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Zusatztext Godine at Fifty amounts to an autobiography of sorts, the story of a book-making life, and also an elegy for a kind of publishing—beginning back when books were signed up by companies that were not part of huge conglomerates, still printed with hot metal and sold almost exclusively in brick-and-mortar stores—that is no longer possible.” — The New York Times “That a Godine book is beautifully designed and printed is a given, but this richly illustrated volume has something more going for it: Incisive short essays by David Godine himself, recalling how he came to publish each of the many titles listed and pictured.” — The Washington Post “A book-buyer’s wish-list and a welcome history...all very much in keeping with what we have come to expect from this uniquely independent publisher.” — The New Criterion “This is a book about books for book lovers. It is also a piece of history and a guide to some of the best books published in the last half-century.” — The Spectator Informationen zum Autor David R. Godine was born in Cambridge and educated at The Roxbury Latin School, Dartmouth College, and Harvard University. After a brief stint in the Army, he worked for year as a printing apprentice to Harold McGrath at Leonard Baskin's Gehenna Press in Northampton. In 1970, along with co-founders Lance Hidy and Martha Rockwell, he converted an abandoned cow barn on a Brookline estate into a printing office from which the company began issuing broadsides, pamphlets, and, ultimately, books, mostly printed from hot metal. By 1975, both the barn and the ambition to make a living as letterpress printers were abandoned in favor of publishing. The company moved to offices in Boston's Back Bay and subsequently to other locations in the area, remaining a part of the city's publishing fabric until this day. Klappentext A retrospective of the books published by David R. Godine, Publisher in its first 50 years. Vorwort David Godine has a fan base--particularly in New England--of booksellers, reviewers, and consumers. Book is lavishly illustrated and an oversized, 9" x 12", jacketed hardcover, with printed endsheets. Launched with a Godine 50th gala, November 10th in Boston. Leseprobe Excerpt from Introduction & Brief History of the Press In most ways, it was Harold McGrath at Leonard Baskin’s Gehenna Press in Northampton who was the godfather of the company. After I had graduated Dartmouth, served in the Army, and gotten a one year “advanced” degree in education at Harvard, I decided to follow my first love, printing. And the best printing being executed within driving distance, or perhaps anywhere in the country, was in Baskin’s little shop with its oriental rugs on Railroad Street in Northampton, Massachusetts, the undisputed domain of Harold. For reasons, I still cannot explain, Baskin took a liking to me and hired me as an “apprentice” for four days a week at the rate of $125/week (which he couldn’t afford then or ever). It was an act of unspeakable generosity, for he needed an “apprentice” like a Buick needed a fifth hole. Harold was probably not consulted about this, but took the appointment of someone who knew next to nothing about serious printing gracefully and spent the next month’s showing me the ropes–how to insert paper into the jaws of the Thomson Laureate without losing a finger, how to create the make readies for Leonard’s engravings, which were detailed and exquisite, but required endless fussing with thin strips of India paper (at which Harold was a genius) and how to run the big Kelly Two 30” cylinder press which was pretty much held together with bailing wire and gum, and which Harold would periodically kick and swear at. Into this mix came Lance Hidy, who had begun printing at Jonathan Edwards Coll...
