An 1885 Chandler and Price printing press on display in Sterne Library.Blazers can explore the history of the printing press from around the world to the UAB campus — and see an original 1885 Chandler and Price machine — in “To the Letter: A History of the Printing Press,” an exhibit on display on the third floor of Mervyn Sterne Library.
The Chandler and Price press, a hand-operated press manufactured for the printing of small jobs such as stationery, cards, handbills, brochures and small books, was once used at UAB to teach courses in letterpress printing in the 1970s (visitors can see archival copies of course catalogs describing course costs and materials needed).
Visitors also can see examples of early printed works from Sterne Library’s collections and UAB Historical Collections, such as a leaf from an incomplete 1493 copy of “The Nuremburg Chronical” and a Chinese book printed in 1900.
“Displaying our Chandler and Price press is special for us because it’s not just an important part of American history — it’s also a part of UAB history as well, because it was once used as a teaching tool in the classroom,” said Peggy Balch, curator of the Reynolds-Finley Historical Library, located on the third floor of Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences. “We’re excited to give students, employees and UAB visitors a chance to learn about the history of the craft and see special items from our collections.”
The exhibit also includes a Kelsey 5x8 Excelsior Printing Press, which were manufactured between 1954-1975 and designed to print on tabletops for amateur printers. Both the Kelsey model and larger Chandler and Price press came to UAB more than 50 years ago to be used in the former Book Arts program offered through the UAB Division of Special Studies.
Other exhibit features include displays on the history of the printing press in both the United States and in Alabama, the art and process of printing, a 1917 catalog of type faces, initials and decorative elements available for letterpress printing by the American Typefounders Company, and other materials related to letterpress printing, letterpress-printed pieces, and texts explaining the deeper history of presses and their development over time.
Sterne Library is open 24 hours Monday-Thursday, 12 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday. Hours are altered for spring break March 10-16; visit library.uab.edu/hours for more information.
Get a glimpse at the exhibit below:
