Curwen Press - Simon (Oliver). The Curwen Press Miscellany.

The Curwen Press Miscellany. [With a "Catalogue Raisonne of Books printed at the Curwen Press, 1920-1930.] Imperial 8vo, x, 136 pages + inserts, Published for The Curwen Press. Plaistow, by The Soncino Press Publishers, at 5 Gower Street, London, 1931.

One of 275 copies (this marked "For Office Use No.5") printed in red and black on mould-made paper (with inserted leaves on blue paper) and decorated throughout with printers ornaments. Initials designed by Jan Van Krimpen; decorations by edward Bawden, Claudia Guercio and Celia Fiennes; headpiece engraving by Barnett Freedman; wood engravings by Eric Gill, John Nash,  Rene Ben Sussan; colour stencil  illustrations by E. McKnight Kauffer, Edward Bawden and Barnett Freedman. Buff cloth (a little soiled at the spine), printed and ruled in red and blue, marbled endpapers. A very good copy.

The Miscellany was a supplement to the typographical material assembled in the 'Specimen Book of Types' (1928). It includes essays by Paul Nash (The Stencil), Harold Curwen (On Printing from the Wood) and Harry Carter (Sans Serif Types), illustrations of  work printed by Curwen and a record of the Curwen Sans and other faces, vignettes and borders. The high point for most people will always be the drawing ('Homage to Dicky Doyle') by Eward Bawden, specially done to show the use of colour applied by stencilling at the Curwen Press.

As on other 'Office Copies' all vignettes, strips, borders, have all been neatly renumbered by hand.