A KEEPSAKE FOR ALFRED A. KNOPF w/ 50 SMALL-PRESS FINE-PRINTINGS + 2 SIGNED LETTERS
A KEEPSAKE FOR ALFRED A. KNOPF. "Written and Printed by Various Hands Celebrating His Fiftieth Year as a Book Publisher".
FIFTY FINELY-PRINTED, SMALL-PRESS LEAFLETS, including an introductory pamphlet by Charles Antin. The leaflets were printed by a wide variety of small private presses. All were printed in tribute to the publisher Alfred A. Knopf. There is also a leaflet that lists all the contributors and their presses (so, 51 leaflets total). The leaflets are all loose and held in a Publisher's slipcase.
SIGNED ASSOCIATION COPY. Two letters accompany the keepsake. One is from ALFRED A. KNOPF, and is SIGNED by KNOPF, likely secretarially. The letter is on Alfred A. Knopf stationery and comes with its Knopf mailing envelope. The letter is addressed to FRANK POWERS. It thanks Frank Powers for his contribution to the keepsake collection (Frank Powers / Powers Private Press provided one of the keepsakes). The other letter is from Charles Antin of the Serendipity Press. In his letter he thanks Frank [Powers] for his contribution and says he is enclosing a copy of the keepsake tribute collection. Charles Antin organized the Knopf tribute.
The keepsakes are 4.5x7 inch leaflets, most are 4 pages, some are two sides of a single leaf, some have more pages, and a few have inserts. THEY HAVE BEEN COLLATED with the included LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS (49) and are all present and in proper order. The keepsakes and the list of contributors are held in a purple paper covered slipcase which has a printed wraparound title band.
Contributors include Frank Altschul / Overbrook Press; Merle Armitage / Mohawk Press; Joseph Blumenthal / Spiral Press; Warren Chappell / Salisbury Press; Muir Dawson and Saul Marks / Plantin Press; Frank Powers / Powers Private Press; Ward Ritchie / Anderson, Ritchie & Simon; Patricia Waddel / Pratt Institute; Lili and Erich Wronker / Ron Press; and many others.
NEW YORK: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965. Limited Edition of only 150 copies.
VERY GOOD CONDITION: The slipcase has some rubs and light toning, the leaflets are all bright and clear, the letters are folded. A nice, solid set of keepsakes plus letters from Knopf and Antin.
About FRANK POWERS, one of the keepsake contributors and to whom letters of thanks from Knopf and Antin were addressed (from the Type Directors Club website):
******Frank Powers was one of the founders of the Type Directors Club "TDC", he even originated the term "Type Director" to give the role a more professional standing. In 1946 he became the TDC's first President, followed by two additional presidencies in 1961 and 1962. He also served as a tireless chairman of many TDC committees. Powers Often prepared club announcements on his home printing press, making printing plates from "a jar top, string, cork letters, a medal, linoleum, rubber tile, and cardboard." Frank worked as Director of Typography for J. Walter Thompson for 22 years.
In 1971 Frank Powers became the third member of the TDC to be honored with the TDC Medal "awarded for significant contributions to typography"******