Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter, Limited Editions Club, 1941 & Heritage Press, 1935.
Gift of Dr. James Marsden Special Collection, Hale Library Kansas State University P1868 .A1 1941 & PS1868 .A1 1935 Hester Prynne had “a taste for the gorgeously beautiful,” Nathaniel Hawthorne tells us in The Scarlet Letter, which found its expression “in the exquisite productions of her needle.” Hester uses this “delicate and imaginative skill” to redefine the meaning of the ignominious letter A she has to wear on her breast. Ultimately, the scarlet character A for adultery cannot define Hester; instead she morphs it into an A for artist, for angel and for able. Here we have two editions of The Scarlet Letter, both printed by companies of George Macy, one in 1935 by the Heritage Press and the other in 1941 by the high-end Limited Editions Club. |
Not unlike Hester Prynne’s “taste for the gorgeously beautiful,” Macy started both of these presses (Limited Editions Club in 1929 and Heritage Press in 1935) to provide American readers with beautifully designed books. While both editions are illustrated, each has its own, targeted audience. Henry Varnum Poor, an artist born in Chapman, Kansas, illustrated the 1941 volume bound in scarlet red whose 1500 copies were available by subscription only. In contrast, W.A. Dwiggins, an artist from Martinsville, Ohio, created illustrations in shades of turquoise, pink, and blue for the 1935 flowery ‘semi-luxe’ edition sold in regular bookstores to those who could not afford the other volume. Even though the text is the same, each edition redefines The Scarlet Letter through the binding and the accompanying artwork.
George Macy, who produced “fine illustrated books” in his Limited Editions Club found receptive consumers willing to pay $10 for each reedition of literature classics (calculating inflation, the price per book was equivalent to $141.36 today!) Henry Varnum Poor and W.A. Dwiggins were two of many important artists working for Macy’s beautiful books. Others include household names such as Pablo Picasso (his pencil drawing and etchings accompany Lysistrata) and Henri Matisse (who illustrated Ulysses). Both Poor and Dwiggins, though unjustly forgotten today, were nationally recognized artists in their own right. Poor worked for President Roosevelt’s Commission of Fine Arts and his frescoes grace the walls of buildings such as the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. Dwiggins created classic typefaces such as Electra and Caledonia and coined the term “graphic designer” as a self-descriptor in 1922. With artists and designers such as these to assist him, George Macy crafted some of the most beautiful editions of classic literature. Today Macy’s volumes are rare collector’s items. Dr. James Marsden, K-State’s very own Associate Director of the National Agriculture Biosecurity Center, started hunting down each and every of Macy’s 589 Limited Editions Club imprints as a college student in 1968. In 2015, he gifted the full run of 589 books to Hale Library—one of only four libraries in America that house a complete set.
George Macy, who produced “fine illustrated books” in his Limited Editions Club found receptive consumers willing to pay $10 for each reedition of literature classics (calculating inflation, the price per book was equivalent to $141.36 today!) Henry Varnum Poor and W.A. Dwiggins were two of many important artists working for Macy’s beautiful books. Others include household names such as Pablo Picasso (his pencil drawing and etchings accompany Lysistrata) and Henri Matisse (who illustrated Ulysses). Both Poor and Dwiggins, though unjustly forgotten today, were nationally recognized artists in their own right. Poor worked for President Roosevelt’s Commission of Fine Arts and his frescoes grace the walls of buildings such as the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. Dwiggins created classic typefaces such as Electra and Caledonia and coined the term “graphic designer” as a self-descriptor in 1922. With artists and designers such as these to assist him, George Macy crafted some of the most beautiful editions of classic literature. Today Macy’s volumes are rare collector’s items. Dr. James Marsden, K-State’s very own Associate Director of the National Agriculture Biosecurity Center, started hunting down each and every of Macy’s 589 Limited Editions Club imprints as a college student in 1968. In 2015, he gifted the full run of 589 books to Hale Library—one of only four libraries in America that house a complete set.
Cheyenne White
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