Papermaking by Hand in America, A Masterpiece of Printing

The UW-Madison Libraries recently promoted the addition of their Six Millionth volume, Dard Hunter's Papermaking by Hand in America , a masterpiece of printing. The six millionth book of the UW-Madison Libraries tells the story of early American hand Papermaking , the craft that gave birth to an entire American industry. Papermaking was published in 1950 by Mountain House Press in Chillocothe, Ohio, the same year ground was broken for the campus's flagship Memorial Library.

It is a tour de force of handmade books — using handset type and specially designed ornaments printed on handmade paper. The process took a decade, says Robin Rider, curator of the Department of Special Collections. So much attention is devoted these days to electronic communications —  obsessively so, that we chose to honor the enduring use of print on paper in our six millionth acquisition, says Kenneth Frazier, director of the UW-Madison Libraries. The book also honors Wisconsin's printing and Papermaking traditions. It shows the basis on which all Papermaking, including that in Wisconsin, was built. In fact, the paper on which it is printed is part of the book's appeal, says Frazier.

Each sheet of paper was handmade using methods identical to those employed by American papermakers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The book is printed on four types of papers, all different sizes, weights, textures, and colors, giving it a unique look and feel.

Papermaking documents paper made in pioneer America by traditional hand process. It describes the history of the first paper mills in eighteen pioneer states, starting with the earliest mill in 1690, to 1811, six years before the introduction of the first papermaking machine in the nation.

Dard Hunter spent a lifetime traveling all over the world to study papermaking. While surrounded by the original material he gathered, the writer composed hundreds of pages at the type case without the usual prepared manuscript -- writing the text as he set the type by hand.

Starting in 1937, Hunter's son cut and cast a special typeface and numerous ornaments. The first use of the entire font was in Papermaking by Hand in America .

Facsimiles of twenty-seven watermarks were recreated from the original American watermarks in private and public collections, using paper moulds specially woven to match the originals. The watermark process involves a pattern of wire woven in the screen of the paper mould. It is formed by displacing the pulp in the paper, which creates a silhouette.

Only 210 copies of Papermaking by Hand In America were published; thirty were hors commerce (not for sale). UW-Madison's copy is number twenty-five and is signed by the author. Hunter and his son printed thousands of sheets of paper one or two pages at a time on two handpresses. Each book has 330 folio pages. Papermaking also includes forty-three facsimiles of papermakers' pictorial package labels dating from the first quarter of the nineteenth century. They are full-sized on paper that simulates the originals.

To get a sense of the book's significance, one has to talk to a book artist. Tracy Honn, curator of the UW-Madison Libraries Silver Buckle Press, a working letterpress museum, remains in awe of Dard Hunter's accomplishment.

You get a sense of his (Hunter's) presence; it is not just a dry bibliographic work in the graphic arts. His personality shows through. What underlies all of that is passion. And his signature is a passionate claim to territory. Hunter signed his name with a flourish that runs the entire bottom half of the last page in the book. Honn observes, He deserved that.

Although a book artist, rather than a librarian, she seems to take a librarian's delight in the content as well as the artistry. What makes this really remarkable is that Dard Hunter is one of those early twentieth-century scholars who codified information that had not been put together before. He was documenting and gathering original scholarship, not just assembling previously cited or found work.

Corroborating Honn's claims, a group of hand papermakers from around the world hold an annual conference. They refer to it informally as "The Dard."

Papermaking by Hand in America is a distinguished addition to our library collections in the history of the book and the Private Press Collection. Rider points out that the book fits well with Wisconsin is strong papermaking and printing industries, and it also supports academic programs. The printmaking program in the Art Department has produced many of America's innovative book artists including some of the country's preeminent hand papermakers.

Dard Hunter was a noted designer of stained glass windows, pottery, and furniture as well as books. His work is part of the American Arts and Crafts movement.

The book is sizable, weighing in at a hefty fourteen pounds and measuring 12 inches by 17 inches. It is 3 3/4 inches thick. The pages are bound in heavy bevelled boards, which are covered with a patterned paper composed of type ornaments. The book is protected in a cloth library case.

It is a substantial, 'thumpable' book. It has the weight and substance befitting a landmark, says Frazier. (University of Wisconsin Foundation)