Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Fine Print (San Francisco, Calif.)
- Abstract:
- Consists of press files, editorial files, and production files that document the content of the publication, along with marketing and promotion files, business and financial records, and files from Pro Arte Libri, that document the business side of publishing a journal. Also includes the professional and personal papers of founder Sandra Kirshenbaum.
- Extent:
- Number of containers: 34 cartons, 4 boxes, 3 v., 5 oversize boxes, and 13 oversize folders Linear feet: 47.05
- Language:
- Collection materials are in English
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The records of Fine Print (San Francisco, Calif.) span the years from 1950 to 1992, but chiefly date from 1974, when the journal was conceived, to 1990, when it ceased publication. The collection consists of press files, editorial files, and production files that document the content of the publication, along with marketing and promotion files, business and financial records, and files from Pro Arte Libri, that document the business-side of publishing a journal. Finally, the professional and personal papers of Fine Print's founder, Sandra Kirshenbaum, provide insight into the creative force behind the journal.
Of particular significance is the vast quantity of correspondence and printed ephemera, press releases, reviews, and articles relating to nearly 500 presses and printers in the U.S. and abroad. The collection documents not only the production of each issue of the journal, but the artistic development of numerous well-known individual printers and presses, and the editor's vision for collaboration among the community of book arts practitioners.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The idea for Fine Print: a Newsletter for the Arts of the Book was conceived by Sandra Kirshenbaum, independent bookseller, in 1974, in response to her observations on a lack of communication and collaboration among practitioners of the "book arts" despite the renaissance underway among printers, typedesigners, papermakers, calligraphers, binders, and collectors. With the enthusiasm of Steve Corey, and printers, George Ritchie and Linnea Gentry, the four became an editorial team and set up shop in Sandra Kirshenbaum's home in San Francisco.
The first issue of Fine Print was delivered to Andrew Hoyem's press on December 23rd, and in January 1975, final copy for Vol. 1, No. 1 was mailed to nearly 2,000 potential subscribers. By Vol. 2, the subtitle was changed from newsletter to: "The Review for the Arts of the Book," and coverage focused on press book reviews written by well-known, authoritative reviewers. At first, the type style and design changed with each issue (an idea initiated by Andrew Hoyem), but by Vol. 6, No. 1, a design by Linnea Gentry using Spectrum type was set as a standard, internal format, with a different designer for each cover.
Fine Print's Tenth Anniversary Issue, Vol. 11, No. 1, appeared in January 1985, and despite the journal's outstanding success in fostering communication and collaboration among book artists, as well as making the world of type design, bookbinding, and printing history accessible to all, the journal continued to experience financial difficulties. In 1987, Pro Arte Libri was formed as a non-profit organization to advance the work of Fine Print, through grants and dedicated leadership, but the effort failed. In 1990, the journal ceased publication and in 1992, Pro Arte Libri was dissolved.
- Acquisition information:
- Fine Print Records were purchased by The Bancroft Library from Pro Arte Libri in May 1995, with additions made in December 1996, April 1999, and August 2001.
- Physical location:
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding Aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
-
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft LibraryBerkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
- Contact:
- 510-642-6481