Rudolf Rocker carved an unforgettable place as a social philosopher Throughout his long and active life as a writer, speaker and libertarian activist, Rudolf Rocker carved for himself an unforgettable place as one of the great social philosophers of the Twentieth Century. When he died on September 19, 1958 [57 years ago this week], the […]
Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton’s Last Will and Testament Because of my interest in Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, I requested a copy of his “Last Will and Testament.” What a document! Short, to the point and no-holds-barred. He directed that there be no obituary in “any newspaper.” He further ordered that “My body be placed in my casket […]
Printer’s Fair a magnet for letterpress enthusiasts With the Printers’ Fair coming this weekend [September 17-19, 2015] in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, I am reminded of a wonderful trip I made to Iowa many years back to attend Linotype University One, conducted by Larry J. Raid and Bud Lang in Denmark, Iowa. Both men were wonderful […]
Pamphlet lambastes Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton’s persecutors When I was introduced to Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton via a newspaper article, I was shamed at the way Federal agents hounded this man to his death. So I wrote a pamphlet about him and his moonshine career. Little did I know at the time how much interest there would […]
Why letterpress works so well with poetry book publishing Poetry books and letterpress printing are meant for each other. I have learned that through the work I have done to typeset, letterpress print and hand bind books for people across the United States. When my customers approached me they had two primary concerns: letterpress printing will […]
Unique, distinctive beauty drives revival of interest in letterpress printing The revival of interest in letterpress printing, after the market for letterpress work nearly vanished a few decades ago, can be attributed primarily to couples recognizing the beauty and distinction letterpress printing adds to wedding invitations. This has been well and good for the old black […]
I thought some of you might be interested in seeing a video of one of my Kluge presses — the workhorse of my press room — in action. These American-made presses are marvels to watch in action; a genuine symphony of gears and cams and arms and rollers, all choreographed to the pumping and blowing vacuum pump. […]
I have long been fascinated by Joseph Labadie and his publishing saga. As a tribute to the man and to his work, I compiled a collection of stories and poems from his many little books and published them as a book I titled Jo Labadie And His Little Books. In keeping with the tradition established […]
Cover photo of letterpress pamphlet A couple days back I began telling a little about how the booklet Is Today A Good Day To Die. came to be written and published. I will get back to that little book in a few days. As I was thinking about that publication, another that I published several […]
Letterpress printed pamphlet dealing with mortality and living life right Mortality began to loom before me While I won’t go into the contents of my pamphlet Is Today A Good Day To Die–at least not today–I can explain how it came to be. I was working in the maintenance department at St. Paul Academy and […]