American Book Design and William Morris

This is a second, expanded edition of a work which examines the impact of the Arts and Crafts Movement on late 19th-century American book design. It is commonly agreed that William Morris's Kelmscott Press provided the catalyst for the dramatic change in design. This study describes the real extent of Morris's influence. The revolution in design was brief, but its effect was lasting. From 1891 onwards, as the products of his press became available in America, Morris's work made an extraordinary impact. The most lasting result of this revolution was that it produced a generation of designers who raised American typography into a position of world prominence. By comparison with the cheap and utilitarian publications which were all that were available in pre-1890s America, the work of D.B. Updike, Bruce Rogers, Frederic Goudy, Will H. Bradley and their contemporaries represents a considerable achievement. The author of this text describes Morris's influence on American designers, giving a detailed account of the work of the practitioners inspired by him.
She distinguishes three related, yet individual, kinds of design work in this period of American bookmaking - Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and what she terms "Aesthetic". An appendix contains Morris's statements on book design. Published in the year which marks the 100th anniversary of Morris's death, this edition is intended to stimulate a new generation of scholars to contribute to the scholarship of a pivotal period in the history of the book.