The Stratford Press of
Cincinnati was the
private press
Private press publishing, with respect to books, is an endeavor performed by craft-based expert or aspiring artisans, either amateur or professional, who, among other things, print and build books, typically by hand, with emphasis on design, grap ...
of Elmer Frank Gleason (1882–1965), who hand-crafted non-commercial books for libraries, literary clubs, academic institutions, philanthropists, artists, collectors, patrons, and friends.
History
The Stratford Press, for commercial purposes, was founded in 1913 in
Worcester, Massachusetts, by Thomas F. Johnson (born 1880) and Elmer Frank Gleason for the purpose of producing "high-grade commercial and society printing." Gleason filed for bankruptcy in 1914.
After the failed commercial attempt in
Worcester, Gleason began building books, privately in Cincinnati under the name, Stratford Press, around 1920, as a hobby – during the
arts and Crafts movement, and in particular, the
private press movement
Private press publishing, with respect to books, is an endeavor performed by craft-based expert or aspiring artisans, either amateur or professional, who, among other things, print and build books, typically by hand, with emphasis on design, gra ...
throughout
Britain,
Europe, and
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Gleason – lauded as a talented artisan in the craft of book building and design – printed and bound his books by hand. Some of his works have flourished in literary, art, and history circles, not only for design and construction, but also for substantive content.
An exemplary specimen of his work is found in a booklet, ''
: a memorial tribute,'' released November 1, 1938, in Cincinnati.
Selected acclaim
James Lamar Weygand, in 1965, authored and published a critical-biographical essay and a bibliography, ''Elmer F. Gleason and the Stratford Press: A History & Bibliography,'' wherein he asserted that the Stratford Press "was one of the most significant private presses of the
Midwestern United States." He pointed out that, in nearly a half-century of creative activity, Gleason contributed substantially to typographical standards both in the
Ohio Valley and in the nation.
Selected works
* ''Clara Chipman Newton: A Memorial Tribute'' (small booklet; limited edition, privately distributed)
Compiling committee: Florence Murdoch ''(maiden;'' 1887–1977) (chairman); Eunice Resor ''(née'' Eunice Swift Thoms; 1871–1960); Susan Galbraith ''(née'' Susan Clark Neff; 1877–1970);
Emma Mendenhall (1873–1964); Elizabeth Kellogg ''(née'' Elizabeth Rockey Kellogg; 1870–1967)
The booklet was hand designed, printed, and bound by the Stratford Press (the private press of Elmer Frank Gleason; 1882–1965; at his home in
Cincinnati); co-publishers: (i) Cincinnati Woman's Club, (ii) The Loring Andrews Company, (iii) The Stratford Press; released November 1, 1938;
Elmer Frank Gleason
Elmer Frank Gleason, professionally in
Cincinnati, was head of layout and design for the McDonald Printing Company.
The name, Stratford (disambiguation)
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...
is the hometown of
Shakespeare. Stratford is also a metropolitan district in the
London Borough of
Newham in
Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness, the state of being great
*Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality
*Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film
*Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record
*Greater (song), "Greate ...
. The name "Stratford" is contained in several book-literature company oriented names, including
(i) The Stratford Press Company of Cleveland, founded in 1911 by William Joseph Raddatz (1880–1940), dissolved in 1925, and (ii) The Stratford Company, Publishers,
Boston, founded around 1915, which published ''The Stratford Journal'' ("an international magazine") (Vol. 1, No. 1, Autumn 1916, to Vol. 6, No. 1, January-March 1920), and (iii) the American Book-Stratford Press, Inc., founded by Louis Satenstein (1882–1964) in
New York City as the American Book Bindery Company.
References
{{Reflist, 30em, refs=
["Fine Printing is Cincinnatian's Hobby; 'The Ideal Book' Is His Ultimate Goal," '' Cincinnati Enquirer,'' May 10, 1940 (accessible ''via'' Newspapers.com at {{URL, https://www.newspapers.com/image/103447524, subscription required)]
["In Memorandum: Mrs. Clara Chipman Newton," '' Cincinnati Enquirer,'' November 5, 1938, p. 7 (accessible ''via'' Newspapers.com at {{URL, https://www.newspapers.com/image/99887188, subscription required)]
[''Clara Chipman Newton: A Memorial Tribute'' (re: )]Compiling committee:
Florence Murdoch ''(maiden;'' 1887–1977) (chairman); Eunice Resor ''(née'' Eunice Swift Thoms; 1871–1960); Susan Galbraith ''(née'' Susan Clark Neff; 1877–1970);
Emma Mendenhall (1873–1964); Elizabeth Kellogg ''(née'' Elizabeth Rockey Kellogg; 1870–1967)
[''Lexikon des Gesamten Buchwesens'' (online) ''(Encyclopedia of the Entire Book Trade),'' ]Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration with ...
: Brill Publishers
Brill Academic Publishers (known as E. J. Brill, Koninklijke Brill, Brill ()) is a Dutch international academic publisher founded in 1683 in Leiden, Netherlands. With offices in Leiden, Boston, Paderborn and Singapore, Brill today publishes 27 ...
(2008, 2014); {{OCLC, 7050727994; {{ISBN, 9783777214122
[''Elmer F. Gleason and The Stratford Press: A History & Bibliography,'' by James Lamar Weygand, Private Press of the Indiana Kid (1965); {{OCLC, 2183805]
[''Briefer Mention'' (the papers of the ]Bibliographical Society of America The Bibliographical Society of America (BSA) is the oldest learned society in North America dedicated to the study of books and manuscripts as physical objects. Established in 1904, the society promotes bibliographical research and issues bibliograp ...
, published by the University of Chicago Press), Vol. 60, No. 1, First Quarter 1966, p. 128 (book review: ''Elmer F. Gleason and the Stratford Press;'' 1965); {{ISSN, 0006-128X (accessible ''via'' JSTOR
JSTOR (; short for ''Journal Storage'') is a digital library founded in 1995 in New York City. Originally containing digitized back issues of academic journals, it now encompasses books and other primary sources as well as current issues of j ...
at {{URL, https://www.jstor.org/stable/24300920)
American printers
American typographers and type designers
American graphic designers
Small press publishing companies
Book publishing companies of the United States
History of Cincinnati
Arts and Crafts movement
Publishing companies established in 1920
Defunct publishing companies of the United States
1920 establishments in Ohio
Private press movement
American companies established in 1920