Fitting Things Together
As we enter what scholars have begun to call ‘the late age of print,’ libraries are uniquely positioned to reassess the role of books in an ever-shifting information landscape. In our media-saturated culture, bibliophiles are discovering a renewed appreciation for the craftsmanship of fine printing presses and the resulting quality and permanence of the books they produce. The Vinyard Collection here at Swem Library contains representative examples of small, private press publications.
The press featured in this exhibit, Midnight Paper Sales, is operated by Gaylord Schanilec (b. 1955) in “the driftless region” of Stockholm, Wisconsin. After college, Schanilec, who grew up in the Red River Valley of North Dakota found himself drawn into the vibrant small press scene of the Twin Cities. ‘Midnight Paper Sales’ alludes to nights early in his printing career when Schanilec would rummage for paper offcuts at the Anchor Paper Company in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
According to Schanilec, his books, just like poems, take “a seemingly insignificant detail, and by putting time into it, ” let it grow into "something much larger: like a grain of sand turning into a pearl.” From the individually cast and hand-set letter types, the color wood engravings carved by Schanilec himself, to the special paper and the hand-made bindings, each limited edition book is uniquely and carefully crafted.
Images of the exhibit are available from Swem Library on Flickr.
Curator: Thomas Gillan, Ph.D. Candidate in the Lyon G. Tyler Department of History and SCRC Graduate Archives Apprentice; Exhibit design and installation: Jennie Davy, Burger Archives Specialist, with assistance from Andrew Cavell, SCRC Graphics Assistant; Sarah Pizarro, Student Volunteer; and Anna Wallace, Undergraduate Student Assistant.
