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​​The Typefounder's Hand Mould

R. Stanley Nelson

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This is the long-awaited book, by the acknowledged expert on the subject, R. Stanley Nelson. Stan is Curator Emeritus at the NMAH, Graphic Arts Division, where for decades, he gave typecasting demonstrations to museum goers. He soon began taking orders to make replica hand moulds for collections around the world. And it is fitting that he should write this book, which covers not only the history of the typemould, focusing on moulds from European collections, such as Museum of Plantin-Moretus, but Nelson also gives instructions about how to make a typemould.

 

"To some, typefounding may seem an unusually esoteric subject but consider that moveable type was the foundation for the success of Gutenberg’s integrated process for the mass production of books using movable letters. It was the typemould that made accurate and efficient types both possible and economical. When considering the entire subject of printing history, typefounding represents an essential element that is worthy of much more attention than it has received. Thus this book."

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The Typefounder's Hand Mould is a co-publication of The Legacy Press and the Norwich Printing Museum, and it is expected to be published in both the US and the UK in Summer 2026. 

  

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Imprint: Impractical Essays about Letterpress Printing 

Katherine M. Ruffin

Foreword  by John Kristensen   •   Photography by Roger Pelissier

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What is an impractical, or perhaps more accurately, a not-very-practical book about letterpress? It is a series of essays that explores the internal experiences of the printer and the lessons that can be learned through printing. In this project, I trace and retrace the footsteps of my heroes and colleagues – a small band of makers and doers who have labored in the wake of the 19th c. Arts and Crafts movement. 

 

Many of the ideas I address exist in the literature of printing history and in the literature of craft. These essays are an effort to map the territory between the two and to explore the ways in which craft might offer new frameworks for understanding the continued attraction of letterpress printing today. By sharing my responses to printers of the past, I hope to highlight in the present – and extend into the future – some of the instructions and reflections past makers recorded. I add context from the contemporary literature about “craft” generally, which does not seem to address letterpress printing or bookmaking directly, though these discussions are full of theory that can be applied to my field. I also draw upon my own experience of being a letterpress printer in late 20th and early 21st c. America.

 

The joys and frustrations of working in a letterpress shop are intimately tied to the mind-body problem in philosophy, to questions of tool use, and to ways in which the practice of craft can lead to flow. There are also profound considerations in the ways in which letterpress printing unites form and content. Opening students up to the possibilities of understanding, in an experiential way, how books and ephemera were printed can allow for well-informed historical understanding, provide modes for creative expression, and invite reflections about living life well.

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Publication is expected in Summer 2026.​

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A Perfect Machine: The Adams Power Press 

E. Haven Hawley

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A Perfect Machine narrates the emergence, impact, and eventual decline of the most pivotal US printing press of the 19th century. The Adams power press successfully transitioned printers from the limited production of fine letterpress printing on hand presses to mechanized, high-quality, high-volume production. From the 1830s through the 1870s, this machine was used to print the majority of American books, with a top speed of about 1,000 impressions an hour and flexibility for batch printing. Although prominent in book production, the Adams power press also facilitated the cross-production of books and newspapers and selected job printing.

 

Building on the first US power press of Daniel Treadwell, Isaac Adams adapted innovations of his own and those of others into a new machine. He patented a double-feeder press in 1830 and an improved machine with a single feeding station in 1836, including a groundbreaking “fly” device to automate the stacking of printed sheets. In coordination with his younger brother Seth, whose expertise and business acumen advanced their mutual interests, Isaac designed the machines as transitions from manual to steam power. Strategic partnerships, patent extensions, and flexible power sourcing enabled Adams to position his machine competitively within the U.S. printing market.

 

Publishers and printers profited from the machine’s accurate registration, beautiful impressions, carefully calibrated movements, and most of all, automated stacking that lessened labor costs while presenting sheets ready for perfecting – printing the second side. Patent protection blocked competitors from legally incorporating the Adams fly device into their machines.

 

Isaac Adams relinquished his business in 1859, arguably at its market peak, extracting a fair price from R. Hoe & Co. Within a few years, publishers turned toward newer cylinder presses to print larger sheets of machine-made paper and illustrative wood blocks incompatible with production on an Adams power press.

 

A Perfect Machine presents a comprehensive study of the Adams power press, including a comprehensive bibliography, a compilation of published press sizes and costs, and a method for identifying works printed on the machine. This book is an essential reference for studying the transition of printing from hand presses to automated ones in the 19th century.

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Publication is expected in Summer 2026.

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These new titles will be last new ones that will appear under my imprint. However, The Legacy Press will continue to issue reprints and new editions of previously published books. 

 

I thank everyone – authors, editors, customers, and donors – for supporting the work of The Legacy Press since it began publishing in 1997, and I hope you will keep in touch over the coming years. Once the newest titles are in the hands of the printer, I will continue my research into the earliest Western-made wove papers in order to write a book on the subject (which may bring The Legacy Press out of retirement!).