Trans* Book History

@transbookhistory

Printer-Scholar, Bibliographer, & Librarian | Trans* Histories of the Book in 19C America | Owner of @meanwhilelttrpress | he/him | Opinions my own.

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Bluesky

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Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· 1d

Today at work we hung the Trajan column rubbing.

Photo of a large framed rubbing of Roman letters from the Trajan column hanging on the wall over flat files. Globes and various binding equipment is in the foreground d.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· 7d

Dissercation Station

A “still life” photo of an open laptop showing a text document and stacks of books behind. A chalkboard is on the wall repeats the phrase “Do you understand your right?”

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· 11d

A lot of unpacking to do at our new temporary location (Chapel Interregnum) when I get back from disser-cation.

Panoramic view of a room filled with boxes and other stuff. On the left I. The foreground is a paper guillotine, center foreground is an iron handpress, and on the right is a Chandler and Price jobbing press.

A long room. On the left are type cabinets along the wall, stacked. The back of the room and counter have boxes and other items filling the space.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· 13d

That’s a wrap. Press move complete and now I’m on vacation to work on my dissertation. A dissertation-cation.

A man wearing a light green t-shirt and cut-off overalls is laughing and smiling while reclining on top of a large wood crate surrounded by other large wood crates.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· 15d

3 presses and a guillotine moved yesterday. Today we moved Victor Hammer’s wood common press that he built in Italy in 1927.

A photo of the frame of a wood common press. A man (Kadin) in a blue shirt and cutoff overalls can be seen through the frame of the press helping direct the reassembly.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· 18d

It’s press moving week at work….

Photo of the King Library Press press room. A wood common press is in the left foreground. In the back are three iron handpress in front of windows. An “extra heavy” iron handpress is next to a column on the right with another press and type cabinets just beyond.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jul 10

It hasn’t even been opened!

Two hotties of wine. The left bottle has a label with a printing press on it and reads “Presswork”

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jul 9

Arlo and his friend Georgia hope today is a better day!

A corgi named Georgia sits in the back of a green velvet couch while Arlo the cattle dog sits on the main seat. Both look at the camera sweetly.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jul 8

And I’ve kept our original Little Debbie Barbie.

A “Little Debbie” Barbie doll in the original box.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jul 8

I admit that I’ve kept the original archive but had to let go of the “uncataloged” overspill…

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jul 8

I keep joking about doing an exhibition of our snack cake archive.

A box labeled “snack cake archives” containing snack cake boxes organized by type of snack cake.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jul 8

Yesterday’s (nonquestionable) discovery was a “peep show” book of an early modern print shop made by Joseph Graves of Gravesend Press. I think the illustration is by Fritz Kredel.

Front cover of a “peep show” book showing. J and G in silver foil on red past paper with a silver foil border. A small circle is cut in the cover.

A hand lifts up the cover of the book to show the cut circle drop down and the beginning of an image starting to appear.

A close up looking through the circle showing the image of a print shop. In the foreground on the right a man is making type while a man on the left sets type. Several pages of printed text are hung up above them to dry. In the background a man operates a wood common press.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jul 6

Should I start a thread of all the questionable things I find tucked away around the press? Who needs some old type wash?

Two hands hold a small bottle of brownish liquid. The label has an old common hand press on it and says “Old Type Wash Bourbon”

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jul 5

Sweet Arlo has been a real trooper through all the dissertating and moving. We’re both gonna need a vacation after all this.

sweet cattle dog Arlo rests his chin on a pillow and looks at the camera.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jul 2

I made a linocut of my own fist for this gem of a poster inspired by the philology work on “trans” by Joseph Gamble. The original is sold out and I’ve been looking for a good resason to print a second copy

A framed letterpress poster of a a fist reading “Transfisticate the Cistem.” The fist looks as though it is smashing the word Cistem.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jul 2

Insane Trans Posse. Is that a thing yet?

Screen grab of White House press release reading “Supreme Court Bolsters President Trump’s Push to Eliminate Transgender Insanity”

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jun 30

I’m sure Arlo would like to vent! “How dare you leave without me for frozen custard!”

Window with the blinds open and a dog peering out. A sign is taped to the window that says “No Tyrants! & No Kings!

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jun 25

Maddy found "himham" under "Buchdructer" in a 1780 German dictionary and "himmhamm" in a 1743 German printing manual. We think it might have morphed into imham or ingham over time? In the second image (himmhamm) it seems to be describing the ear (or tongue) of the frisket...

page of 18C german text with the word "himham" highlighted.

screen shot of 18C german text with "himmhamm" highlighted.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jun 24

Here’s an 18c engraving with presses using inghams

Engraving of an 18c print shop. The two presses appear to have inghams or ropes attached to them.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jun 24

Wood common press with a rope tied to its end and also to the ceiling. A backing press and table are in the background

A wood common press with the tympan and frisket open and resting on a rope tied to the press and to the ceiling.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jun 22

Here’s another one from yesterday. He’ll spend hours looking out the window. I hope Tulip and Mishmash are enjoying those large windows in Somerville!

The back of a speckled cattle sitting and looking out a window.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Jun 22

Here he is being sad about the rain cutting into his morning walk time.

A cattle dog with black ears and speckled snout looks forlorn as he rests his chin and paw on the arm of a green and wood couch.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· May 22

One of my favorite recent acquisitions for the press is this circa 1818 eagle used for printing on fabric. It’s made of brass rule inserted into a wood block. We already have plans to make t-shirts with it…

A wood block with the image of an eagle made from single pieces of brass rule.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· May 15

If you’re in or near Lexington tomorrow come on out for the Halftone Zine Fest from noon-5pm at SAVS. Halftonezinefest.org We’ll be giving away small and tiny language models as well as other printed sundries.

A hand holding two small pocket notebooks with marble paper covers. The larger green notebook has a label that says “small language model” and the smaller yellow notebook has a label that says “tiny language model”

A hand holding two small pocket notebooks with marble paper covers. Both have labels on the back that say “made by human hands at the King Library Press”

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· May 13

I’m officially back on my bullshit but this time in Lexington.

Legs in green pants and navy blue shoes in a blue and white strip hammock chair with a yard in the background d and part of a white and black speckled cattle dog off to the lower right of the frame.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· May 6

I have a full draft of my dissertation and am in the revision stage. I had to type up a reminder and tape it to my monitor because I am a perfectionist and over-thinker… gotta send off the full revised draft to my advisor by Aug 9. Send prayers, coffee, and carbs.

A slip of paper taped to a computer monitor that reads “you are not writing the Key to All Mythologies”. On the computer monitor is a Word doc with the title “Chapter 1: Ephemeral Gender”

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Apr 27

an old printing press with the paper feed (?) up to show one of the ink discs.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Apr 27

I can't find any manufacture marks on it other than the plate on the motor which says "Frigidaire Motor" 🤷‍♂️

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Apr 27

Printing & Book History folks: I could use some help identifying this press. It seems to be some sort of cylinder press. Under the feed boards on both sides are round ink discs. It looks a little like a grasshopper press. What's odd about it is that it is only about a foot to foot & a half wide...

old unidentified cast iron cylinder printing press surrounded by boxes and paper.

Trans* Book History@transbookhistory· Mar 25

It’s leg day at work. Just printing up some promotional material…