Commemorating the Presentation of A Medal of Honor to Frederic W. Goudy by the Ulster-Irish Society of New York for Notable Service to the Nation

Philadelphia: Lanston Monotype Machine Company, 1937. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Brochure, String bound. Format is approximately 7.,25 inches by 10.5 inches. Unpaginated, 32 pages, plus covers. Illustration. Cover label is missing. Single sheet on Monotype Goudy Village, No. 410 laid in. Black and white photograph of Frederic W. Goudy, 4.25 inches by 5.75 inches laid in. Founded in 1926, the Ulster Irish Society of New York seems to have been an influential group in its day, hosting swish annual banquets at top hotels in New York, with guest speakers such as pioneer aviator Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt. It is interesting that there was a time when 'Ulsterness' was chic and fashionable, even in the New York City of the 'Roaring Twenties'. This Tribute, composed on the Monotype in fourteen-point Goudy Village with Italics, was designed by Richard Ellis and printed from type under his personal supervision at The Haddon craftsmen, Camden, N. J. The portrait forntispeice of Mr. Goudy was mad especially for this brochure by Mary Hunt of Woodstock, N. Y. IN appreciation of the honor conferred by the Ulster-Irish Society of New York upon our Art Director, Frederic W. Goudy, "for creations in typographic design that will endure forever," tis tribute was printed for lovers of the are preservative of all arts. Lanston Monotype Machine Company Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "Master of sheer beauty and artistry; designer of more than one hundred beautiful types; eager, tireless exponent of grace, simplicity and integrity in all phases of art; exemplary husband, father, teacher and friend; with the Medal we offer you our deepest respect and warm affection." Frederic William Goudy (March 8, 1865 – May 11, 1947) was an American printer, artist and type designer whose typefaces include Copperplate Gothic, Goudy Old Style and Kennerley. He was one of the most prolific of American type designers and his self-named type continues to be one of the most popular in America. Goudy was not always a type designer. "At 40, this short, plump, pinkish, and puckish gentleman kept books for a Chicago realtor, and considered himself a failure. During the next 36 years, starting almost from scratch at an age when most men are permanently set in their chosen vocations, he cut 113 fonts of type, thereby creating more usable faces than did the seven greatest inventors of type and books, from Gutenberg to Garamond." After teaching lettering and becoming known as an advertising designer in Chicago, Goudy built his reputation as a type designer. In 1895 he founded his printing shop, Booklet Press (later renamed Camelot Press).[5] Goudy designed his first typeface, Camelot, in 1896. In 1903, Goudy and Will Ransom founded the Village Press in Park Ridge, Illinois. The typeface used for the Village Press, dubbed "Village" was originally created in 1903 for the Chicago clothing manufacturer, Kuppenheimer & Company. This venture was modeled on the Arts and Crafts movement ideals of William Morris, whose Golden Type many of Goudy's earliest designs echo. It was moved to Boston, and then New York. In 1908, he created his first significant typeface for the Lanston Monotype Machine Company: E-38, sometimes known as Goudy Light. However, in that same year the Village Press burned to the ground, destroying all of his equipment and designs. In 1911, Goudy produced his first "hit", Kennerley Old Style, for an H. G. Wells anthology published by Mitchell Kennerley. This success was followed by Goudy's release of the titling letter Forum. Both Kennerley and Forum were cut for private use. Although Goudy was one of the first type designers to become established without working for a foundry, the American Type Founders Company (ATF) became interested in Goudy after his release of Kennerley and Forum. ATF commissioned Goudy to create a typeface. Goudy agreed "on the condition that his original drawings would not be subjected to interference by the founder's drawing room". This commission would become Goudy Old Style. Goudy Old Style was released in 1915 and became an instant success. Goudy was widely known from 1915 to 1940 mainly because of the success of his typefaces, but also because he gave many lectures and speeches on "the great love he had for letter forms". Goudy was known to rarely turn down a speaking engagement. In 1940 he was appointed lecturer at Syracuse University's S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. An excerpt from a lecture he gave to the annual convention of the International Club of Printing House Craftsmen in New York in 1939 highlights Goudy's practicality and love for letterform. "My craft is a simple one. For nearly forty years I have endeavored constantly to create a greater and more general esteem for good printing and typography, to give printers and reader of print more legible and more beautiful types than were hitherto available." By the end of his life, Goudy had designed 122 typefaces and published 59 literary works. Condition: Good / No Dust Jacket issued.

Keywords: Richard Ellis, Frederic Goudy, Mary Hunt, Haddon Craftsmen, Frances Perkins, Ulster-Irish Society, Printing, Typography, Designer, Printing, Graphic Design, Typeface, Frederic W. Goudy, Gowdy, Letterform

[Book #84922]

Price: $100.00