[Vale Press] A Defence of the Revival of Printing

London: Battery Park Book Company, 1988. Limited Edition. Cloth Hardcover. Very Good/No Dust Jacket As Issued.

Facsimile of an edition originally published 1899; 600 copies. Publishers' maroon cloth. 37 pages; 9 inches tall. Spine has loss of color and sizing in spots; text clean.. Charles Ricketts wrote and printed this to refute objections made by some critics most notable the American Albert Louis Cotton. The Defence begins with a discussion of the history of type design and the minutiae of creating a new typeface.

Background Information:
Richett's arranged to have the Vale Press publications printed at the Ballantyne Press as private press books by a carefully chosen selection of compositors, readers, pressmen and binders freed from the everyday demands of the press. [Watry]

Charles Ricketts (1866-1931) was a British artist, illustrator, author and printer, known for his work as a book designer and typographer and for his costume and scenery designs for plays and operas. Ricketts first made his mark in book production, first as an illustrator, and then as the founder and driving force of the Vale Press (1896-1904), one of the leading private presses of the day, for which he designed the type and illustrations.

A disastrous fire at the printers led to the closure of the press, and Ricketts turned increasingly to painting and sculpture over the following two decades. [Tate]