The Loving Society of Letterpress Printers

St. John's Wayzgoose November 20-26th 2006

A stop at the Basillica to view the books in the library of Bishop John T. Mullock. Mullock was Catholic Bishop of St. John's, Newfoundland he was born in 1807 at Limerick in Ireland and died at St. John's, Newfoundland, 26 March, 1869. He was a Franciscan educated at St. Bonaventure's College, Seville, and at St. Isidore's, Rome, where in 1830 he was ordained a priest. After long service in Ireland he was appointed in 1847 coadjutor to Bishop Fleming of St. John's, Newfoundland. Who knows what he did to be sent to such a remote island in the Atlantic? Anyhow In July of 1850, he succeeded Bishop Fleming and put his personal book collection to work in it's very own library. Apparently he brought the books over in several large wooden boxes which the church still has.

We found ourselves surrounded by over six thousand books in six languages; the oldest dates from 1524. Here is a copy of Don Quiote from 1777. It is fully illustrated and translated into english.

Here's Tara Bryant with her assistant Duncan at Walking Bird Press. Tara has two Vandercook SP15 proof presses, a C&P, a Challenge paper cutter, A very large hotstamping press, loads of moveable type (both wood and metal) all housed in her smallish studio. Visit her website here http://www.tarabryan.com/

John at Marnie Parson's press (Running the Goat Press). John was demonstrating his printing skills on the Vandercook SP15 which lives in Marine's basment with her clam shell C&P. Find out more about Marnie's press here
http://www.runningthegoat.com/artofbooks.html

StMichaels printshop in St. John's hosted my wood engraving workshop. It was a great sucess with everyone haveing fun making wood engravings and awesome prints.