Elmer Adler (July 22, 1884 – January 11, 1962) was a
book designer, collector, and graphic design educator.
Biography
Elmer Adler was born July 22, 1884 in
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
Adler began collecting books and prints while working at his family's clothing firm in Rochester, New York. In 1922, he established Pynson Printers in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
and began designing books with
Burton Emmett and
John T. Winterich. Pynson worked on publications including the
''New York Times'' and the
''American Mercury'''','' and limited edition books for publishers including
Alfred A. Knopf and
Random House
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Ger ...
''.'' In 1930, he began publishing ''
The Colophon, A Book Collectors' Quarterly
''The Colophon'', subtitled ''A Book Collectors' Quarterly'' or ''A quarterly for booklovers,'' was a limited edition quarterly periodical begun late in 1929 and continuing in various guises until 1950. It was the brainchild of Elmer Adler (1884� ...
''. He ended the publication in 1940 when he was invited to establish a Department of Graphic Arts at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...
.
He retired from Princeton in 1952.
In 1955, he established an art-of-the-book program, La Casa del Libro, in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
. La Casa del Libro opened in 1956.
In 1947, he received the
AIGA Medal
Following is a list of AIGA medalists who have been awarded the American Institute of Graphic Arts medal.
On its website, AIGA says "The medal of the AIGA, the most distinguished in the field, is awarded to individuals in recognition of their exc ...
.
He died January 11, 1962.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adler, Elmer
American graphic designers
Book designers
1884 births
1962 deaths
AIGA medalists