Printing & Book Arts
The Book Arts have been a collecting focus of RBML since its inception in 1930. “Books about books” include books about paper and other substrates, ink, illustration, typography, typefounding, printing, binding, and collecting. Our collection of pre-1900 type specimens is the best in this country, thanks to the acquisition of the library and museum of the American Type Founders Company and subsequent additions. We also have deep collections relating to book illustration (archival collections include Rockwell Kent and Arthur Rackham), fine printing, and artists books.
Collection Strengths
American Type Founders Company Typographic Museum Collection
Art and realia from the American Type Founders Company Typographic Museum includes the type specimen, paper molds, Goudy stuff, printing presses, the Schiller pictures made from type ornaments, the printing blocks, glass slides, the stained glass windows, woodblocks and framed artworks.
Epstean Collection of Books on Photography and Its Applications in the Graphic Arts
Edward C. Epstean (1868-1945) was a photoengraver who collected widely in the history of photographic technology, including printing techniques which incorporate photography, but not including examples of photography (unless they are part of an album which labels them by photographic process).
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Most artists books and fine press books can be found in CLIO. To limit to the Book Arts collection, add the keyword bookart (no space) to your search in the CLIO search box. If you are looking for a specific kind of book format such as extra-illustrated or in a prize binding, please send us an email and we’ll try to help.
We collect modern trade books about books, especially about printing technologies, with a particular focus on Anglo-America. We subscribe to a large range of periodicals about printing and book history. Books about Slavic, African, Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian and Asian books are generally collected by Columbia University Libraries’ Area Studies bibliographers, though they may be housed in RBML’s Graphic Arts collection. Books about publishing are collected by the General Library.
As RBML has been collecting “specimens of fine bookmaking” for so long, we have a robust collection of high points in the history of printing, specimens from historic presses, fine press books, livres d’artiste, and, since 1991, artists books. Fine press and artists books are actively purchased, with preference to books exhibiting one or more of the following criteria:
substrate, type, illustration, and structure which together successfully convey an idea.
high level of skill/craft;
interesting printing/illustration technique and/or structure, in service to the text;
literary texts that relate to our collection (see the literature collection development policy), or a non-fiction work that relates to another RBML collecting area.
Collections (of books and/or archives) of the work of a specific illustrator, printer, designer are desirable. Archives that show working processes are especially desirable.
Thanks to the acquisition of the collection of the American Type Founders Company in the 1940s, the collection of pre-1900 type specimens is the best in this country. Modern type specimens are not generally purchased, but gifts of 20th and 21st century type specimens are gratefully received. We selectively add to a small collection of printing realia in support of teaching the material history of the book.
Contact Us
Jane Siegel
Rare Book Librarian
- Rare Book & Manuscript Library