Hand-set type cabinets The other day I came across a blog post by a letterpress printer praising the achievements of “Women of Color” and “Women” for their contributions to printing history. The blog set me to thinking, so I jotted a note to the printer who wrote the initial blog. Perhaps you will agree with […]
Author Archive | Mike Coughlin
Perpetual war guilt?
When will the breast beating and hair pulling ever end? This year for the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, the British Broadcasting Corp. issued a documentary it called “Germany–Justice and Memory. The piece is advertised as an exploration of “how Germany has tried to come to terms with the legacy of […]
Campbell-Logan Bindery honored
He’s a Bookish Treasure Greg Campbell has been a key player in the Twin Cities book arts community for decades. He learned the bookbinding trade from his father, who owned Campbell-Logan Bindery before passing it along to Greg. In 1979, Greg invested in a bold expansion of the family bindery when he rehabilitated an old […]
A wonderful new libertarian book just published
I am delighted to report that Charles Hamilton is back–and so is Free Life Editions! The breadth of his scholarly work has always been impressive as has been his devotion to making important libertarian works available. Free Life Editions, which was begun by Hamilton in 1973 in New York City, went into hiatus when he […]
When the family farm died!
The family farm began disappearing from American life with the great Depression and drought of the 1930s. Farmers found it impossible to earn a living raising crops and animals, so they began migrating to cities. In the process, the whole of American life changed in so many ways. Old MacDonald of lore gave up his […]
Why are collectors and their collections so fascinating?
The basic answer to that question is we really don’t have a clue. We’ve all run across people whose lives seem committed to collecting something. It really doesn’t matter what. Whether it be tools, or books, or games, or toys or cars–or even barf bags (unused, of course), there are people out there who are […]
The printer’s devil lived a hell of a life!
Gone are the days when young men found their way into newspaper and print shop work as printers’ devils. Their life could be difficult, it could be dangerous, it could stink–and yet young men kept knocking on newspaper and print shop doors looking for a chance to start their careers. Life in the Back Shop […]
Collecting the strangest things
People collect the damnedest things. Actually, collecting, for the truly devoted, can become an all-consuming occupation. Often it is for some quite an irrational undertaking while for others it is inspired by love for an occupation or hobby or locale. In many cases there is no explanation for why people become collectors. The best they […]
Women in newspapering
While newspaper work was traditionally a male dominated domain, it was by no means reserved strictly for men, and for women who got into the trade, the work was demanding, dangerous and full of adventure. It was also filled with plain everyday chores which define the life of most tradesmen and women. “Evonne Angello’s experience […]
The Good Kid Project
Teaching kids tolerance, humility and compassion Rotten kids? Give them a chance! Sometimes I get discouraged looking around at young kids. Some seem so different than I was at their age–they look like walking comic strips with their tattoos and barbarous natives from a South Pacific island with pins and rings and who-knows-what jammed into […]