Merrymount Press
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Merrymount Press was a printing press in Boston, Massachusetts, founded by
Daniel Berkeley Updike Daniel Berkeley Updike (February 14, 1860 – December 29, 1941) was an American printer and historian of typography. In 1880 he joined the publishers Houghton, Mifflin & Company, of Boston as an errand boy. He worked for the firm's Riverside ...
in 1893. He was committed to creating books of superior quality and believed that books could be simply designed, yet beautiful. Upon his death in 1941, the Press was taken over by his partner John Bianchi, but ceased operations in 1949. Updike and his Merrymount Press left a lasting impression on the printing industry, and today Updike is considered one of the most distinguished printers of the twentieth century.
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 o ...
, the typographer responsible for creating the ubiquitous Times New Roman, had this to say of the Merrymount Press after Updike's passing: “The essential qualities of the work of the Merrymount Press...may be said without exaggeration…to have reached a higher degree of quality and consistency than that of any other printing-house of its size, and period of operation, in America or Europe.”


History

In 1892, after 12 years at
Houghton Mifflin The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
and its Riverside Press, Daniel Berkeley Updike was approached to design a new standard version of the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer. The following year, work began on what would become known as the Altar Book, to be funded by Harold Brown. The commencement of Merrymount Press followed. As Updike described the Press's establishment: “In no exact sense was the Press ever founded—it only began.” Updike derived the name Merrymount from
Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...
’s short story “The May-Pole of Merrymount.” The story centers on Thomas Morton's seventeenth century settlement in present-day Quincy, Massachusetts. Morton's estate was apparently the site of sports, music, and frivolity—set up in the face of his Puritanical neighbors. According to Updike, “The Press took its name from the fancy that one could work hard and have a good time.” The style of the Press developed quickly in its early years, at first imitating
William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...
’s style and the Arts and Crafts movement. But where Morris’s work was decorative and heavy, Updike’s designs soon became clean and practical. By the end of the 19th century Updike had done away with designs inspired by Morris’s Gothic revival. Instead, Merrymount Press became known for its readable type and minimal decoration. This practicality could also be seen in the kinds of jobs that Updike took on, and which ultimately sustained the business. Bookplates, advertisements, concert programs, catalogs, greeting cards, periodicals, government tracts, diplomas, and more made up the bulk of the work done at Merrymount. From 1915, Updike ran the Press with John Bianchi, who had been a foreman in the workroom since Merrymount’s early days. Bianchi shared many of Updike’s same values and objectives, and was therefore made partner in 1915. Every single item produced by Merrymount was supervised by either Updike or Bianchi. After Updike’s death in 1941, Bianchi carried on the work of the Press with his son Daniel Berkeley Bianchi (named after Updike), but business dwindled and Merrymount Press ceased operations in 1949. Over the course of 56 years of operation, the Merrymount Press printed more than 20,000 items. Updike, always modest about his achievements, never attributed the Press’s success to any innate talent or instinct of his own, but to hard work and a desire to learn: “Perhaps the reason that I survived, in spite of mistakes, was that a simple idea had got hold of me—to make work better for its purpose than was commonly thought worth while…”


Typefaces Used by Merrymount Press

According to Updike's own bibliography of the Press's work, the following typefaces comprised the majority of work produced by Merrymount: * Lettre Batarde acquired 1901 * Lettre de Somme acquired 1901 * Pica English Black acquired 1898 * Janson + Janson Italic acquired 1903 * Caslon + Caslon Italic acquired 1896 * Mountjoye (Bell) + Mountjoye (Bell) Italic acquired 1903 * Oxford + Oxford Italic acquired 1906 * Scotch-Face + Scotch-Face Italic acquired 1897 * French Old Style + French Script acquired 1901 * Bodoni + Bodoni Italic acquired 1930 * Poliphilus + Blado acquired 1925 * Lutetia + Lutetia Italic acquired 1927 * Montallegro acquired 1904 * Merrymount acquired 1894 Notably, Updike was the first in America to acquire the now universal Times New Roman; its first major appearance was the December 1941 issue of ''Woman’s Home Companion'', which was set by Merrymount. That same year, Updike used Times to print his last publication, ''Some Aspects of Printing Old and New''.


Notable Works

Over its 56-year history, Merrymount Press produced a significant volume of ephemera, especially for local businesses and organizations. Advertisements, dinner invitations, letterhead, and the like were Merrymount's bread and butter, keeping the Press in operation. What made Updike New England's most distinguished printer, however, were the beautiful, finely printed books produced by Merrymount Press. Below is a sampling of what many consider to be the Press's most noteworthy works.


Altar Book

Merrymount's first major work was the Altar Book—begun in 1893 and completed in 1896—financed by Harold Brown. Updike attributed the establishment of Merrymount Press to the commission of the Altar Book saying, “Had I not had this definite work to do I should not have had the courage to leave my current position t Riverside Press” The Altar Book was set in the Press's proprietary Merrymount typeface, which was designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue in 1895 and based on William Morris's Arts and Crafts style—or what Updike later called “Morris’s unduly black types.” After completing the Altar Book, Updike quickly abandoned this heavy style in favor of a cleaner, more practical look and reserved use of the Merrymount typeface for large pages as in the Altar Book.


''Vexilla Regis Quotidie''

While the Altar Book was being prepared, Updike worked on other titles. The first of these was ''Vexilla Regis Quitidie'', completed in 1893. The book was a selection of prayers and hymns for every day of the year compiled by Lucy Bradlee Stone. Because Merrymount had not yet acquired much type, the book was actually printed by Riverside Press, although Updike did arrange the book.


The Humanists’ Library

The Humanists’ Library, edited by Lewis Einstein, was issued in two series and was printed in the Press's proprietary Montallegro type designed by
Herbert Horne Herbert Percy Horne (1864 in London – 1916 in Florence, Italy) was an English poet, architect, typographer and designer, art historian and antiquarian. He was an associate of the Rhymers' Club in London. He edited the magazines ''The Centur ...
. The first series was printed between 1906 and 1908, the second from 1912 to 1914. Each consisted of four titles: * ''Thoughts on Art and Life'' by Leonardo da Vinci; translated by Maurice Baring; edited by Lewis Einstein (1906) * ''Against War'' by Erasmus; edited by J.W. Mackail (1907) * ''Petrarch and the Ancient World'' by Pierre de Nolhac (1907) * ''The Defence of Poesie: A Letter to Q. Elizabeth and A Defence of Leicester'' by Sir Philip Sidney; edited by G.E. Woodberry (1908) * ''The Correspondence of Philip Sidney and Hubert Languet'' edited by William Aspenwall Bradley (1912) * ''Records of Journeys to Venice and the Low Countries'' by Albrecht Dürer; edited by Roger Fry (1913) * ''A Platonick Discourse upon Love'' by Pico della Mirandola; edited by Edmund G. Gardner (1914) * ''A Renaissance Courtesy Book: Galateo of Manners & Behaviours'' by Giovanni della Casa; introduction by J.E. Spingarn (1914)


Book of Common Prayer

In 1928, the Episcopal Church decided to issue a revision of its Book of Common Prayer, to be financed by
J.P. Morgan, Jr. John Pierpont Morgan Jr. (September 7, 1867 – March 13, 1943) was an American banker, finance executive, and philanthropist. He inherited the family fortune and took over the business interests including J.P. Morgan & Co. after his father J. ...
, whose father had funded the previous revision in 1892. Morgan solicited designs from several printing houses, including the Oxford and Cambridge University Presses, William Edwin Rudge, and Merrymount Press. Updike provided two designs for the Prayer Book, one in Lutetia typeface and one in Janson; the Dutch Janson was ultimately chosen for what would become known as Merrymount's finest work. Five hundred copies were issued in November, 1930, and a year later the book was named one of the American Institute of Graphic Arts Fifty Books of the Year.


Edith Wharton

Updike's friendship with
Edith Wharton Edith Wharton (; born Edith Newbold Jones; January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and interior designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray ...
led to a long and successful relationship between Merrymount Press and Wharton's publisher,
Scribner's Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan Rawli ...
. When Wharton published her first book in 1899, ''The Greater Inclination'', she insisted that Merrymount be the printer. Merrymount would print many more of Wharton's books and other titles published by Scribner's. The association was a fruitful one and vital to Merrymount's success in its early years according to Updike: “Nothing could have helped the Press more, just then, than the Scribner connection, for it showed we were not amateurs but could hold our own with larger printing houses…” In 1915, after visiting the front of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Wharton began collaborating with Updike to plan a collection of original stories, essays, poems, art works, and musical scores, the profits from which would benefit the war effort. The book was published in 1916 alongside a special limited edition run of 175 copies, each signed by Updike.


Limited Editions Club

Between 1930 and 1942, Merrymount Press published eight books for The Limited Editions Club, a publisher of fine bindings. The Limited Editions Club issued just 1,500 copies per title and was available only to subscribing members. Merrymount also printed The Limited Editions Club's first prospectus, issued as a hardcover book. * 1930: ''The Fables of Jean de La Fontaine'' * 1932: ''The Jaunts and Jollities of Mr. John Jorrocks'' by R.S. Surtees * 1933: ''The Brothers Karamazov'' by Fyodor Dostoevsky * 1934: ''A Christmas Carol'' by Charles Dickens * 1936: ''Walden, or, Life in the Woods'' by Henry David Thoreau * 1940: ''Pride and Prejudice'' by Jane Austen * 1941: ''The Flowering of New England'' by Van Wyck Brooks * 1942: ''The Education of Henry Adams''


Artists Employed by Merrymount Press

Updike was joined by a number of artists over the years who contributed to Merrymount's distinctive look.


Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue

While employed with the architectural firm Cram & Wentworth,
Bertram Goodhue Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (April 28, 1869 – April 23, 1924) was an American architect celebrated for his work in Gothic Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival design. He also designed notable typefaces, including Cheltenham and Merrymount for t ...
designed the cover, borders, initials, and typeface for Merrymount's Altar Book—one of Merrymount's best known publications. He continued to dabble in typography and book design, but history would know him primarily as an architect.


Thomas Maitland Cleland

T.M. Cleland ran his own press, the Cornhill Press in Boston, until 1902 when he returned to New York, where he had begun his career as a freelance artist at age 15. During his time in Boston, he accepted a number of commissions from Updike, who mentored him in his early years. Among his designs for Merrymount are the cover and title page for ''The Poems of Dante Gabriel Rossetti'' in 1903, title page for ''The Life of Benvenuto Cellini'' in 1906, and many more small projects. After leaving Boston Cleland spent a year, from 1907-1908, as art director for ''McClure’s Magazine'' and was later art director for ''
Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...
''. He would go on to become known for much of his commercial art. His clients included the American Piano Company, the Cadillac Motor Company, Grolier Club, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.


William Addison Dwiggins

In 1906, W.A. Dwiggins began working for Merrymount Press on commission. A graphic artist who had studied under Frederic W. Goudy at the Frank Holme School of Illustration in Chicago, he joined Updike at a time when he was still growing as an artist. As Updike was exacting in his expectations, much of what Dwiggins submitted had to be redone or was rejected outright, but he soon become the preferred artist at Merrymount Press. Most of what Dwiggins contributed was completed between 1907 and 1912, including lettering, ornaments, borders, title pages, binding designs, endpapers, and illustrations. Some of his more notable work can be found in The Humanists’ Library series.


Rudolph Ruzicka

Rudolph Ruzicka Rudolph Ruzicka (29 June 1883 – 20 July 1978) was a Czech American wood engraver, etcher, illustrator, typeface designer, and book designer. Ruzicka designed typefaces and wood engraving illustrations for Daniel Berkeley Updike's Merrymount Pre ...
was a Czech-American artist known for his wood engravings, illustrations, and typefaces. Among the titles designed and printed for The Limited Editions Club by Merrymount Press is ''The Fables of Jean de La Fontaine'', which include decorations engraved on copper by Rudolph Ruzicka. Ruzicka provided a number of illustrations for Merrymount Press over the years, including contributing to Edith Wharton's ''Book of the Homeless'' and illustrating a book commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Vassar College. According to Updike himself, Ruzicka's best-known works were the engravings he did for the Press's Annual Keepsakes series, beginning in 1912.


Locations of Collections


Boston Athenæum

The
Boston Athenæum The Boston Athenaeum is one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States. It is also one of a number of subscription library, membership libraries, for which patrons pay a yearly subscription fee to use Athenaeum services. The instit ...
maintains an extensiv
collection
of material designed, printed, and generated by Merrymount Press, including job tickets, specimens of type, artwork, and correspondence.


Huntington Library

The
Huntington Library The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and Arabella Huntington (c.1851–1924) in San Mar ...
holds th
business records
of the Merrymount Press and the papers of Daniel Berkeley Updike, including correspondence with authors and publishers, and bills and estimates for clients.


Providence Public Library

Th
Daniel Berkeley Updike Collection on the History of Printing
at the Providence Public Library in Rhode Island contains Updike's personal collection of books on printing, as well as ephemera from the Merrymount Press, including a set of punches and two sets of matrices for Merrymount's proprietary types, Montallegro and Merrymount. Updike's personal correspondence, as well as books produced by Merrymount Press, also comprise the collection.


Further reading

* Hutner, Martin. ''The Merrymount Press: An Exhibition of the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Press''. Cambridge: The Houghton Library, Harvard University, 1993. * Kristensen, John. “The Merrymount Janson Type and Matricies,” ''Printing History'' 21:33-45. * Shaw, Paul. “Dwiggins & Updike,” ''Parenthesis'' 27:11-12. * Updike, Daniel Berkeley. ''Notes on the Merrymount Press & Its Work''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1934. * Updike, Daniel Berkeley. ''Printing Types: Their History, Forms, & Use''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1937. * Updike, Daniel Berkeley. ''The Well-Made Book: Essays & Lectures'', ed. William S. Peterson. West New York: Mark Beatty, 2002.


References

{{Authority control Companies based in Boston Publishing companies established in 1893 1893 establishments in Massachusetts Defunct book publishing companies of the United States