EHEFREUDE.” PUBLISHED BY ARTUR WOLF, VIENNA]
SWEDEN
THE ART OF THE BOOK IN SWEDEN BY AUGUST BRUNIUS
[Illustration: PAGE FROM “A HISTORY OF SWEDISH WOODCUTS.” ORNAMENTS BY
ARTUR SAHLÉN. PRINTED BY NORSTEDT UND SÖNER]
In Sweden, as elsewhere, the latter half of the nineteenth century
brought about a brighter period for the Art of the Book as regards
typography, quality of paper, and binding. Still the decay had hardly
been as great as in other branches of decoration and handicraft.
Two publishing firms, P. A. Norstedt, Stockholm, and Berling, Lund,
have maintained a high standard of book-making. On the other hand, a
more artistic character was adopted between 1870 and 1880 by using
traditional means, by imitating Gothic manuscripts, or by a somewhat
arbitrary use of Old Northern ornamental art. The renaissance, which in
Sweden burst forth at the beginning of the nineties, originated in a
revival of interest in the decorative arts, especially in the textiles
of the Viking and Saga periods. The Old Northern spirit ran like an
undercurrent through the life of the whole country, and culminated in
Artur Hazelius’s epoch-making museum work, Skansen and the Northern
Museum. Just at the right moment there was added a practical study of
modern bookmaking in England and on the Continent. A whole generation
was seized by the new ideas which were proclaimed with such power by
William Morris.
To initiate a movement, combining as it does artistic and practical
knowledge, a passionate idealist is required. Such an idealist is
Waldemar Zachrisson, a printer of Gothenburg (born 1861). He studied
in Sweden and at the best printing firms in Hamburg, Leipzig, Vienna,
Berlin, and St. Petersburg, and developed his taste by constant study
of the masterpieces of great times and the new English and American
fine printing practised by Morris and De Vinne. As soon as he had
secured his own great business he began to work for the raising of
the whole trade. He founded a union of experts, “Allmänna Svenska
Boktrycka-reföreningen” (Swedish Printers’ Society), which worked for the
establishment of the Museum of Industrial Art in Stockholm and the
Technical School for Industrial Art in Gothenburg. In a number of ways,
through artistic advertisements and articles in the trade papers, he
tried to prepare the ground for a higher standard in the printing-trade
generally, and his distinct practical outlook made his efforts
eminently successful.
Lately in Sweden the common feature in the aims for developing the art
of the book has been the accentuation of the national character. The
difficulties have here been considerable. As yet we do not possess a
fount designed by a Swedish artist, but the types we have are founded
on an old predilection for the Roman type. Already in 1550 the Roman
type had been introduced into Sweden. During the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries Swedish taste was concentrated upon Dutch and
French models. The Roman type which is now used in Sweden, and which
is cut in Hamburg, suggests Caslon’s somewhat modernized type. It is
called “Mediæval-Roman,” and has many advantages, is easy to read, and
has an unassuming simplicity. The light tone may perhaps sometimes seem
monotonously grey. English readers will certainly find its resemblance
to the English type, but will also easily discover the differences.
It is characteristic of Swedish printing that it appears to best
advantage and is most personal in publications of an occasional
character intended for a select public. The rest of the productions are
on a considerably lower level. To English and French tastes our _belles
lettres_ show an astonishing lack of typographical unity. There is a
great variety in the size and makeup, and also various many-coloured
paper covers, both of good and bad style, are used. However, an
improvement has occurred in the last few years, a quieter taste has
manifested itself. A good step forward is the excellent publication
of Swedish classics issued by the “Svenska Vitterhetssamfundet” (the
Swedish Literature Society), and printed at Albert Bonnier’s works.
Here a severe and pure style is combined with exquisite material, and
great care is bestowed upon the typography. An undertaking like this
would be a credit to any country. In equally good style is the Swedish
edition of Olaus Magnus’s “Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus,”
published by another society, the “Michaelisgillet” (the Michael
Guild). It was written about 1550 by the last Catholic Archbishop of
Sweden, who was one of the greatest travellers and most interesting
writers of the Renaissance. The text is illustrated by old woodcuts,
which had been carried out according to Olaus Magnus’s own designs.
Two volumes of this splendid work have been printed by Almqvist and
Wiksell, Uppsala.
[Illustration: PAGE FROM “BONDE-PRACTICA.” INITIAL LETTER BY LEON
WELAMSON. PRINTED BY BRÖDERNA-LAGERSTRÖM]
In a similar manner the great Handicraft Exhibition at Stockholm in
1909 produced four Swedish classics; they were given as prizes in a
lottery. These four books were arranged and printed by four different
firms, an achievement which could not have been accomplished ten years
earlier.
This general survey of the art of the book during the last decades
would be incomplete if it did not mention a printing firm which,
through its good typography, now occupies a prominent position. The two
brothers Hugo and Carl Lagerström have bestowed a great deal of labour
on trying to attain a higher level in printing. They learnt their trade
in Germany, England, and France, and worked for some years—one in
Stockholm, the other in Copenhagen—before they founded the Lagerström
Brothers printing firm in 1903. They have also taken a prominent part
in the arts and crafts movement generally. They started a paper called
the _Nordisk Boktryckarkonst_ (Northern Art of Printing), and founded
two societies, one of which is the abovementioned “Michaelisgillet.”
Dr. Isak Collijn, a distinguished librarian, was the third founder.
The first book Lagerström Brothers printed was a kind of typographical
prospectus. Among the eight volumes by August Strindberg there is a
chemical work called “Antibarbarus.” This book was decorated by a
young artist, Artur Sjögren, who is a book-decorator with a profound
knowledge of old Swedish typography. The book was printed in a small
choice edition on hand-made paper, and four pages are shown here (pp.
249 to 252). Since then Lagerström Brothers have published numerous
large and small books, always for a more limited public, but at a price
which only slightly exceeds the ordinary book-prices. Their productions
express the same ideas of compromise that the English Medici Society is
striving for.
[Illustration: PAPER COVER PRINTED BY NORSTEDT UND SÖNER]
The bibliophile public in Sweden leans towards the old books, and would
not support a real aristocratic book-business on new lines and with
modern aims. Lagerström Brothers, however, have printed some of the
most beautiful Swedish books, with and without decoration: a couple of
historical memoirs from the time of Charles XII; a series of small
books selected from old Swedish literature; and finally, a reprint of
a book which certainly has no equivalent in English literature, but
which all the same would probably have some interest for an English
public. The title is “Bonde-practica,” and it is a kind of text-book
for peasants in nature-study and hygiene, partly written in verse. The
book was published for the first time in 1662. It is a collection of
observations founded on the theories of astrology, and told with much
humour. This book reveals the Swedish outlook on life and the education
of the people in olden times. Leon Welamson, a young artist, has made
for the new edition of this curious old book some simple and vigorous
illustrations, which without being imitations are executed in the old
style. It is a masterpiece of Swedish typography.
Book illustrations and decoration play an important part in the modern
art of the book. Illustrated books have always been popular, and many
of our best artists of to-day began their careers as illustrators.
Carl Larsson is a typical Swedish illustrator and a distinguished
painter. He illustrates, in colour or black-and-white, his own text.
But he belongs to an older school in so far as he does not pay so
much attention to the claims of decoration. Olle Hjortzberg is a
comparatively young artist. He is in part influenced by the modern
English school of book decorators, and has done work that would satisfy
even the most exacting critics. He has acquired an extraordinary
mastery over the early Christian language of symbols, and has in his
books used it in an ornamental manner with great success. At present
he is engaged on a richly decorated “State” Bible, (“Gustav V’s Bible,”)
a gigantic undertaking, in which both artist and printer hope to
surpass themselves (p. 248).
While Olle Hjortzberg and Artur Sjögren are more closely attached to
the technique of the book, Einar Nerman, one of the youngest Swedish
artists, is more independent. He has illustrated several children’s
books and has done some caricatures. There is a touch of the rococo in
his drawing, and elegance combined with a bold wit which proves some
French influence. His curving lines bring forth a “roguishness” that
is unparalleled in Swedish art, and can compare with the best foreign
examples. The illustrations to the well-known tale by Hans Andersen,
“Peter the Swineherd” (p. 256), are purely original.
Finally, a few words regarding modern Swedish bookbinding. Our
productions have, from the sixteenth century up to the present time,
followed sometimes German and sometimes French models; during certain
periods, however, our craftsman have produced work important and
original enough to be called “Swedish.” The middle of the eighteenth
century especially was a flourishing age for the art of bookbinding.
A hundred years later the art began to lose its value and importance,
but before many decades had passed the first sign of an upward tendency
was noticed. It was in 1886, when Gustaf Hedberg returned from Paris
and London where he had been studying for a long time. He has designed
and carried out numerous bindings, and has been especially successful
in attaining a rich effect by small means. His ingenuity and ability
in giving even to a simple binding an original character are qualities
associated with the great craftsmen of all time.
The Countess Eva Sparre, _née_ Mannerheim, is at present our leading
artist in bookbinding, in the sense that the work is entirely her
own, independent of traditional style and original in composition, in
execution, and especially in colour-effects. She has not executed a
great number of bindings, but they are all distinguished by individual
character, very modest in their ornamentation, and exquisite in the
use of the materials. Miss Greta Morssing, who has chiefly studied the
modern English tooled work, is also an accomplished exponent of the art.
[Illustration: INITIAL LETTERS DESIGNED BY ARTUR SJÖGREN]
[Illustration: HALF-TITLE PAGE FROM GUSTAV V’S BIBLE. DESIGNED BY OLLE
HJORTZBERG. PRINTED BY BRÖDERNA LAGERSTRÖM]
[Illustration: PAGE FROM AUGUST STRINDBERG’S “ANTIBARBARUS.”
WITH DECORATIONS BY ARTUR SJÖGREN. PRINTED BY BRÖDERNA LAGERSTRÖM]
[Illustration: PAGE FROM AUGUST STRINDBERG’S “ANTIBARBARUS.”
WITH DECORATIONS BY ARTUR SJÖGREN. PRINTED BY BRÖDERNA LAGERSTRÖM]
[Illustration: PAGE FROM AUGUST STRINDBERG’S “ANTIBARBARUS.” WITH
INITIAL LETTER BY ARTUR SJÖGREN. PRINTED BY BRÖDERNA LAGERSTRÖM]
[Illustration: PAGE FROM AUGUST STRINDBERG’S “ANTIBARBARUS.”
PRINTED BY BRÖDERNA LAGERSTRÖM]
[Illustration: BOOKBINDING IN NIGER MOROCCO, WITH INLAY AND GOLD
TOOLING. BY GRETA MORSSING]
[Illustration: BOOKBINDING IN NIGER MOROCCO, WITH INLAY AND GOLD
TOOLING. BY GRETA MORSSING]
[Illustration: BOOKBINDING IN RED MOROCCO, WITH INLAY AND GOLD TOOLING.
BY GRETA MORSSING]
[Illustration: BOOKBINDING IN TOOLED LEATHER. BY COUNTESS EVA
SPARRE]
[Illustration: BOOKBINDING IN RED CALF, WITH GOLD TOOLING BY GUSTAF
HEDBERG]
[Illustration: BOOKBINDING IN BLUE MOROCCO, WITH INLAY AND GOLD TOOLING
BY GUSTAF HEDBERG]
[Illustration: BOOKBINDING IN GREEN MOROCCO, WITH GOLD TOOLING BY
GUSTAF HEDBERG]
[Illustration: BOOKBINDING IN BROWN MOROCCO, WITH INLAY AND GOLD
TOOLING BY GUSTAF HEDBERG]
[Illustration: HEAD-PIECES BY EINAR NERMAN FOR HANS ANDERSEN’S “PER
SVINAHERDE.” PUBLISHED BY P. A. NORSTEDT UND SÖNER]
AMERICA
THE ART OF THE BOOK IN AMERICA BY WILLIAM DANA ORCUTT
The Art of the Book in America received a tremendous impetus as a
result of the work of William Morris in England. Previous to that time
American printing showed no originality, the finest examples being
based firmly upon the best English work of the period. The highest
point of excellence was reached during the decade from 1860 to 1870,
and no better example of orthodox printing could be cited than the
“Life of Prescott,” produced by the University Press in 1864. After
1870, and down to the date of the Morris revival, well-made volumes
were issued from the University, the Riverside and the De Vinne
Presses, but the average quality deteriorated. The transition of
book-making from a trade to an art dates from the appearance of the
Kelmscott volumes.
Naturally enough, the early effect of the enthusiasm over Morris’s work
was the issuance of a series of monstrosities; but the very mistakes
made by these zealous typographical disciples were educational,
producing a momentum which finally brought excellent results. Those
who copied Morris failed; those who were encouraged by his departure
from the beaten track to think for themselves succeeded in retaining
the basic principles upon which the work of the master printers has
always firmly rested, applying them in the light of modern conditions,
and giving them originality by their individual experiments. Morris’s
work made men think, broke down the smugness of precedent, and enabled
printing to become an art.
Cobden-Sanderson’s work accomplished much in helping American
printing to assume a sane status after the hectic enthusiasm of the
Morris period. Students of typography came to realize that William
Morris belonged to the great decorators rather than to the master
printers; that it was his superb presswork, and the general harmony
of the factors which went into his books, rather than his typography
overloaded with design, which represented his real contribution to the
making of the Book Ideal. When the Doves Press, in continuing Morris’s
work, substituted a more classical fount of type, based upon an Italian
model of the fifteenth century, there was a quick response in America
in dropping the tendency towards the Gothic, engendered by the type
faces cut by the Kelmscott Press. During the next ten years more
original and better types were cut, and volumes were produced which
carried printing as an art to a higher point than it had previously
attained.
Of the types cut under the so-called Gothic influence, the “Renner”
of the De Vinne Press is among the best. Theodore L. De Vinne, whose
recent death removed the _doyen_ of American master printers, was
responsible for the well-sustained reputation of his Press during his
active association with it. As a technical master of typography, and
in his magnificent presswork, he translated himself into his books,
but the exactness of his training is reproduced in his translation of
Renner’s design into the rigidity of modern type. The page which is
reproduced here (p. 264), taken from one of the many superb Grolier
Club publications produced by the De Vinne Press, shows both the Renner
model and the modern expression of it as interpreted by Mr. De Vinne.
The oblique serif of the _e_,the fancy curve to the _h_, and the
superfluous curl at the top of the _g_ introduce features which are
foreign to the model, and give to the modern type a “jobbiness” which
unquestionably detracts from the otherwise dignified appearance of the
face.
The Gilliss Press, whose work is now suspended, has contributed its
share to the renaissance of printing in America. Its limited editions
of the books of William Loring Andrews and other volumes issued for
private distribution show excellence of workmanship and harmony in
conception rather than originality in treatment. Instead of specially
designed type, these volumes are rich in decoration, the artistic
quality of which ranks with the best.
At the Merrymount Press, Mr. D. Berkeley Updike has produced a number
of volumes which have made their impress upon American typography
because of his sincerity in carrying out his announced purpose of
“undertaking the work of to-day in the spirit of the best days of
printing.” Two special faces of type have been designed for the
Merrymount Press, both of which are among the successful faces cut
in America. The “Montallegro” type, designed by Herbert P. Horne, of
London, is used in the volumes of the “Humanistic Library,” issued by
Mr. Updike, of which a page is here given (p. 265). Of the type the
London _Athenæum_ says: “We are inclined to say not only that it is
better than any of the many attempts which have resulted from Morris’s
revival of the art of printing, but also that it is even more perfect
than any of the fifteenth-century founts on the study of which that
revival was based. It is ... absolutely without affectation ... and so
perfectly are the proportions of the letters harmonized that every page
is a thing of beauty. We regret that it was reserved for an American
printer to bring out such an admirable fount.... It is the first time
that a fount has been designed in modern times which satisfies at once
practical and æsthetic demands. Mr. Horne has solved a problem which
has exercised us ever since we began to think again that printing was
an art.”
The “Merrymount” type, designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, is
based upon fifteenth-century models, and has attracted much favourable
comment. The “Holy Bible” and the “Life of Benvenuto Cellini,” from
which pages are here reproduced (p. 269), are representative examples
both of the type and of the typographical standards of the Press.
The writer of this present article would hesitate to include his own
design of “Humanistic” type except that it has come to be accepted
by typographical students as representing an approach to the art
from a standpoint entirely different from that of other designers.
The first types were naturally based upon the best hand-lettering of
their time, yet hand-lettering, as an art, reached its zenith after
printing began, in the work of the Humanistic scribes. This type is
based therefore not upon an early type, but upon hand-lettering at its
highest point of perfection. The pages which are shown here (pp. 266
and 267) have been taken from “The Triumphs of Francesco Petrarch,”
produced at the University Press under the writer’s supervision. An
examination of these pages will show that the principle upon which
the fount is cut differs radically from that shown in regular modern
types, namely, the ascending letters are short and the descending
letters long. The designs of the letters closely follow those of the
handwritten model, yet avoid the inevitable slight irregularity of
such work, which would prove unpleasant in a printed page. Instead of
a single character for each letter, a certain variety is introduced
by having several characters, the compositor being trained to use the
different forms exactly as the hand would automatically make a change
in hand-lettering. Charles Eliot Norton says of this: “Most modern type
lacks freshness and individuality, and the new fount to which the name
‘Humanistic’ has been given shows its contrast to the familiar dry,
mechanical form. There is attractive freedom and unusual grace in its
lines, derived immediately from the manuscript model, but adapted to
the necessary rigid requirements of print.”
Among other important volumes produced at the University Press are
those decorated by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and Will Bradley, two
artists whose work in book-decoration stands in a class by itself. Much
of Goodhue’s work reflects the Morris influence, as will be seen in the
page shown from “Esther” (p. 268); but his ability in original design
is indicated by the border and initial of the “Songs of Heredia,” which
is given on the same page.
Bradley’s work evidences the greatest versatility of any decorative
artist America has produced. Some of his work shows Beardsley’s
influence, but no single influence could control so original a genius
as Bradley has proved himself to be. The two examples reproduced here
(pp. 270 and 271) represent the extremes in his work—one drawn with a
delicacy and accuracy of line which is marvellous in its execution; the
other bold and heavy, giving a woodcut effect.
No one artist-printer has contributed so much to American typography
as Bruce Rogers, whose “Montaigne” type is easily the best and
most practical of any special face, and whose productions while
associated with the Riverside Press are marked by an originality and a
consistency of excellence beyond what has been attained by any other
American printer. He, better than anyone else, through his knowledge
of types and his skill as a designer, has given expression to the
basic principles of the old-time master printers awakened by modern
conditions. His monumental folio edition of Montaigne—pages of which
are reproduced here (pp. 272 and 273)—demonstrates a harmony of effect
eminently appropriate to the style and period of its contents. The type
itself is based upon an early French model, and the decorations and the
initial letters (p. 274) are free renderings by Rogers of the original
designs by Tory, in which the retention of the designer’s spirit is
admirably accomplished.
During the past five years the Plimpton Press has contributed much to
elevate the standard of printing and binding by abolishing to a large
extent the prevalent custom of publishers to produce their volumes by
“piecemeal.” This has resulted in changing the making of books from
a contracting to a manufacturing business, and has had its effect
in raising the quality of the so-called “trade” volumes. When the
composition, presswork, and binding of a book are divided up among as
many firms, the result of the divided responsibility often means a
general deterioration of quality; but by the “complete manufacture”
method the volume is planned out in advance, even to the paper, cover
design, and illustrations, by a single mind. This places the printer
in the position of expert manufacturing man to a large number of his
customers, and enables him to preserve standards and to introduce
economies by purchasing supplies in larger quantities, and by combining
forms of text and illustrations in the manufacture.
The influence which a publisher can exert upon the Art of the Book
is shown by the series of classics issued in exquisite form by Mr.
Thomas B. Mosher, at prices within the reach of all. These volumes are
distinct evidences of his own taste and knowledge rather than triumphs
of the printer, for Mr. Mosher has expressed himself in the type,
margins, paper, and the general format of his admirable publications.
It would be difficult to estimate the far-reaching results in the
general advance in typographical standards due to two magazines, _The
Printing Art_ and _The Graphic Arts_. The monthly issues of these
publications have shown ordinary printers how to produce work above the
average by placing before them actual examples of the best combinations
of type, paper, and colour harmonies. They have been educational in the
extreme, teaching buyers of printing as well as printers how to secure
the effects desired.