The Context of this Fine Arts Pressed Book
This style of bookmaking falls under the category of Fine Arts Pressed books were meant to market to wealthier-high class individuals, who wanted "designer" books rather than books design for the masses at the turn of the 20th century. This book, in particular, would have probably been given as a Christmas gift, due to the date of its publication (December 16th, 1903). One can see from the bookplate below, this book was owned by Robert Garrett of the Baltimore Garrett Family. The Garrett family is well-known in Baltimore for being one of the families involved with the building of the B&O Railroad. Robert Garrett was a United States Gold Medalist Olympian at the 1896 Athen's Olympics for Shot put and Discus Throw.
This book's style can be considered as a Renaissance revival. Emulating books from the 15th and 16th century, at the beginning of printing with moveable type. Using a humanistesque style typeface and modeling the style Renaissance books, typical of Italian printers in that era. This can be seen in the frontispiece of the book, with a cherub and floral design. An example of a well-known Venetian printer of incunabulum period was Aldus Manutius' edition on Francesco Colonna's Hyperotomachia Poliphili. The Elston Press follows a Renaissance printing tradition of the handcrafted with new ideas from the Arts and Crafts Movement.
Mentioned throughout this website is the importance of the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 19th and early 20th century, beginning in England by William Morris and spending to the United States. This movement was a push against rapid industrialization occurring all over European and the United States. Followers of the movement believed in quality goods that were well made, but affordable and done by a human hand. While this book was not meant for a mass audience, the publisher used older techniques rather than more modern, efficient ones for its production and design.