The Elston Press - Publisher
The Elston Press was established in 1900 in New York, New York by Clarke Conwell and Helen Margeruite O'Kane (a husband and wife duo). The Elston Press was considered the most important of any NYC presses at the turn of the 20th Century. In 1902, they moved the press to New Rochelle, NY. Helen Margeruite O'Kane was a protege of William Morris of the Kelmscott Press and was the illustrator for all of the books The Elston Press published. She was considered the true star of the press for her exceptional prints and is most notable female of the Arts and Crafts book.
Out of the many presses that spawned out of the Kelmscott Press, Elston Press was deemed as the most successful interpreter of William Morris. Since the press only operated for five years before shutting down, its editions of books are rare due to there small printing editions. Conwell and O'Kane were avid followers of the Arts and Crafts Movement and model their aesthetic after the movement. The first book they published was an edition of William Morris' Pre-Raphaelites Ballads in 1900.
This edition of L'Allegro and Il Penseroso was published on December 16th, 1903. One hundred and sixty copies were produced and sold.
References
Otis Thompson, Susan. American Book Design and William
Morris (New Castle: Oak Knolls Press, 1996), quoted in J. Sheldon, "The Elston Press." Fine Pressed Books, last modified April 11, 2004. http://www.elstonpress.com/elston.html.
Michael Bixler and Winfred Bixler. "Notes on the History of the Elston Press." The Bixler Press &
Letterfoundry, last modified 2003. http://www.mwbixler.com/elston.html.
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