Beauty and the Book

Cara/Andrea here, It should come as no surprise that I, as a writer with a background in graphic design, have a soft spot in my heart for the art of the book. So when I recently saw a museum exhibit which included a display of what many experts consider the most beautiful book ever printed, you can well imagine that it my colophon all aflutter. (In book design, the  colophon is traditionally the page where a printer gives a little information about the production of the book—where and when it was printed, the typefaces used, the illustrations, etc. And if it is a limited edition book, the number will be handwritten—for example, 5 out of an edition of 100.) So I thought I’d share some of the backstory and visual images from this stunning bibliographic achievement. 

“If we live to finish it, it will be like a pocket cathedral . . .” —Edward Burne-Jones

Published in 1896, The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer—known today as The Kelmscott Chaucer—was a joint labor of love by William Morris, a luminary of the artistic and intellectual scene in late 19th century Britain, and his good friend Edward Burne-Jones, a painter/ illustrator who was one of the leaders of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. The two had met as students at Oxford, where they were part of a circle of aesthetically-minded young men headed by the artist and poet Gabriel Dante Rossetti.

William Morris is a fascinating figure who influenced a wide variety of artistic and intellectual movements of his time. He was not only a textile and furniture designer, but was also a Utopian Socialist who wrote extensively on the need to make a more ideal society. He was appalled by what he saw as the shoddy quality of mass-produced items, which he felt degraded the human soul. Dedicating himself to creating everyday items of beauty, he joined with a group of other artists and craftsmen to establish a company making furniture, textiles, wallcoverings, stained glass and other household items. Through this visionary work, Morris pioneered the British Arts and Crafts movement.



He looked to the past for both ideas and decorative motifs, and was an avid medievalist who translated many old tales and texts. (He also wrote fantasy novels and is considered by some to have inspired the that genre of literature, as his work greatly influenced J.R.R. Tolkien.)

Because of own his prolific writings, Morris became interested in printing and publishing later in life. Feeling that most books of the times were ugly and ill-made, he decided to set up his own shop, which he named Kelmscott Press after Kelmscott Manor, his beloved country house in Oxfordshire. Given his interest in traditional methods and aesthetics, it was no surprise that that he chose to study incunabula (a term which refers to books printed before 1500) in order to formulate his own concepts about how the printed page should look.

“It is the finest book ever printed—if William Morris had done nothing else it would be enough.” —Edward Burne-Jones

  Morris considered Chaucer one of the greatest writers in the English language . . . “the most genial and humourful healthy-souled man that England had ever seen.” So the decision to create a book in homage to his hero was a natural choice. According to the British Library website, the project brought together two of Morris’s passions. “First, his love of medieval literature, which inspired the subjects and style of much of his own writing. Second, his socialist philosophy, which looked back to a time before mechanization and division of labour had destroyed, as he saw it, the personal fulfillment and social function of meaningful work.”

To begin with, he designed his own typeface for the book, using the letterforms created by the famed 15th century Venetian printer Nicholas Jensen as a model. (Jensen’s original typeface is considered a classic by graphic designers and a version of it is available today for our computers.) The design, fittingly enough, was named “Chaucer.” Page ornamentation was the next phase, but illness delayed work for nearly a year.

In the meantime, Burne-Jones was working hard on illustrations for the text, worried that Morris might not live long enough to complete their magnum opus. In all, he created 87 drawings, which were then meticulously copied onto wooden blocks and engraved by master craftsman William Harcourt Hooper.

The richly detailed decorative borders were finally completed and represent Morris’s visionary interpretation of medieval ornamentation. Inks and handmade paper were meticulously chosen, and the book when to press in 1896, the same year that Morris died. It  is hailed by bibliophiles as nothing short of a masterpiece. (The original edition of 425 copies sold for £20. A special run of 13, priced at £126 were printed on vellum and bound in white pigskin. At recent auction, a paper Kelmscott Chaucer sold for $160,000.)

I first fell in love with the Kelmscott Press books during college, when I saw an edition of The Wood Beyond the World, a fantasy novel written by Morris himself. The textures, scale, symmetry and proportions created by Morris and his collaborators are, to my eye, exquisite. And just as importantly, the decoration doesn’t overpower the text—the type remains very readable as all the elements work in harmony with each other. So I wholeheartedly agree with the museum curators that the Kelmscott Chaucer may be the most beautiful book ever printed.

How about you? Do you have a favorite book that takes your breath away with its beauty? A favorite illustrator? I love Burne-Jones, and also Aubrey Beardsley, especially his drawings for Le Morte d'Arthur.

Comments

[JPrince]

I used to have a children's book of fairy tales illustrated by Tasha Tudor. It was absolutely gorgeous. Don't know what happened to it - would love to look through it again.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Tasha Tudor is a wonderful illustrator! Children's books are some of my favorites too. I have a couple of Maurice Sendak books that I treasure.

[Anne Gracie]

Cara/Andrea, what a wonderful post -- those books are quite lusciously gorgeous! How I envy you that exhibition. I love Aubrey Beardsley, too, but there are so many other wonderful illustrators that I couldn't possibly name them. So many of my childhood books handed down from older siblings and relatives had superb illustrations that were a pathway into magical worlds. And some of my favorites are from the old school readers, where the illustrations are mostly anonymous. But I recall the hours of dreaming that some of those drawings inspired.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Oh, I agree, Anne. I couldn't possibly begin to list all the illustrated books that sparked my imagination. Howard Pyle's drawings for Robin Hood, Tenniel's Alice In Wonderland, Rackham's Wind in the Willows . . . Books and pictures—is there anything better to spark a child's imagination? The illustrations are just enough to encourage to you to form your own pictures of the story and the characters.

[Janga]

I love this post, Cara/Andrea. Illustrations of Chaucer are fascinating subjects on their own--from the early 15th-century Ellesmere Manuscript through Nick Ellis's 21st-century images. And I often used Beardsley prints as prompts for essays on the period.

I'm also a fan of illustrators of children's books--Jules Feiffer's illustrations for The Phantom Tollbooth, E. H. Shepard's Winnie the Pooh images, Beatrix Potter, Jessie Wilcox Smith, and many others. Among current illustrators, my favorite is Anna Grossnickle Hines. She's not a conventional illustrator. She creates beautiful, unique quilts to illustrate her poems in Pieces: A Year in Poems and Quilts, Winter Lights, and Peaceful Pieces. I love the poems and the quilts and sometimes reread the books even when the grands aren't around to serve as my excuse.

[Susanna Cornett]

I love Edward Gorey - his spare, attenuated figures in the ornate Victorian settings, his sly black humor, the way his pen strokes create texture. He evokes life and movement, albeit haunted and even spooky at times. He is in his own way a surrealist too. I tend to like his black and white drawings best, but all his illustrations are wonderful.

I also like Maurice Sendak, Beatrix Potter and others. Although I tend more toward the ornate Victorian in taste, I also love Morris's Arts & Crafts designs, which are more flowing than some later A&C work. I do love the intricacy and fantastical nature of medieval manuscript illustrations too.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Thanks, Janga! There are so many wonderful children's book illustrators out there—it's hard to mention all of them. And we haven't even touched on photography books!

Anna sounds amazing—I must go look up her quits and poetry.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Great choices, Susanna. I love Gorey too. He has such an otherworldly feeling as well as that sly spookiness. To my eye, he was greatly influenced by Burne-Jones and the Pre-Raphaelites, but then gave it his own personal twist. (As do all great artists!

I love the medieval illuminated manuscripts too. There are many with amazingly personal decorations—when when you look closely you can see demons and fanciful creatures. These anonymous artists had wonderful imagination.

[Liz]

Your post reminds me of John Dunning's The Bookman's Wake, about the search for perfection in printing.

[Susanna Cornett]

Janga: Thanks for the tip on Hines. I had not heard of her, so I looked her up. Wonderful quilts! I am a needleworker - quilting, needlepoint, cross-stitch, crochet - so I love looking at the work of artists in those realms (me, I'm a decent technician, not an artist).

[Louis]

As a child we had one of the "Land of OZ" books. At least I think that was the name.
It was gorgeously illustrated.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Janga, I just looked at the quilts, too. Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing with all of us.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Louis, I think I know which Oz books you mean, and yes, they were gorgeous. As I've said, there are SO many beautiful and strikingly original children's books out there. I hope we don't lose that traditional artistry.

[Isobel Carr]

I covet the 1930 Cranach Press edition of Hamlet. It's just amazing. It has the play and woodblock illustrations in interior squares and all the legends and histories the play is based on in big "L"s around the margin. There’s a copy for “only” $12,500 on abebooks right now. *sigh*

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Oh, it's lovely Isobel! Thanks for sharing. Some women might covet fancy clothes and baubles. But if I had all the money in the world, I'd spend it on beautiful books!

[Christina Courtenay]

I love the Pre-Raphaelites and this book looks amazing! Like others have said, there are so many wonderful illustrators but I think my favourite is the Swede John Bauer who drew trolls and princesses like no one else. Great post, Cara!

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Thanks, Christina. I'm not familiar with John Bauer, but will go look him out now. I'm always happy to discover new book artists!

[Isobel Carr]

They have the English and the German edition in the Grabhorn Collection at the San Francisco Main Library. They also have the Eric Gill edition which is number two on my hit list of books to buy when I win the lottery (I traced the history of printed editions of Hamlet from the First Folio [also in the collection] onward for my Book Arts degree, so I all my most coveted books are some version of Hamlet, LOL!).

I have a few books that I really treasure already though. I have 7 first edition Oz books (all lovingly broken in by my grandmother as a child and thus not worth much, LOL!) and an amazing 1913 edition of Arthur Rackham’s Book of Pictures which is worth more than my first car according to ABEBooks.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Oh, Isobel, am green with envy! The Rackham sounds amazing! (As do the Oz books)

High on my Wish List is the Moxon Tennyson, which was illustrated by a number of leading Pre-Raphaelites, including Burne-Jones and Rosetti. I'd love the Kelmscott Chaucer, and any other Kelmscott Press book for that matter. Audubon's Birds of America would be rather nice too, LOL

[Isobel Carr]

Kelmscott Press put out amazing books. Like a lot of the commenters above, I'm a big fan of Gorey, and I have a thing for Howard Pyle. Now there was a man who did his research!

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

I LOVE Pyle too, Isobel! As a child I spent hours admiring his drawings.

[Kathryn Kane]

Thank you for taking the time to share this fascinating information, it was a treat to read and to veiw! I, too, envy you the pleasure of that exhibition.

I would have to say that my two most favorite illustrators are Sulamith Wulfing and Arthur Rackham, particularly his illustrations for English Fairy Tales.

Regards,

Kat

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Thanks, Kat! Arthur Rackham is another of my childhood favorites.He's wonderful!

[LilMissMolly]

I've seen an original issue of the Gutenberg Bible and the Canterbury Tales at the Huntington Library in Pasadena, California. We visited a few times. The art work was just breathtaking. Same thing with the Book of Kells in Trinity College, Dublin.

[marlon]

The textures, scale, symmetry and proportions created by Morris and his collaborators are, to my eye, exquisite.

[marlon]

The textures, scale, symmetry and proportions created by Morris and his collaborators are, to my eye, exquisite.

[Lyn S]

They are reproducing Morris designs as fabric for quilters. Also Young Guinevere and other books by Robert San Souci and anything illustrated by trina schart hyman have a very Kelmscott feel.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Marion, so glad you enjoy Morris and Co. as much as I do!

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Lyn S, I love the book illustrations of Trina Schart Hyman! Really wonderful. I hope that in this digital age, the art of the children's book—as real books, real pages that kids can touch and feel—won't be lost.