It’s no secret that a sensible, economical and yet beguiling place to begin collecting finely printed and illustrated books is with the handsome books put out by the Limited Editions Club (LEC). What’s not to like about these editions, and how could you go wrong buying them? Its maverick publisher, George Macy, commissioned the finest printers, designers, illustrators, typographers and binders of the day to create each edition, printing them on lovely paper, clothing them in decorative boards, and as a final bonus to the collector, carrying in the colophon the autograph signature of the illustrator, printer or the designer.
For about ₹500, a book illustrated and signed by Valenti Angelo could be yours, or for just a little more, a Shakespeare edition designed and signed by Bruce Rogers, or, for a couple of lakhs, Joyce’s Ulysses signed by Matisse, Lysistrata signed by Picasso, and Carroll’s Alice signed by the real-life Alice Hargreaves!
A definitive and deeply researched history of LEC was long overdue, and now at last collectors and bibliophiles can rejoice in Carol Porter Grossman’s just published history of the club.
A fascinating figure
I met Grossman some years ago at a fine press book fair, and at that time, she was right in the middle of working on this book, and since then I’ve been waiting impatiently for it. The History of the Limited Editions Club (Oak Knoll Press) turns out to be a handsome production (designed by the contemporary scholar-typographer, Jerry Kelly), reproducing several of the rich illustrations and title pages from various LEC editions.
Grossman’s absorbing, highly enjoyable, and finely written account of the club is also inspired by her own splendid collection of LEC books and ephemera. “I have been collecting LEC books since my college days in the 1960s,” Grossman tells me. “What attracted me to the books initially was the artwork in the illustrations. That quickly morphed into a study of all the production aspects in the books. That in turn led to an expansion into 20th century fine presses, in general. The careful work that Macy did to document the artistic values of his books facilitated my efforts. When Sid Shiff took over the club, he continued the emphasis on fine bookmaking, but expanded the scope of the club by focusing much more on contemporary artists.”
Macy has always been a fascinating, colourful, and daring figure in the publishing world, and the book offers a full, compelling, and detailed behind-the-scenes account of how he went about making this fine printing enterprise a commercial success. I ask Grossman to single out a memorable Macy moment, and to list her own LEC favourites. “There is a favourite story from Macy himself, and which he put in the Quarto-Millenary . Picasso had been very difficult to deal with, and insisted on getting paid in cash as each engraving was finished. Macy had travelled to Paris to get the first plate from Picasso, and in Picasso’s apartment at Picasso’s insistence, gave him the money with one hand while Picasso handed Macy the plate with the other at the same time.”
Finding favourites from LEC’s output is a challenge, she says. “My particular favourites include the Jan van Krimpen Iliad and Odyssey , Daphnis and Chloe by Ruth Reeves, Bruce Rogers’ Shakespeare and Utopia , Valenti Angelo’s Sonnets from the Portuguese (in both Heritage and LEC editions), Paul Landacre’s Of the Nature of Things , Clair van Vliet’s The Circus of Dr. Lao , Fahrenheit 451 by Christopher Austopchuk, Jacob Lawrence’s Hiroshima and Genesis designed by Ben Shiff, Francesco Clemente’s Cathay , John Biggers’ Our Grandmothers , Eiko Hosoe’s A Portrait of Shunkin , Faith Ringgold’s Letter from Birmingham Jail , and Declaration of Independence designed by the Bixlers. These books are favourites because of the exceptional design and artwork and because they are so representative of what the club stands for.”
That Aha! moment
Bibliophiles will take pleasure in looking at and handling Grossman’s book for the warmth and charm of its production. “The design was totally in the hands of the consummate Jerry Kelly. I am honoured to have had him design my book! Jerry has long been a fan of LEC, and it is apparent in his design. It is a lovely book, evocative of the glories of Macy’s LEC. The binding harkens back to a classic LEC design of a quarter bound book with decorated paper sides. Jerry chose Galliard as a typeface, which was first used by Shiff in one of his earliest books, The Lyrical Poems of François Villon . The layout of the pages is also reminiscent of a classic design often employed by Macy.”
Apart from her own wonderful collection of LEC material, Grossman’s richest source for digging deeper into the history of this book club that also doubled as a fine press publishing house turned out to be the special collection archives at rare book institutions that held original background material on Macy and LEC. “Using original documents for research,” says Carol, “has been an indescribable experience. Reading through a letter on one book and finding a casual reference which provides insight on another event result in that Aha! moment which is very satisfying.”
The author is a bibliophile, columnist and critic.
