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Pascoe (Juan) collection
BANC MSS 2004/248 m
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Contributing Institution:
The Bancroft Library
Title: Juan Pascoe collection
creator:
Pascoe, Juan
Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 2004/248 m
Physical Description:
17 linear feet
Ephemera: 7 boxes, 5 oversize folders, 1 oversize volume (circa 3 linear feet)
Books: 103 v. ; 13-44 cm.
Date (inclusive): 1971-2014
Abstract: The Juan Pascoe Collection, 1971-2014, contains almost all of the imprints and published monographs created by Juan Pascoe.
It begins with his first efforts in West Branch, Iowa (1971-1972), traces his developments through his initial press, Imprenta
Rascuache, in Mexico (1973-1975), and concludes with his press, Taller Martín Pescador (1975-present). The majority of the
collection, which spans Pascoe's printing career, comes from Taller Martín Pescador.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in Spanish and English
Physical Location:
Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Collection is open for research.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head
of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright
owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See:http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.
[Identification of item], Juan Pascoe Collection, BANC MSS 2004/248 m, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Many published monographs, while included in this listing, are also cataloged as individual volumes under call-number Z232.
T155
One sound recording,
Sones jarochos (1981) has been removed from the collection and cataloged as Phonodisc 77
Some printed materials have been transferred to the book collection of The Bancroft Library.
The Juan Pascoe Collection was purchased by The Bancroft Library from Juan Pascoe in 2003. Additions were made in 2006, 2009,
2013 and 2014.
Future additions are expected.
Arranged to the folder level.
Processed by Alejandra Dubcovsky in 2004.
Additions incorporated as received.
Juan Pascoe was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 21, 1946. His father was a Mexican diplomat for the United Nations,
and his mother was a citizen of the United States. Juan Pascoe received most of his education in the United States, spending
vacations at the family home in Mexico. He studied English at Whitman College where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree
in 1969. From 1971-1972, he served as a printing apprentice to Harry Duncan at the Cummington Press in West Branch, Iowa.
In 1973, Pascoe moved to Mexico, located and repaired an 1851 Washington handpress (Richard Hoe & Co, Imperial No. 1, No.
1639), and set up shop in his parents' house in Mixcoac, a suburb of Mexico City.
His initial efforts were produced under the imprint Imprenta Rascuache, which means "Shabby Press." In August 1975, he established
his press, Taller Martín Pescador, mainly producing books of contemporary poetry that were typeset, printed, and bound by
hand. The works published were by both established writers and up-and-coming new writers of Mexico's literary avant-garde.
For many of the up-and-coming authors, this was the first opportunity to have their writing published.
In 1976, Pascoe published a Declaración de Principios, articulating the intention and mission of Taller Martín Pescador:
We propose neither the search for the book beautiful, nor the creation of deluxe or bibliophile's editions, but rather the union of an original imaginative text and the format of the book itself: The creation of an aesthetic organism. We work by hand because only in this way can the printer control every phase of production. Only when there is an intimate relation between the work process, the tools and materials used, can there be coherence in the finished object. It is a matter of trying to recover the old traditions, from Tycho Brahe and William Morris down to Vargas Rea, and of undertaking the creation of the form a new language requires.
Considering this declaration, the collection, which utilizes old traditions to publish new artists, becomes, as Pascoe calls
it, an "an aesthetic organism." This declaration gives insight into the process and goals of Juan Pascoe's work.
In 1977, Pascoe helped form the music ensemble Grupo Mono Blanco (White Monkey), a group that performed Mexican folk music.
Gaining sponsorship from the Mexican government (1979-1987), the project enabled Pascoe to support the Taller Martín Pescador
and to purchase a residence in Tacámbaro, where he moved his press in 1982.
In 1987, he produced the first book reflecting his historical interest in Mexican book arts. This would become a focus for
Pascoe and Taller Martín Pescador. Juan Pascoe has since become known for major studies of 16th and 17th century Mexican
printers. This collection includes some of those imprints.
The majority of information for this biography comes from a finding aid created by Eileen L. Smith for the University of Arizona.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Juan Pascoe Collection, 1971-2014, contains almost all of the imprints and published monographs created by Juan Pascoe.
It begins with his first efforts in West Branch, Iowa (1971-1972), traces his developments through his initial press, Imprenta
Rascuache, in Mexico (1973-1975), and concludes with his press Taller Martín Pescador (1975- present). The majority of the
collection, which spans Pascoe's printing career, comes from Taller Martín Pescador.
The collection contains invitations to weddings, birthdays, graduations, art exhibitions, chapbooks of avant-garde poetry,
collections of poetry, reprints, and bibliographies of Mexican printers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries produced
by Pascoe. The ephemera range in detail, from very simple announcements and publication lists to invitations with woodcuts
and elaborate illustrations. This collection also contains Pascoe's writings on the history of Mexican typography, which describes
the first Mexican printers and discusses their impact.
The beauty of the collection lies not only in the detail and eloquence of his imprints, but also in the production and messages
of each of Pascoe's pieces. Printed and bound by hand, yet mainly concerned with the works of contemporary artists, Juan Pascoe
utilizes archaic printing techniques in a modern way. The Taller Martín Pescador, by employing traditional printing practices,
situates the imprints of contemporary artists within the rich history and tradition of Mexican printing. Juan Pascoe is known
for revitalizing the importance and style of sixteenth and seventeenth Century Mexican printers.
The collection has been broken down by genre into two groups: ephemera and published monographs. The two groups have then
been placed in chronological order, following a list produced by Juan Pascoe himself. Pascoe's original numbering system has
been preserved; the numbers provided in brackets correspond to the numbers in his list (for example [22a]). In the case of
the published monographs, volume numbers match those in Pascoe's listing. Although these numbers indicate that several items
are missing from the Bancroft collection, they also demonstrate the foresight with which Pascoe preserved a wide range of
his work, for the majority of his works can be found in this collection.
The Bancroft collection of Pascoe's work is a growing archive; and it is expected to continue expanding as long as Juan Pascoe's
Taller Martín Pescador remains an active publishing house.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Printers -- Mexico
Pascoe, Juan
Pascoe, Juan--Archives
Taller Martín Pescador--Archives
Taller Martín Pescador