This guide provides a listing of materials in Special Collections and University Archives at the University of Maryland relating to Fine Presses. This guide highlights material created by various Fine Presses that are available in the Maryland Room in Hornbake Library.
The Private Press Movement, closely tied to the Arts and Crafts Movements and the subsequent Fine Press Movement, began in the late 19th century with William Morris and the Kelmscott Press. Morris hated the commercialization of easily manufactured, cheap products and sought to fight the trend brought on by industrialization, becoming the founder and leader of the Arts & Crafts movement. The Arts & Crafts movement and Morris' founding of the Kelmscott Press made way for the Fine Press movement, where artists, authors, and craftsmen showed appreciation for typography, design, illustration, printing and fine binding. The results were the production of books as an art form and the crafting of beautiful books. Due to care and consideration each element is given, fine press books are often small print-runs of high quality, produced by individuals or small businesses.
This subject guide provides lists of our Private Press and Fine Press holdings, arranged by individual press. Each press is divided into two sections: books printed by the individual press, and books published about the history of the individual press. Each press has its own unique style, history, and output that can be explored by examining their history as well as their physical output of printed materials.
Private Press and Fine Press works can be found in Literature and Rare Books collections in Special Collections in Hornbake Library. For more information about our holdings, please contact us!
