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Clerk's Press (1908 - 1919)

The earliest works of the Clerk's Press bear the imprint "Grace Church Press."

The following is from Charles Clinch Bubb and the Clerk's Press:

...Between 1908 and 1919, Bubb produced on a hand-operated press, now vanished, a series of remarkable scholarly and typographic works. ...He produced limited numbers of his very attractive works, he colored many of them by hand, and he used a wide variety of unusual print devices to enhance the attractiveness and typographic interest of his publications.


Immensee Theodore Storm, 1909
#4 of 100 copies printed on handmade paper
Ransom #5

A List of Lenten Services, 1909
Unknown limitation
Not in Ransom

Via Crucis Via Lucis, 1909
#1 of 125 copies (1 through 10 on Japan Vellum)
Ransom #3

A Catechism, 1909
#17 of an unknown number of copies
Not in Ransom


Clerk's Press References

Charles Clinch Bubb and the Clerk's Press, University of Toledo Publications Office, 1986
This is a catalog printed to accompany an exhibit of the works of the Clerk's Press.

American Book Design and William Morris, by Susan Otis Thompson, Published by Oak Knoll Press, New Castle, Delaware, 1996
If you are interested in American fine press books from the Arts and Crafts period, this is the most important book you can get. It has surprising depth in its analysis of the presses, designers, and printers working under the influence of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The Clerk's Press is briefly mentioned.

The Private Press by Roderick Cave, Published by R. R. Bowker Company, New York, 1983
A good overview of private presses in America, England, and Europe. This is my second favorite general reference for fine press books. Not as much depth as Susan Otis Thompson's book, but has a couple of great chapters on English presses (such as the Kelmscott, Vale, and Doves presses), and other chapters on presses in Europe.

Private Presses and Their Books, by Will Ransom, Published by R. R. Bowker Company, New York, 1929
This book is mainly a checklist of private presses and the books printed by those presses, but there are some interesting tidbits about the different presses. Many of the checklists are not complete. The Clerk's Press checklist lists 71 items and notes that "the press has produced 124 minor pieces in connection with parish work..."