Lieberman Lecture to Be Delivered by John Downer

The 2004 Lieberman Memorial Lecture of the American Printing History Association will be delivered on May 21, 2005, at Chicago's Newberry Library by distinguished type designer John Downer. His lecture is entitled "Trash or Fertilizer? The Uses (or Not) of History in Type Design." The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Paul F. Gehl, curator of the John M. Wing Collection at the Newberry Library. These events will coincide with the an exhibit organized by the Caxton Club, Chicago's, premiere society for bibliophiles. Entitled "Disbound and Dispersed: The Leaf Book Considered," the exhibit will include numerous examples of historical leaves and modern fine-press typography.

Call for Preserving Printing Museums

In its latest newsletter (fall 2004, available online at www.printinghistory.org/htm/news/newsletter.htm), the APHA addresses problems faced by printing museums around the world, such as the International Printing Museum in Carson, California, the Type Museum in London, and the Imprimerie Nationale (founded 1539), the chief repository of French printing artifacts. A note by Virginia Smith and an essay by Jane Rodgers Siegel draw special attention to the Imprimerie's problems, and call upon APHA members and all others interested in printing history to rally to the support of the Imprimerie. Its present building in the 15th arrondissement in Paris has already been sold and its contents are expected to be moved during 2005. The commercial printing section, considered to be profitable, will be transferred to a building outside Paris, but the historic part of the institution, consisting of years of collections of punches, types, machines and printing workshops, will be crated up and closed to the public.