Made to be Read: Book Design & W.A. Dwiggins [typescript + related materials]

On June 7, 1980, twelve days before the centennial of the birth of W.A. Dwiggins, designer Howard Gralla gave a slide lecture at Stinehour Press about W.A. Dwiggins. This is the typescript he read from, marked up and adapted as he gave the talk seven more times over the next four years. This traveled to London where the talk was presented to the Printing Historical Society; Rochester (R.I.T.); Boston (The Society of Printers); New Haven (Yale College Printers Wayzgoose); Bridgeport, Conn. (University of Bridgeport); New York (Cooper-Hewitt Musuem); and Woodbury, Conn. (Typophiles-in-the-Country). It’s a good document that shows what people (or, Howard) were thinking about Dwiggins forty-five years ago before Bruce’s book. Also included is the Stinehour-printed announcement for that lecture (+ a handwritten letter from Stephen Harvard), the Society of Printers’ announcement, the Cooper-Hewitt schedule of programs which lists the talk (+ 2 typed, signed letter to Howard on two different Cooper-Hewitt letterheads + the contract for the talk), and a certificate of appreciation from the Typophiles. It’s a fascinating document that covers a lot of ground.