Drawn to the word
writers and artists
Egyptian funerary cone not after 525 BCE
fired clay
Drawn to the word displays items from the History
and Art of the Book Collection that reveal the
relationship between the arts of writing and image-making
from the very earliest antiquities – when text and image
were indistinguishable – through to twentieth century
collaborations between writers and artists. The History and
Art of the Book Collection showcases and preserves ‘rare
and fine books that reflect the art, craft, history and impact
of the printed book’.1 The strengths of this collection are
books printed before 1801, pre-1901 Australiana, works
illustrating the development of English colour printing during
the nineteenth century, fine examples of book production
including English and American private presses, books
printed in limited editions, beautifully designed book
bindings, books about bookbinding, and a small collection
of antiquities illustrating the development of communication.
The earliest objects on display are from the State
Library’s small collection of antiquities. Made of clay, stone,
papyrus or cloth, they bear little resemblance to the familiar
book form of today. These objects date from 2028 BCE
(Before Common Era), to the 7th century CE (Common Era),
and show a variety of early writing styles, from cuneiform
(meaning ‘wedge-shaped’) and hieroglyphic characters on
clay tablets, to hieratic (a cursive form of hieroglyphs written
with a reed pen on linen or papyrus), to Roman and Coptic
inscriptions. Often these tablets contained quite mundane
business and legal transactions, while some, such as the
Egyptian funerary cone before 525 BCE, were part of
elaborate funerary practices.
In the first few centuries CE, handwritten books or
manuscripts began to appear in the book form we
32/33 Drawn to the word: writers and artists
D I O G E N E S L A Ë R T I U S Laertii Diogenis Vitae et sententiae
eorum qui in philosophia probati fuerunt (Lives of the
philosophers) 1475
letterpress and gouache on paper in marbled, leather binding
recognise today. Known as the ‘codex’ style, the earliest
book of this type in the collection is the Lives of the
philosophers published by Nicholas Jensen in 1475 – within
40 years of the printing press being invented.2 The ability to
print numerous copies of the same book, rather than single,
hand-written tomes, democratised and increased access
to books and the information contained in them. Although it
is a printed book, and part of this revolution, the Lives of the
philosophers still retains a link to past conventions through
the delicately hand-painted letters announcing each section.
The great Bible of 1613 is remarkable for two main
reasons. Firstly, it was published just two years after the
Holy Bible had been translated into English under the
auspices of King James I of England. This enormous task
was undertaken by 47 scholars who worked for seven years
with previous English translations and texts in the original
languages. The resulting translation set the standard which
is still used today. The second notable feature of this work
is that it is known as the great ‘she’ bible, because there is
a mistake in Ruth 3:15 where ‘she’ rather than ‘he’ was
printed. It is also remarkable for having survived nearly
400 years of use.
Two examples of notable craftsmanship in printing are
books by renowned printers Joachin Ibarra (1725-1785) and
William Pickering (1796-1854) which show the development
of printed imagery and use of colour. Oliver Byrne’s The
elements of Euclid with coloured diagrams and symbols
was published by Pickering in an attempt to assist students
in understanding complex geometry through images rather
than letters. The diagrams were printed in three colours and
resemble the sparse contemporary designs of today, in
E U C L I D The fi rst six books of the elements of Euclid,
in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used
instead of letters for the greater ease of learners 1847
(detail) colour printing and engraving on paper, in gilt
and stamped cloth binding. (detail p. 30)
Koran c 1805
letterpress on paper in gilt leather binding
in metal case inset with magnifying glass
in leather and cloth-bound case
contrast to the highly decorative wood-engraved initials
fashionable at the time.
With the pioneering engraver and printer Edmund Evans
(1826-1905), artist Walter Crane (1845-1915) designed a
series of children’s nursery rhymes and songs, to which The
baby’s opera: a book of old rhymes with new dresses 1877
and The baby’s bouquet: a fresh bunch of old rhymes and
tunes 1878 belong. Crane had exhibited his painting The
Lady of Shalott 1862 at the Royal Academy, and was a
colleague of William Morris. Both believed that the secret
to good book design – as exemplified in the beauty of the
old illuminated books – was in the unity of the arts of
calligraphy and decoration. To this end, Crane designed
the illustrations, and personally printed the words of each
poem and song.
Miniature books measure 10cm and under. They are
collector’s items today, but were created in the nineteenth
century for curiosity and portability. A traveller could carry
a whole library in a suitcase. Het Onze Vader (The Lord’s
Prayer) at just 0.5cm is the smallest book in the State
Library’s collection yet contains translations of The Lord’s
Prayer printed in seven languages. Miniature books often
have elaborate bindings of gilded leather and marbled
pages with gilt edges. Some, such as the State Library’s
copy of the Koran c 1805, were produced in small cases
complete with magnifying glass to aid reading.
During the nineteenth century, the quality of massproduced books began to fall: thin papers were being used,
typefaces and illustrations were uninspiring and the printing
itself was often shoddy. In response, artists and designers
led a book design renaissance that was spearheaded by
34/35 Drawn to the word: writers and artists
the Arts and Crafts movement, of which William Morris
(1834-1896) was a major protagonist. In 1891 Morris began
to design and print high quality books through his private
Kelmscott Press in Hammersmith, London. His handcut
woodblocks were printed using an old handpress, rich
dense inks and handmade paper. Morris, influenced by
fifteenth century art and the beauty of incunabula, or early
printed books, designed typefaces, graphic designs and
decorative patterns in the style of this era. He often worked
with artist friends and colleagues, such as Dante Gabrielle
Rosetti and Edward Burne-Jones, and the designs
produced were translated into tapestries, wallpapers and
stained glass windows.
Kelmscott Press operated until 1898 and published 53
titles in limited editions. It remains probably the most famous
private press of the Arts and Crafts movement. Morris is
stated as saying ‘What business have we with art at all
unless all can share it?’ Yet only the very wealthy could
afford the sumptuous productions of Morris and Company
and the Kelmscott Press.3 Morris influenced many other
private presses, including Doves Press and Hubbard and
Roycroft, whose Ballads of a bookworm 1899 is a clear
homage to Morris’s work.
AH Mackmurdo (1851-1942) is credited with creating
one of the first pieces of conscious Art Nouveau design in
the title page of Wren’s city churches 1883. His fluid,
stylised, curvilinear design heralded a new approach at the
end of the nineteenth century, an approach that was taken
up by artists such as the enfant terrible Aubrey Beardsley
(1872-1898) and disseminated through magazines such as
The Yellow Book 1894-97. Beardsley’s sensuous, erotic
WA LT E R C R A N E The Baby’s bouquet: a fresh
bunch of old rhymes & tunes 1878
colour lithograph on paper matching binding
WA LT E R C R A N E The Baby’s opera: a book of
old rhymes with new dresses 1877
colour lithograph on paper matching binding
Wren’s city churches 1883
engraving, blockprint and letterpress on
handmade paper in paper on board binding
AH MACKMURDO
36/37 Drawn to the word: writers and artists
H E N R Y H A R L A N D (ed) The Yellow book: an
illustrated quarterly 1894-97
Aubrey Beardsley (arts ed)
published magazine in printed, cloth binding
W I L L I A M M O R R I S The wood beyond the world 1894
engraving and letterpress on paper in vellum binding
with ribbon
The birth, life and acts of
King Arthur 1893-94 illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley
block print and letterpress on paper in decorated
vellum binding
SIR THOMAS MALORY
designs were used to advantage in books such as Oscar
Wilde’s 1894 translation of Salome, and Alexander Pope’s
The rape of the lock: an heroi-comical poem in five cantos
1897. Beardsley also visually reinterpreted Sir Thomas
Mallory’s fifteenth century story The birth, life and acts
of King Arthur in a de luxe two volume edition as well as
illustrating his own book, Under the hill and other essays
in prose and verse printed posthumously in 1904.
These de luxe editions were often referred to as livres
d’artistes, a style of book initiated by Parisian art dealers
from the 1890s such as Ambroise Vollard and Daniel
Kahnweiler. Johanna Drucker, in The century of artists’
books, describes the distinction between livres d’artistes
and artists’ books being that the artist’s work was designed
to complement an already existing text, usually written by
a well-known author. Of one Parisian dealer, Drucker
suggests that ‘The market for these books was developed
as an extension of the market for painting, drawing and
sculpture. Kahnweiler was fully aware that he was creating
a sideline in books which could be sold on the strength of
the popularity and fame of artists whose work he dealt’.4
These books provide a link between the unique work of the
artist, which due to its nature is exclusive and expensive,
and the broad access found in published books.
Some artists developed their own private presses to
produce work without the interference of publishing houses
or art dealers. Fanfrolico Press was an initiative of Australia’s
Lindsay family Jack (1900-1990) and Norman (1879-1969),
who produced bawdy, sensuous handmade volumes. A
homage to Sappho 1928 is a lengthy poem illustrated with
etchings characteristic of the Lindsays’ work to complement
38/39 Drawn to the word: writers and artists
the text. Artists such as Eric Gill (1882-1940) illustrated
stories from the Bible, notably those with an erotic twist.
Gill also invented typefaces to complement his own, and
other’s, book designs. His was the name behind the Gill
typeface, one of the most popular today.
While Drawn to the word: writers and artists is not a
comprehensive survey of the History and Art of the Book
Collection, the material on display demonstrates the
development of the book as a tool of communication and
an object of beauty. Many of these books represent fruitful
collaborations between artists and writers, and some point
to the valuable contributions artists have made to the
evolution of its form.
1. State Library of Queensland, Australian Library of Art, the History and Art of the Book
<http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/about/coll/ala>.
2. ‘Whether Holland or Germany be the rightful claimant to priority in some kind of
printing, there is little doubt that the invention of the effective process may be referred to
the decade 1440-50; and that it was at Strasbourg and Mainz that it was first developed
to a practical issue.’ Aldis, HG, Carter, J & Crutchley, EA 1951, The Printed Book (1947),
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p. 4.
3. Henderson, P 1952, William Morris, Longmans Green, London, p. 8.
4. Drucker J 1995, The century of artists’ books, Granary Books, New York, p. 4.
Drawn to the word: writers and artists on display
21 July – 4 November 2007
Under the hill and other
essays in prose and verse 1904
printed book in gilded and stamped cloth binding
AUBRE Y BE ARDSLE Y
40/41 Drawn to the word: writers and artists
O S C A R W I L D E Salome: a tragedy in one act 1894
illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley
lithograph on paper in cloth binding
A homage
to Sappho 1928
etching, letterpress and gilding on paper in
gilded vellum binding
N O R M A N A N D J A C K L I N D S AY