Category Archives: Fine Press

An Early Jack B. Yeats Stenciled “Broad Sheet”

Posted on February 15, 2021 by burnslibrary

Anyone who has seen one of Jack B. Yeats’s later paintings can easily recognize others. Same for his earlier watercolor work and his pen-and-ink sketches. The distinctiveness of Yeats’s style, along with his characteristic choice of subjects, have made him … Continue reading →

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Dreams of Art & Glory: Book Craft by the Roycrofters

Posted on August 27, 2018 by burnslibrary

One of the many advantages of working in a special collections library is the opportunity to browse in the stacks. I regularly browse while checking the climate control monitors throughout the building. During one such walk-through, a suede binding resembling … Continue reading →

Posted in Acquisitions, Exhibits & Events, Fine Press, Rare books | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The many business endeavors of Pamela Colman Smith

Posted on March 26, 2018 by burnslibrary

You’ve probably encountered the artwork of Pamela Colman Smith before, even if you didn’t realize.  Colman Smith drew the images for the most well-known tarot deck, and these popular images are still commonly reprinted and used on tarot decks today. … Continue reading →

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A Roycroft Book, the Perfect Gift for a Jesuit Professor

Posted on December 4, 2017 by burnslibrary

The John J. Burns Library has many interesting and historic books that are also noteworthy for their bindings. One such book is the Essays of Elia, by Charles Lamb (1775-1834), an English writer and essayist. This particular edition of Lamb’s … Continue reading →

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Matrix and the Whittington Press

Posted on March 27, 2017 by burnslibrary

Long may Matrix continue to excite mind, fingertips, and eye, for it is the unique                     ability of printing to be able to appeal to and satisfy these three senses   … Continue reading →

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These are a few of our favorite things…

Posted on March 6, 2017 by burnslibrary

Have you always wondered just what is at the Burns Library that makes it so special? Do you wish that someone at Burns would just show you something they love? On Tuesday, February 15, 2017 – when love was still in … Continue reading →

Posted in Archives & Manuscripts, Exhibits & Events, Fine Press, Irish Studies, Rare books | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Three Movable Books

Posted on September 12, 2016 by burnslibrary

This year, the Movable Book Society holds its eleventh biennial conference here in Boston, and the John J. Burns Library is providing a display of three items from our collection starting Wednesday, September 14th.   The Hagadah li-yeladim – the … Continue reading →

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William Morris and the Kelmscott Press

Posted on January 4, 2016 by burnslibrary

“The question…is this, whether we are to have books which are beautiful as books; books in which type, paper, woodcuts, and the due arrangement of all these are to be considered, and which are so treated as to produce a … Continue reading →

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The Golden Cockerel Press

Posted on November 16, 2015 by burnslibrary

Abebooks, an online rare book dealer, identifies fine and private presses in the following manner: “A fine press is a type of publisher that produces books of a high intrinsic and artistic quality…[A] private press…is a type of small press … Continue reading →

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The Dolmen Press

Posted on July 13, 2015 by burnslibrary

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word dolmen as “The French name, used by some English authors, for a cromlech, a prehistoric structure, consisting of a large flattish stone supported upon two or more smaller upright stones.” This traditional grouping … Continue reading →

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