The American Printing History Association (APHA) is a "scholarly, educational, and charitable organization fostering the study of

printing Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ...

history (especially American) and the book arts. It was established in 1974.

History

The American Printing History Association issued a printed newsletter for members six times per year beginning in 1974. National business meetings were held and the first annual program took place on in October 1976 at Columbia University in the Harkness Theater. The theme was "Typographic America: A Bicentennial Perspective." The Conference speakers in 1976 included Hellmut Lehmann-Haupt, John Tebbel, Leona Rostenberg, Madeleine Stern and Terry Belanger. Annual conferences have been held each year since 1976. From 1976 to 1987 these were held in connection with Columbia University, but in later years at a variety of locations including the

Library Company of Philadelphia The Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP) is a non-profit organization based on Locust Street in Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia. Founded as a library in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin, the Library Company of Philadelphia has a ...

(1988),

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

(1989), the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

(1991),

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe ...

at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

(1997),

Newberry Library The Newberry Library is an independent research library, specializing in the humanities. It is located in Chicago, Illinois, and has been free and open to the public since 1887. The Newberry's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of our wo ...

(1998),

UCLA Library The UCLA Library (University of California, Los Angeles) system is one of the largest academic research libraries in North America, with a collection of over twelve million books and 100,000 serials. The system is spread over 12 libraries, 12 ot ...

and

Getty Research Institute The Getty Research Institute (GRI), located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is "dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts".

(2007), and the

Huntington Library The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington and Arabella Huntington in San Marino, California, United State ...

(2016). The 50th anniversary conference is “APHA @ 50: Printing History Past, Present and Future.” In 1987 the APHA became an affiliate of the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world, claiming over 10,000 members. Founded in 1884, AHA works to protect academic free ...

Publications

''Printing History'' is the semi-annual peer-reviewed journal of the American Printing History Association. It began in 1979. The scope of the periodical is 'printing' taken to mean the book arts in general. The ''APHA Newsletter'' was published from 1974 to 2013 featuring accounts of APHA activities, announcements, regional chapter reports and news items. of interest to members. In 2013 this content moved to the APHA website. '' Fit to Print,'' a PDF newsletter, that is emailed to members was launched in January 2024.

Lieberman Lecture

The annual Lieberman Lecture sponsored by the APHA commemorates J. Ben Lieberman, founder and first president of the American Printing History Association. It was established in 1986 and the first lecture was given by Claire Van Vliet.

Mark Samuels Lasner Fellows

The Mark Samuels Lasner Fellowship in Printing History was established in 2002. It provides research support for study of the history of printing in all its forms, including all the arts and technologies relevant to printing, the book arts, and letterforms.

Awards

In 1976 the APHA established an award "for a distinguished contribution to the study, recording, preservation or dissemination of printing history, in any specific area or in general terms." In 1985 a second award was established for institutional achievement.

References

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External links

American Printing History Association
Organizations established in 1974 History of printing American Historical Association Typography History organizations based in the United States Professional associations based in the United States Historians of libraries