Printed in black and red from Chaucer types, title-page woodcut border after Burne-Jones, with the first line of text in red, on Batchelor’s handmade paper.

Overseen by F.S. Ellis. 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches, One of 350 copies (of a whole edition of 358). Frontispiece by Edward Burne-Jones. Printed in Chaucer type, with titles and shoulder notes in red, and with numerous borders and initials designed by William Morris. Interior fine. Linen backed boards, very good: spine extremities a bit worn, two bottom corners worn, covers a bit faded, edges damp stained. Printed in red and black, wood engraved frontispiece, ornamental woodcut borders and initials. (Peterson A33). Quarter linen and blue-gray paper cover boards.

The Romance of Sir Degrevant (1896)

Two pages from an elaborately illustrated book, with a grapevine border. An interior scene shows two people seated, one holding a musical instrument.
The Romance of Sir Degrevant (picture by author)

Sir Degrevant is generally classified as a composite romance, that is, a romance that does not fit easily into the standard classification of romances. It is praised for its realism and plot and is notable for its blending of literary material and social reality.

The title character, while a perfect knight in many respects, is initially reluctant to love. His life changes when he seeks redress from his neighbor for the killing of his men and damages done to his property. He falls in love with the neighbor’s daughter, and after she initially denies him her love, she accepts him. They both convince the overbearing and initially violent father to grant Degrevant his daughter’s hand in marriage.

William Morris at Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1896 [but issued in 1897]). 215 x 150 mm. (8 1/2 x 6″). 2 p.l., 81, [1] pp. Edited by F. S. Ellis. ONE OF 350 COPIES on paper (and eight on vellum). Original holland-backed blue-gray paper boards, edges untrimmed, in a later (but old) glassine wrapper. Woodcut frontispiece designed by Edward Burne-Jones, elaborate woodcut borders of vines, flowers, and tendrils around frontispiece and first page of text, decorative woodcut initials (mostly three-line) throughout. Printed in red and black in Chaucer type. The wrapper with a few imperfections though extremely well preserved. According to Sparling (op cit), “This book, subjects from which were painted by Burne-Jones on the walls of the Red House, Upton, Bexley Heath many years ago, was always a favourite with Morris.” Because Burne-Jones’ frontispiece was not printed until 18 months after the text was ready, the book was published later (on 12 November 1897) than the date of the colophon (14 March 1896).

The Romance of Syr Isumbras (1897)

Two pages from an elaborately illustrated book, with a grapevine border. A robed figure kneels in front of a bare tree, in which a haloed dove rests.
The Romance of Syr Isumbras (picture by author)

Sir Isumbras is a medieval metrical romance written in Middle English and found in no fewer than nine manuscripts dating to the fifteenth century. This popular romance must have been circulating in England before 1320, because William of Nassyngton, in his work Speculum Vitae, which dates from this time, mentions feats of arms found in Sir Isumbras. Unlike the other romance stories, the Middle English Sir Isumbras is not a translation of an Old French original.

Sir Isumbras is a proud knight who is offered the choice of happiness in his youth or his old age. He chooses the latter and falls from his high estate by the will of Providence. He is severely stricken; his possessions, his children and, lastly, his wife, are taken away; and he himself becomes a wanderer. After much privation he trains as a blacksmith, learning to forge his armor anew, and he rides into battle against a sultan. Later, he arrives at the court of the sultan’s queen, who proves to be his long-lost wife. He attempts to Christianize the Islamic lands over which he now rules, provoking a rebellion which is then defeated when his children miraculously return to turn the tide of battle.

Limited First Edition. First Printing. 8vo (21.1 x 14.3 x .8 cm). Bound in publisher’s original hardcover quarter Holland-backed blue paper boards, with white linen spine and black titles to cover. One of 350 [at twelve shillings] paper copies (plus 8 [at four guineas] on vellum). Printed on fine, hand-made, Batchelor (with the Flower watermark) paper. Uncut, deckled edges. Colophon and the smaller, rectangular printer’s device designed by Morris (no. 1). [vii], [title], [ii], 41, [viii] pp. Printed in black and red throughout in the Chaucer type designed by Morris. Head-title and shoulder-notes in red. Two full-page ornamental borders (4a and 4), with a woodcut frontispiece designed by Sir Edward Collier Burne-Jones. One 10-line and numerous 3-line woodblock initial capitals designed by Morris for his press, engraved by William Harcourt Hooper.

– David de Lorenzo, Giustina Director, SCUA

 

References

Anderson, Patricia. 1991. British literary publishing houses, 1820-1880. Detroit : Gale Research (UO Libraries, Z326 .B67 1991).

Brewer, Derek S.; Owen, A.E.B. 1977. The Thornton Manuscript (Lincoln Cathedral MS.91). London: The Scolar Press. (UO Libraries, PR1120 .L5 1975).

Connolly, Margaret (editor).  2008. Design and distribution of late medieval manuscripts in England. York, England : York Medieval Press, The University of York ; Woodbridge, UK ; Rochester, NY : In association with Boydell Press. (UO Libraries, Z106.5.G7 D47 2008).

Halliwell, James O. 1844.   The Thornton Romances: The Early English Romances of Perceval, Isumbras, Eglamour, and Degravant. London, Printed for the Camden Society, by J.B. Nichols and Son (UO Libraries, DA20 .C17 no. 30).

Hudson, Harriet (Harriet E.). 1996. Four Middle English romances. Kalamazoo, Mich. : Published for TEAMS in association with the University of Rochester by Medieval Institute Publications, Western Michigan University. (UO Libraries, PR2064 .F68 1996.)

Morris, William and Sydney Cockerel. 1898.  A note by William Morris on his aims in founding the Kelmscott Press: together with a short description of the press. (UO Libraries, Z232.M87 M83 1898).

Peterson, William S. 1991. The Kelmscott Press : a history of William Morris’s typographical adventure. Berkeley, Calif. : University of California Press. (UO Libraries, Z232.M87 P45 1991).

Sparling, H. Halliday (Henry Halliday). 1924 The Kelmscott press and William Morris master-craftsman. London : Macmillan and Co., Limited. (UO Libraries, Z232.M87 S73).

Taraba, Suzy. HISTORICAL ROW: SYR PERECYVELLE OF GALES: A BRILLIANT ASSOCIATION. Wesleyan University Magazine. 2016 ISSUE 1, Historical Row, Short Features, April 6, 2016.

 

 

 

First Book Printed in English by William Caxton

This year celebrates the 550th anniversary of the first book printed in the English language, Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye (1473-1474). This monumental achievement was accomplished by William Caxton, an English merchant living in Bruges. The story of the first printed book in English is one of international collaborations, personal networking, and the support of a renowned noblewoman, without whom the work would not have been completed.

Color etching of a man with a green hat and white beard. His image is shown in a circular frame.
1816 etching of Caxton. Retrieved September 11, 2023 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_caxton.jpg

We know much about Caxton due to in-depth research by modern scholars in the last four decades. The Wardens’ Account Books record that he apprenticed with Robert Large in 1438. Apprenticeships began at age fourteen, so we can be confident that Caxton was born in the first half of the 1420s. Large’s will of 1441 left Caxton twenty marks and it is likely this sum of money helped him make the voyage to Bruges to begin his life in business.

Caxton was a successful businessman, who was politically savvy and engaged with his fellow English merchants, serving as governor of Merchant Adventures. Most importantly, he built connections with royalty. In 1468, he was invited to attend the wedding of King Edward the IV’s sister, Margaret of York. Caxton had been involved behind the scenes in the marriage negotiations with the groom-to-be, Duke Charles the Bold. His status fell for a time when Edward went into exile. This downtime (1471-1472) provided him with an opportunity to travel and he made a fateful trip to Cologne, one of the earliest centers in the development of mechanical printing. His successor, Wynkyn de Worde, later confirmed that Caxton was bitten in Cologne by the printing bug.

Soon after his visit to Cologne, Caxton chose to translate The Recueil de Histories de Troye, written by Raoul Lefrevre for Philip the Good. The book focuses mainly on the exploits of Hercules, and it provided the dukes of Burgundy with a lineage with the heroes of Greece, through Hercules, it was claimed, who had married a Burgundian woman!

Printing was a new technology, and entrepreneurs who followed this career path often went bankrupt. Expertise in the process was needed. Paper and ink were very expensive. Like any business, printers had to cover their costs and make a living on whatever income was derived thereafter. Printing in English was a risk as most works at that time used Latin, not the vernacular of the place it was produced. English was quickly becoming an accepted language in both formal spoken venues, like Parliament (1362), and in written works like the English Bible (ca. 1380s). Thus, the shrewd businessman Caxton was strategic in choosing this work to translate into English.

In the preface of Recueil, Caxton explained that he found the translation to be more difficult than he expected. Caxton found help in the translation from none other than Margaret of York. Although there is no evidence that she provided financial support, she was a vital patron in both the translation and eventual distribution of the book. She was a bibliophile and her personal library included many religious and historical texts produced in the scribal tradition on vellum.

Painting of a woman with light skin and a black headdress. She looks off to her right and wears a dark dress with an elaborate neckline. On her left ear, she wears a dangly gold earring.
1458 portrait of Margaret of York. Retrieved September 11, 2023 from https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010061606 – https://collections.louvre.fr/CGU

The use of Medieval English was also a challenge as it had a variety of regional dialects. People from northern England could barely understand those from the south. In a later work, Eneydos (his translation of Virgil’s Aeneid), Caxton admitted that “common English spoken in one shire varies from that of another” and that “the language we use today is very different from that which was spoken when I was born.” Thus, he decided on the London dialect, where wealth and literacy abounded, and which contained a mixture of Latin and French. His choice had an enormous, long-lasting influence because it set a standard for a broader community-shared spelling, grammar and syntax in spoken and written English.

It is not known how many copies of the Recuiel were printed. Sometime in 1473-1474, printing of the work was completed in Bruges. Only eighteen copies are known to survive today. He eventually moved his press to Westminster in 1476 near the gate to the Almonry (near the west end of the Abbey), where he printed his most famous work: Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. He died ca. 1491 and was buried in the churchyard of St. Margaret’s Westminster. His press was inherited by his partner, an equally remarkable printer and businessman, Wynkyn de Worde.

Few of Caxton’s works survive as a whole. More often leaves can be found in libraries. These sell at   incredibly high cost (when available for sale) at more than $9,000/leaf. Special Collections (SCUA) is fortunate to have two original leaves from Caxton’s works:

Duff, E. Gordon (Edward Gordon). 1905. William Caxton. Chicago: The Caxton Club.

Higden, Ranulf. 1482. Leaf From the First Edition of the Polychronicon in English. Westminster: William Caxton.

We also have William Morris’ Kelmscott Press editions of Caxton’s works that are considered some of the most beautifully crafted books ever made:

Lefèvre, Raoul. 1892. The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye. Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press; London: Sold by Bernard Quaritch.

Jacobus, de Voragine. 1892. The Golden Legend. Hammersmith London, England: Kelmscott Press. London : Sold by Bernard Quaritch.

On April 30th, 1882, a stained-glass window was erected at St. Margaret’s where Caxton is buried. Following Caxton’s motto “Fiat Lux”, Lord Alfred Tennyson wrote:

Thy prayer was “Light, more Light” – while Time shall last!

Thou sawest a glory growing on the night,

But not the shadows which that light should cast,

Till shadows vanish in the Light of Light.

 

References

Blades, William. 1877. The Biography and Typography of William Caxton, England’s First Printer. London: Trubner & Co.

Crotch, W.J.B. 1928. The Prologues and Epilogues of William Caxton. London: Oxford University Press.

Deacon, Richard. 1976. A Biography of William Caxton: The First English Editor, Printer, Merchant and Translator. London: F. Muller.

Hellinga, Lotte. 2020. William Caxton and Early Printing in England. London: British Library.

Kuskin, William, ed. 2006. Caxton’s Trace: Studies in the History of English Printing. Notre Dame University Press.

Painter, George Duncan. 1977. William Caxton: A Biography. NY: Putnam.

Zeldenrust, Lydia. 2023. “Tales of Troy, Hercules, and a Printer called Caxton.” BBC History Magazine, 24:3, 26-31.

— David de Lorenzo, Giustina Director

New Acquisition: Confessionale, 1462

A new acquisition to the special collections is Antoninus Florentius, Confessionale and other texts, written in 1462. This manuscript has works in both Latin and Italian, is from Northern Italy, and is written on paper. It is written in brown ink and has evidence of four hands, with hand 1 being the primary scribe of the text. It is a single column text of 25 lines, with rubrication; there are some catchwords found at the bottom center of some of the pages.

Opening Page of the manuscript

A confessionale was a text used to assist the confessor in his tasks. Antoninus Florentius (1389-1459) was a Dominican friar and archbishop of Florence. He had a reputation for his theological knowledge and assisted as a papal theologian at the Council of Florence. He wrote many works including a guide for confessors which was highly regarded. Antoninus was canonized on May 31, 1523.

This particular confessionale is notable for including an extract on women’s dress codes, and a model of confession in the vernacular. The watermarks and vernacular indicate that the book was copied and decorated in Italy. The manuscript also contains two colophons which give the year of completion as 1462. This date was misread as 1402 as the “6” is quite abraded; 1402 is an impossible date as this work was not composed until c. 1437.

The manuscript contains the following sections:

  1. 1-23v: Antoninus Florentinus, Confessionale, “Liber primus: De instruction confessoris” (Book 1: On the instruction of the confessor)
  2. 23v-95v: Antoninus Florentinus, Confessionale, “Liber secundus: Interrogatorium” (Book 2: Interrogation)
  3. 96r-101r: Commentaries on deadly sins and the five senses
  4. 101v-102v: Excerpts of canonical and patristic texts
  5. 103r-104v: Excerpt from Antoninus Florentinus, De ornatu et habitu mulierum (On the ornamentation and dress of women)
  6. 105r-108r: Anonymous, Compendium de doctrina Christiana (Compendium of Christian doctrine)
  7. 108v-109v: A model for confession in Italian The first page of the manuscript shows much wear, and the book contains some water damage, ink stains, and later corrections to the text.

There are red under-linings and marginal notes, indicating that this was a much-used manuscript. The pagination is corrected after f. 19; it appears that the original numbering skipped a page as there is no evidence of missing leaves. A later reader went in and corrected the numbers to reflect the correct pagination. The manuscript is that it is bound in vellum manuscript waste of a choir book. This waste also dates from the 15th century. The manuscript also has a 17th century label on the spine.

Cover of manuscript from reused choirbook.

— Patricia McCall, Special Projects Archivist/Doctoral Candidate, UO History of Art and Architecture

The Irish Arts and Crafts Movement: The Dun Emer Press

Special Collections has recently acquired a set of the first eleven titles published by Dun Emer Press, a printing house established in Ireland in 1902 by Evelyn Gleeson, Elizabeth Yeats, and William Butler Yeats.

While living in London, Elizabeth Yeats had been part of the circle of William Morris, and had been inspired by his printing work. In 1902, Elizabeth Yeats joined Gleeson in establishing a studio in Dundrum, a town outside of Dublin. They named the studio Dun Emer after Emer, the daughter of Forgall Monach and Cú Chulainn), a woman noted for her artistic skill and beauty. The studio specialized in printing and other crafts. In keeping with the tenets of the Arts and Crafts Movement in England, these women also provided training and work for other young women in the fields of bookbinding, printing, weaving and embroidery.

The focus of the press was publishing work by Irish authors; it produced limited editions of books selected or written by W. B. Yeats, the press’s literary editor. Dun Emer used an Albion Press, with Caslon typeface in a fourteen-point size. Elizabeth focused on using white spaces and wide margins to ensure the focus of readers would be on the text itself. The text is predominately black, with red being used for titles, some notes, and colophons. The paper was handmade of linen rags at Saggart Mills in Dublin. The books were small, with page sizes of around 21 cm by 14.5 cm and bound in blue or brown paper boards with linen backs. These features give the books a soft, intimate feel and invite readings into the world of the text.

Elizabeth Yeats (left) at work in the Press, 1904

After publishing eleven books, the various aspects of the press separated in 1908. Elizabeth Yeats and her sister, Lily, who had worked at Dun Emer Press, established Cuala Press in Dublin, while Gleeson retained the other aspects of the studio under the name Dun Emer.

Dun Emer Press Founders

Evelyn Gleeson, ca. 1904

Evelyn Gleeson (1855-1944) was an English embroidery, carpet, and tapestry designer. She attended school in England, where she learned to be a teacher and studied portraiture. She studied under Alexander Millar, a member of the Arts and Crafts movement. Gleeson was interested in Irish affairs and women’s rights, becoming members of the Gaelic League, the Irish Literary Society, and the suffrage movement. Gleeson moved to Ireland for health, where she established the Dun Emer Press with Elizabeth Yeats. Gleeson took charge of the weaving and tapestry areas of the studio as well as managing the overall finances. Beginning in 1904, tensions between Gleeson and the Yeats sisters began to rise, eventually leading to the split of the company between the two parties. In 1910, Gleeson became a founding member of the Guild of Irish Art Workers. Her work continued to earn notoriety until her death in 1944.

Lily and Elizabeth (Lolly) Yeats, 1900

Elizabeth “Lolly” Yeats (1868-1940) was an Anglo-Irish educator and publisher and sister to the poet W.B. Yeats. In 1874 Elizabeth joined her family in London, where she stayed until 1881. In 1883 she enrolled in the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. The Yeats family moved back to London in 1886, where Elizabeth wrote fiction. While in London this second time, Elizabeth trained and worked as an art teacher, was a member of William Morris’ circle, and studied printing with the Women’s Printing Society in London. In 1900, the family returned to Dublin where she formed the Dun Emer Press with Evelyn Gleeson. Elizabeth ran the printing aspect of the press. Tensions grew between Elizabeth and Gleeson, eventually leading her and her sister to separate from Dun Emer and establish Cuala Press in 1908. Elizabeth worked at Cuala Press until 1940.

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, and prose writer. As a child he would vacation with his grandparents in the Irish countryside, which would color his later work. His family would move between London and various Irish towns, giving W. B. Yeats the change to connect with many burgeoning members of the literary world. In the 1880, he attended the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin, with his first volume of verse being published in 1887, after his family had moved back to England. While in England, W.B. Yeats joined the Irish Nationalist cause. He founded the Irish Theatre with Lady Gregory and was its chief playwright until John Synge joined. His plays focused on Irish legends and had themes of mysticism and spiritualism. After his sister Elizabeth and Gleeson formed the Dun Emer Press, W. B. Yeats served as its literary editor, a position which caused friction between everyone involved. This friction between W. B. Yeats and his sisters continued into the founding of Cuala Press. Yeats continued to write poetry and in 1922 he was appointed to the Irish Senate where he served for six years. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923. He died in 1939.

Dum Emer Titles at SCUA

In the Seven Woods: Being Poems Chiefly of the Irish Heroic Age By William Butler Yeats.

Published on “the sixteenth day of July in the year of the big wind 1903”, this is the first work published by the press and is the only work to have a brown linen cover. There were 325 copies printed. This copy has nine quires and several uncut pages. The work includes a mix of red and black text; this ratio changes in the other books published by Dun Emer Press.


The Nuts of Knowledge by A.E.

Published on the “tenth day of October, in the year nineteen hundred & three,” there were 200 copies of this book printed. The book in SCUA is bound in blue and has five quires. The work includes an emblem, the An Claidheamh Soluis, (the Sword of Light), which became known as AE’s emblem. AE was the pseudonym of George William Russell (1867-1935), an Irish writer, editor, critic, poet, painter, and Irish nationalist. In 1894, he published his first work of poems Homeward: Songs by the Way, which established him within the Irish Literary Revival. He became friends with James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, and other notable literary figures. Russell spent many years working for the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society. He acted as the IAOS journal editor until 1930. In 1932 he moved to England. After a final tour in the United States, he passed away from cancer in 1935.

The Love Songs of Connacht Being the Fourth Chapter of the Songs of Connacht, Collected and Translated by Douglas Hyde L.L.D.

There were 300 copies of this book published “on the sixteenth day of April in the year1904.” Bound in blue, it is the longest of the Dun Emer Press works, containing seventeen quires. This book’s pages are unevenly cut. The introductory note congratulates Dr. Hyde’s translations as being closer to the true meaning, as they are not in the formal eighteenth century style of past translators.

Douglas Ross Hyde (1860-1949) was an Irish academic, linguist, politician, diplomat, and first president of Ireland. He was a leading figure of the Gaelic revival and was the first president of the Gaelic League. As a child, Hyde became interested in Gaelic and languages. He graduated from Trinity College in 1884, where he became fluent in French, Latin, German, Greek, and Hebrew. His passion for Gaelic led him to found the Gaelic League in 1893 in an effort to preserve the language and Irish culture. He was a Professer of Irish at the Unviersity College in Dublin until 1938, when he retired; this retirement was short lived as later that year he was elected the first President of Ireland. He remained president until 1945, when he opted to not run for a second term.

Stories of Red Hanrahan By William Butler Yeats

Five hundred copies of this work were published “on Lady Day in August, in the year 1904.” It is bound in blue and contains eight quires. This work also included an illustration by Robert Gregory; it appears to be a landscape that includes several buildings and the symbols for each suit of playing cards. 

Twenty One Poems Written by Lionel Johnson: Selected by William Butler Yeats

“Finished on All Hallow’s Eve, in the year 1904,” 220 copies of this book were printed. This particular book is bound in blue and has five quires. Only the final colophon is in red, with the rest of the text appearing in black.

Lionel Pigot Johnson (1867-1902) was an English poet, essayist, and critic who claimed Irish descent. Johnson graduated from New College, Oxford in 1890. As a poet, Johnson wrote about Celtic and Catholic themes.

Some Essays and Passages by John Eglinton; Selected by William Butler Yeats

Published “on the sixteenth day of April, in the year 1905,” 200 copies of this work were printed. This book has a blue linen cover and includes eight quires, which are lettered throughout the work. There are two colophons in red, one after the table of contents and one at the end of the work. Similar to the other works, this one gives the exact date of publication: “finished on the sixteenth day of April, in the year 1905.” The titles found throughout the work are in red, while the body of the text is in black. There are no notes within the text or book plates, though the general wear of the exterior of the book and edges of the pages indicates that the book was read.

John Eglinton (1868-1961) was the pen-name of author William Kirkpatrick Magee. He was active in the Irish Literary Revival, though he was in favor of more universal subjects rather than Irish materials and traditions. He was the head of the National Library of Ireland from 1904-1921; after retiring he moved to Wales and then England. He continued to write about Irish Literature until his death in 1961.

Sixteen Poems by William Allingham Selected by William Butler Yeats

Published “on the fifteenth day of September, in the year 1905,” this book was bound in blue and contains six quires and had a run of 200 copies. In this copy there are several uncut pages.

William Allingham (1824-1889) was an Irish poet, diarist, and editor. He went to the Royal Belfast Academical Institution until the age of 14, after which he held a job at a custom-house; he held similar jobs until 1870, though he was also publishing his poetry during this time. In 1870 he moved to London and became the sub-editor of Fraser’s Magazine; he became its main editor in 1874 and held that position until 1879. He continued to write poems until his death in 1889. 

A Book of Saints and Wonders Put Down Here By Lady Gregory According to the Old Writings and the Memory of the People in Ireland.

Published “on the Eve of Lady Day in Harvest, in the year 1906,” 200 copies of this book were made. It is bound in blue and has fourteen quires, some of which have uncut pages. The work includes a printed note, presumably from Lady Gregory, which indicates that Lady Gregory made her own translations. The book also includes an pressmark made by Robert Gregory of a bell next to a waterfall, below which sits a fish.

Lady Gregory (1852-1932) was an Irish dramatist, foklorist, and theatre manager. Gregory was educated at home, where she was introduced to the history and legends of Ireland. In 1880, she married Sir William Henry Gregory, a man who had many literary and artistic interests. Two years later, her first work was published in her own name. She founded the Irish Literary Theatrein 1899  and the Abby Theatre in 1904, both with William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyne. She wrote short works for both theaters and is also known for her retellings of Irish mythology. 

By Still Waters: Lyrical Poems Old and New by A.E.

“Finished on All Soul’s Eve, in the year 1906,” this book, which had a run of 200 copies, has a blue linen cover and includes five quires, which are lettered throughout the work. This work includes AE’s emblem. This graphic, the acknowledgements, the first poem, and the final colophon are in red, while the rest of the text is black. 

Twenty-One Poems by Katharine Tynan: Selected by W. B. Yeats 

This book, published “on the twentieth day of March 1907,” and bound in blue, is one of two hundred printed copies. It is made of five quires and includes the pressmark designed by Elinor Monsell; it depicts Emer leaning against a tree. The colophon also includes the names of Esther Ryan and Beatrice Cassidy, the first two women trained by Elizabeth Yeats.

Device of the Dun Emer Press, designed by Elinor Monsell

Elinor Monsell (1879-1954) was an Irish illustrator, engraver, and portrait painter. In 1896, Monsell moved to London to study at the Slade School of Art in London. She was active from 1899-1929 and is best known for her woodcuts and illustrations of her husband’s children’s books. In 1907, W. B. Yeats commissioned her to create the pressmark found in this book.

Katharin Tynan (1859-1931) was an Irish writer and poet. She was educated at the Dominican St. Catherine’s, a convent school in Drogheda. In 1875, her poetry was first published. In the 1880s she was a major figure in Dublin literary circles and was a friend of W. B. Yeats. Her work explored her Catholic faith, feminism, Irish nationalism, and World War I. 

Discoveries; A Volume of Essays by William Butler Yeats

Published in 1907, this work was the last of Dun Emer Press. There were two hundred copies printed, “on the twelfth day of September.” The colophon in this work also includes the names of Esther Ryan and Beatrice Cassidy. The book also contains the emblem of a charging unicorn designed by Robert Gregory. This work is also bound in blue and contains seven quires.

These eleven books were delightful to read and examine as books and objects. The size made them feel personal, as did the colophons. The print has held up on the paper, with none of the pages having any smudging; the printing was done with great care as there were no words, letters, or lines out of place. While the books have signs of wear and age, they are still readable and in wonderful condition.

— Patricia McCall, Special Projects Archivist/Doctoral Candidate, UO History of Art and Architecture

UO Libraries/OPA Undergraduate Poetry Prize

Deadline – Friday May 27th, 2022 (midnight)

The UO Libraries/Oregon Poetry Association Poetry Prize awards two undergraduate student prizes every other year to high-quality works of poetry in which the library has played a role in their artistic output.

Awards are $500 and deposited in the winning student’s campus account.  Winning poems will be published in the OPA Journal, Verseweavers

Prizes will be awarded for a single poem on any topic or theme.

Criteria

  • A maximum of 5 poems should be submitted, which were produced during the student’s undergraduate years.
  • Currently enrolled University of Oregon undergraduates (and graduating seniors).
  • Poems must be a final version prior to submission.

Application Instructions (attach in your email all items listed below)

  • A Biographical Statement (200-450 words)
  • One poem per page saved as separate PDF files (total maximum 5 poems)
  • Acknowledgments Page

Deadline & Process

  • Due May 27, 2022 (Midnight)
  • Applications are reviewed at the end of the spring term by the Awards Committee (a panel of UO librarians, UO faculty and Oregon Poetry Association members) who will select the winning poems.
  • Awards are $500 and deposited in the winning student’s campus account.
  • Awards will be presented at the Oregon Poetry Association conference, held every other fall term in Eugene, OR (Fall 2022).
  • Awardees will be required to read their winning poem at the OPA meeting.
  • Authors retain the copyright to their work.

Contact

  • Email questions and submissions to: David de Lorenzo, Director of Special Collections, UO Libraries (ddeloren@uoregon.edu). Use subject line: Poetry Prize 2022.

Funded by the University of Oregon Libraries and the Oregon Poetry Association.