Robert William Lowry (printer) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Robert William Lowry (17 November 1912 – 7 December 1963) was a New Zealand printer, publisher, typographer and teacher.
Lowry was born in
Biography
Lowry was born in Paeroa
Paeroa is a town in the Hauraki District of the Waikato Region in the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula, it is close to the junction of the Waihou River and Ohinemuri River, and is approximately 20 kil ...
, New Zealand, on 17 November 1912. He was the eldest child of Janet (Jessie) Craig Forrest and Robert William Lowry, a storekeeper, farmer and carpenter from Ireland.
He was educated at Auckland Grammar School
Auckland Grammar School (often simplified to Auckland Grammar, or Grammar), established in 1869, is a State school, state, Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding secondary school for Single-sex education, boys in Auckland, New Zealand. ...
, where he first became interested in typography, and at Auckland University College
The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loca ...
(1931–1933). He was conferred a bachelor of arts degree during war service in 1943. While still at university, he undertook several printing enterprises, including the printing of ''The Phoenix'', the journal of the university's literary club. At this time Lowry was an admirer of Francis Meynell
Sir Francis Meredith Wilfrid Meynell (12 May 1891 – 10 July 1975) was a British poet and printer at The Nonesuch Press.
Early career
He was the son of the journalist and publisher Wilfrid Meynell and the poet Alice Meynell, a suffragi ...
, Eric Gill
Arthur Eric Rowton Gill (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as "the greatest artist-craftsma ...
and Stanley Morison
Stanley Arthur Morison (6 May 1889 – 11 October 1967) was a British typographer, printing executive and historian of printing. Largely self-educated, he promoted higher standards in printing and an awareness of the best printing and typefaces ...
, as well as Tschichold.
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
he served with the 2NZEF in New Caledonia
New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
and printed the Forces newspaper in the Pacific.
After university Lowry set up the Unicorn Press, and later the Pelorus Press.
Further reading
* *Mentioned in
Lowry has been mentioned in many publications: * * * ''Poem Addressed to Mr Robert Lowry on the Occasion of the Birth of his Fourth Daughter'' * * * * . * * * * * * *References
1912 births 1963 deaths New Zealand educators New Zealand publishers (people) New Zealand typographers and type designers New Zealand industrial designers People from Paeroa People educated at Auckland Grammar School University of Auckland alumni {{NewZealand-business-bio-stub