PLAISTOW

[The Curwen Press, Plaistow.] Two keepsakes: [Basil Harley, James Shurmer] ‘Unicornucopia: A study of the Natural History of the amazing Unicorns living at The Curwen Press’ and [Basil Harley, John Miles] ‘The Curwen Press / A Short History’.

Author: 
The Curwen Press, Plaistow [Basil Hurley, John Miles, James Shurmer]
Curwen
Publication details: 
Unicornucopia: Dated in text to 1973. 'Booklet designed by / James Shurmer / printed at / The Curwen Press / London E13 9HJ'. 'The Curwen Press / A Short History' with final section dated 'August 1970'.
£120.00
Curwen

Two attractive pieces of Curwen Press ephemera. 'Cornucopia' is scarce: no copy at the British Library, and the only two copies on JISC at Lancaster and Aberystwyth. The 'Short History' is better represented. ONE: 'Cornucopia'. 12pp, landscape 12mo. Stapled into illustrated wraps. Printed in brown on cream paper. Booklet designed by James Shurmer, with text by Basil Harley. Many illustrations of unicorns arranged in eight 'plates'. Internally in good condition, but front cover grubby, and blank back cover stained. TWO: 'The Curwen Press / A Short History'. 39pp, small 4to.

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Autograph Letter Signed ('Spedding Curwen') from Rev. Spedding Curwen of Frome, Dissenting Minister (father of John Curwen), entreating the congregationalist minister Rev. Dr Andrew Reed of Cambridge Heath, Hackney, to preach at Frome

Author: 
Rev. Spedding Curwen (1790-1856) of Frome, Dissenting Minister, and father of John Curwen (1816-1880), printer and educator [Rev. Dr Andrew Reed (1787-1862), Congregationalist minister]
Publication details: 
Frome, Somerset. 13 June 1835.
£80.00

2pp., 4to. 23 lines. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged paper, with the two pages of text on the two sides of the first leaf, and the address on the reverse of the second leaf, which has minor damage due to removal from mount, and carries two postmarks, and a broken red wax seal, with address by Curwen, to 'The Revd. Andrew Reed D.D.

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Autograph Letter Signed from the printer and Congregationalist minister John Curwen, praising in the most affectionate terms his 'loving old friend' the typefounder and Liberal politician Sir Charles Reed.

Author: 
John Curwen (1816-1880), Congregationalist minister, printer, and founder of the Tonic sol-fa system of music education [Sir Charles Reed (1819-1881), typefounder, philanthropist, Liberal politician]
Publication details: 
Plaistow, E. (on reversed 1875 letterhead of the Tonic Sol-fa College, Plaistow, London, E. 18 December 1874.
£80.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. 40 lines. In fair condition, creased and with minor damage to second leaf from previous mounting. Addressing Reed as 'Dear Charles', Curwen explains that when asked who he would like as chairman for a forthcoming meeting, 'it was natural I should mention you, because of our old regard'. He is sorry that his 'friends' applied 'again - after your declining'.

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