November 10, 2011

Handcrafted Beauties From Larkspur Press


Larkspur Press in Monterey, Kentucky create some of the finest handcrafted books, special editions, and broadsides you'll ever see. Their work is technical and detailed, yet the vision is simple:

       "What we try to do with our Craft and Art is to publish in a well designed, well made way. Our focus is on the writing. Artwork is used to complement the Poem or Story. We try to publish an edition that is affordable. Most of the writers we've published are living. Many of our books have been the Author's First Book, and the work of many of them is now well known. We've also had the privilege to work with many established writers.
       In addition to publishing, we are helping keep alive the traditional Art of letterpress printing, which is shown in the special editions we issue, along with the more affordable regular editions.
       It is fun work. Over the years there have been many Apprentices at the press, but the folks now responsible for the work are Leslie Shane, Carolyn Whitesel and Gray Zeitz.
       All our work is handset in metal type and printed mainly on a hand-fed C&P. Some times the artwork (photo engravings, woodcuts and wood engravings) are printed on a Vandercook #4 or on a Washington hand press. We publish mostly Kentucky writers in two editions. The regular edition is printed on fine machine made paper, and since 2005 hand bound at the press. The special editions are printed on Moldmade or handmade paper and hand bound, usually with decorated papers over boards."

Enjoy these few examples, and give them a visit if you're in the northparts of Kentucky.












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