Peter Rutledge Koch, also known simply as Peter Koch (born 1943) is an American

letterpress Letterpress printing is a technique of relief printing. Using a printing press, the process allows many copies to be produced by repeated direct impression of an inked, raised surface against sheets or a continuous roll of paper. A worker comp ...

master printmaker Master printmakers or master printers are specialized technicians who hand-print editions of an artist's or printmaker's print-based artwork. Master printmakers often own and/or operate their own printmaking studio or print shop. Business activities ...

artists' book Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects. Overview Artists' books have employed a ...

publisher and small book publisher, typographer, educator, and designer. Koch is Internationally known for his artist books. Over the years he has had different business names, including ''Peter Rutledge Koch, Typographic Design''; ''Peter and the Wolf Editions''; ''Editions Koch''; ''Hormone Derange Editions''; ''Last Chance Gulch''; and ''Peter Koch Printer''.

Biography

Peter Rutledge Koch was born on November 15, 1943 in

Missoula Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. In 1974, he co-founded ''Black Stone Press'' in Missoula, Montana; alongside his first wife Shelley Jean Hoyt. His early work was the publication of the letterpress literary journal, ''Montana Gothic'' (1974–1977). He moved in 1979 with his press to San Francisco and became an apprentice to Adrian Wilson in North Beach. ''Black Stone Press'' was dissolved by 1984, and his press was renamed ''Peter Rutledge Koch, Typographic Design.'' In January 1990, following the

1989 Loma Prieta earthquake The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on California's Central Coast on October 17 at local time. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, approximately northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of t ...

, he changed his press name to ''Peter Koch Printers'' and moved the location to

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. From 1991 to 2011, he taught classes about artist books at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

(UC Berkeley). Koch has extensive knowledge on

typography Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), and ...

paper making Papermaking is the manufacture of paper and cardboard, which are used widely for printing, writing, and packaging, among many other purposes. Today almost all paper is made using industrial machinery, while handmade paper survives as a speciali ...

, printmaking,

bookbinding Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book of codex format from an ordered stack of ''signatures'', sheets of paper folded together into sections that are bound, along one edge, with a thick needle and strong thread. Cheaper, b ...

, and the design of books. In 2005, Koch and his wife, Susan Filter founded the ''Codex Foundation'', dedicated to the preservation and support of artist books. The ''Codex Foundation'' has hosted the biennial ''CODEX International Book Fair'' since 2007. The

Cecil H. Green Library The Cecil H. Green Library (commonly known as Green Library) is the main library on the Stanford University campus and is part of the SUL system. It is named for Cecil H. Green. Green Library houses 4 million volumes, most of which are relate ...

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

hosted the exhibition, ''Peter Koch Printer: A Forty-year Retrospective'' (2017). The

Grolier Club The Grolier Club is a private club and society of bibliophiles in New York City. Founded in January 1884, it is the oldest existing bibliophilic club in North America. The club is named after Jean Grolier de Servières, Viscount d'Aguisy, Tre ...

presented the exhibition, ''Peter Koch Printer Retrospective'' (2019). The Black Stone Press archives (from 1974 to 1982) are housed at the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

Library Archives and Special Collections.

Personal life

Koch was previously married to printer Shelley Jean Hoyt, from 1975 to 1984. Together they had one son. As of 2005, he is married to Susan K. Filter, who works as a paper conservator.

Publications

A select list of publications by Koch.

Books

* * *

Portfolios

References

External links

Black Stone Press archive, 1974-1984
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koch, Peter Rutledge 1943 births 21st-century American printmakers People from Missoula, Montana University of California, Berkeley faculty American publishers (people) American typographers and type designers Letterpress printmakers Living people