Celebrating the history of William Morris's Kelmscott Press with William Morris Society US, PSBA and Book Club of Washington (Online)

Schedule:  Jun 27, 2021 — 2pm - 3:30pm (PT); 
3pm - 4:30pm (MT); 4pm - 5:30pm (CT); 5pm - 6:30pm (ET);

This program, part of the festivities associated with the first ever Kelmscott Press Day, will celebrate William Morris's Kelmscott Press and the 125th anniversary of the Kelmscott edition of The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer.

We are pleased to co-sponsor this event with the Book Club of Washington. Based in Washington state, BCW is an organization dedicated to appreciation of fine books and the desire to explore, preserve and celebrate them.

Title page from The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, the Kelmscott Press, 1896. Rare Book Collection, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library.

Four years in the making, with illustrations by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones and designed by Morris in every detail, the Kelmscott Chaucer, as it is commonly known, was published in 1891 and is universally considered one of the most beautiful books ever printed.

This event will extend beyond the Kelmscott Chaucer to encompass the whole of William Morris’s “typographical adventure,” which exerted great influence on the private press movement and the modern book. ​

We are honored to welcome the following experts to our session to share in the celebration:

• A brief history of the Kelmscott Press: Sandra Kroupa, Book Arts and Rare Book Curator, University of Washington.
• On collecting Morris: Mark Samuels Lasner, William Morris Society Board member and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Delaware, and Fran Durako, owner of the Kelmscott Bookshop.
• The Kelmscott Goudy Press at Rochester Institute of Technology: Steven Galbraith, Curator of the Melbert B. Cary, Jr. Graphic Arts Collection, and Amelia Fontanel, Associate Curator of the Melbert B. Cary Graphic Arts Collection.

If you are already a William Morris Society in the United States member, there is no need to register - all members will receive a link to the event via email.

For those unable to attend on the day, the event will also be recorded and made available on our YouTube channel.