1PatsChoice
A towering figure of the Classics, Plato has received the royal treatment from many fine presses. One of my favorite homages comes from the Libanus Press's work on The Symposium. Libanus Press has taken a modernist approach to book design lately, aiming for a pop culture vibe and consulting other publishers; however, their traditional efforts have also produced excellent results.
This book is one of forty copies fully bound in grey Nigerian goatskin by Smith Settle and printed on a wonderfully thick, coarse Velin d'Arches rag paper. The title is stamped blind in Greek on the front and embossed in gilt lettering on the spine in English. The book features the full discourse in both languages, letterpress-printed in grey and black: the Greek is hand-set in 12 pt. Antigone and the English is Monotype 12 pt. Lutetia.
The translation is critical to Classical works. Libanus Press brought on Tom Griffith to create a new translation which I find eminently readable. I don't read Greek so I'm not an authority, but Griffith seems to capture the spirit of the original words quite well while retaining lively rhetoric and flow to the repartee.
Peter Forster's wood-engravings, printed in blue, are striking and numerous. Rather than depicting the intellectuals around the table as corporeal figures, Forster illustrates crumbling statues. This adds an element of levity to a dialogue that features parody—but perhaps more importantly, it highlights the immortality of Plato's legacy, even as their bodies and statues have been ravaged by Father Time.
EXTERIOR
The spine is moderately sunned on my copy, but this edition is rare to come across so I bit the bullet. I can also cope by reasoning wear to the book is thematically in-line with Forster's illustrations, haha.
This book is one of forty copies fully bound in grey Nigerian goatskin by Smith Settle and printed on a wonderfully thick, coarse Velin d'Arches rag paper. The title is stamped blind in Greek on the front and embossed in gilt lettering on the spine in English. The book features the full discourse in both languages, letterpress-printed in grey and black: the Greek is hand-set in 12 pt. Antigone and the English is Monotype 12 pt. Lutetia.
The translation is critical to Classical works. Libanus Press brought on Tom Griffith to create a new translation which I find eminently readable. I don't read Greek so I'm not an authority, but Griffith seems to capture the spirit of the original words quite well while retaining lively rhetoric and flow to the repartee.
Peter Forster's wood-engravings, printed in blue, are striking and numerous. Rather than depicting the intellectuals around the table as corporeal figures, Forster illustrates crumbling statues. This adds an element of levity to a dialogue that features parody—but perhaps more importantly, it highlights the immortality of Plato's legacy, even as their bodies and statues have been ravaged by Father Time.
EXTERIOR
The spine is moderately sunned on my copy, but this edition is rare to come across so I bit the bullet. I can also cope by reasoning wear to the book is thematically in-line with Forster's illustrations, haha.
2PatsChoice
INTERIOR
Forster did a wonderful job with expressions.
Forster did a wonderful job with expressions.
3whytewolf1
Gorgeous book! Thanks for sharing.
4abysswalker
>1 PatsChoice: what's the secondary volume? I have a standard copy, which I believe it is the same text block but with simpler binding (full cloth with a dust jacket) and no slipcase. It is only one volume though.
5PatsChoice
>3 whytewolf1: Thank you, Mr. Wolf.
>4 abysswalker: I also believe the standard copy is identical in text and illustrations. I actually find the cloth boards & blue-morocco spine quite attractive and debated purchasing it over the full morocco.
The companion volume is "All Greek to Me" by Tom Griffith (the translator); it details how the full project came together.
>4 abysswalker: I also believe the standard copy is identical in text and illustrations. I actually find the cloth boards & blue-morocco spine quite attractive and debated purchasing it over the full morocco.
The companion volume is "All Greek to Me" by Tom Griffith (the translator); it details how the full project came together.
6abysswalker
Here's some pics of the standard if anyone is curious:
9ultrarightist
Nice! I think the illustrations are quite apropos.
10Eumnestes
>5 PatsChoice: That's the most impressive edition of the Symposium I have every seen; thank you for posting the pictures. May I ask what you think of the companion volume by Griffith? At first glance, it doesn't seem that an explanation of the process leading to the edition requires fine press, leather-bound treatment. But I haven't seen the interior--does the companion volume add aesthetic or craft value, as far as you're concerned?
11PatsChoice
>10 Eumnestes: Thank you—and I sincerely apologize for the late reply. Work had gotten quite busy and I hadn't found the chance to peruse the companion volume and provide a sufficient answer.
Having read it just now: it's completely worth the price of admission. Over the span of sixteen pages, Griffith & Mitchell walk the reader through a rich summation of:
1) Sourcing the texts for this work: about half of the dialogue comes from two-thousand-year-old texts written on papyri that were discovered in a rubbish dump near the Egyptian city Oxyrhynchus; the other half is a culmination and reconciliation of over forty medieval manuscripts.
2) A lesson on Ancient Greek linguistics and how the wide variety of accents make this a production nightmare for printers. For instance, "The early Greek founts used in Venice in the 1480s had 1,400 sorts (compared with a maximum of 272 matrices in a Monotype die-case to produce the seven alphabets in roman, italic, bold and small capitals). A separate piece of metal type printing the accents alone... increases the setting time and complicates the line spacing, thereby adding to the cost of production."
3) The history and evolution behind the design of Greek fount, typesetting, hand-cutting. Below is a picture of the most famous and historic designs of Ancient Greek typography & calligraphy (all hand-set); the gold standard today is Van Krimpen's Antigone. Which one is your favorite, folks?
This section also has a clear-eyed explanation of how letterpress Greek is likely to be virtually nonexistent in another twenty years:
The passage above is a cause for concern for fine press collectors. If the authors are right, we are close to the end of an era—it raises my sense of urgency to collect more of these beautiful works.
4) The detailed mechanisms of hand-setting for compositors. The picture below encapsulates one of the trials.
5) Page layout, with a focus on the challenges of keeping the Greek (in Lutetia) and the English (Antigone) as close together as possible, line by line.
In addition, there are several illustrations exclusive to the companion volume.
All in all, it is a warm, honest, and scholarly glimpse into the daunting process of creating a project like this one. My admiration for everyone involved in this production increased tenfold after understanding all of the preparation and labor required.
Having read it just now: it's completely worth the price of admission. Over the span of sixteen pages, Griffith & Mitchell walk the reader through a rich summation of:
1) Sourcing the texts for this work: about half of the dialogue comes from two-thousand-year-old texts written on papyri that were discovered in a rubbish dump near the Egyptian city Oxyrhynchus; the other half is a culmination and reconciliation of over forty medieval manuscripts.
2) A lesson on Ancient Greek linguistics and how the wide variety of accents make this a production nightmare for printers. For instance, "The early Greek founts used in Venice in the 1480s had 1,400 sorts (compared with a maximum of 272 matrices in a Monotype die-case to produce the seven alphabets in roman, italic, bold and small capitals). A separate piece of metal type printing the accents alone... increases the setting time and complicates the line spacing, thereby adding to the cost of production."
3) The history and evolution behind the design of Greek fount, typesetting, hand-cutting. Below is a picture of the most famous and historic designs of Ancient Greek typography & calligraphy (all hand-set); the gold standard today is Van Krimpen's Antigone. Which one is your favorite, folks?
This section also has a clear-eyed explanation of how letterpress Greek is likely to be virtually nonexistent in another twenty years:
The type is only available for hand-setting and its lack of popularity, indeed its rarity, stems from this problem. John Dreyfus comments that 'if it had not been for the Great Depression at a time when compositors' wages were already low, I doubt whether Francis Meynell would ever have had such long texts composed in this beautiful type — it would otherwise have been far too expensive.' And thus we return to the age-old problem of the high cost of Greek setting. Not only does the limitation of hand-setting still exist but it is doubtful if there are many compositors who could comfortably understand and compose by hand any text in Greek. Certainly in twenty years time it will be an almost impossible task.
The passage above is a cause for concern for fine press collectors. If the authors are right, we are close to the end of an era—it raises my sense of urgency to collect more of these beautiful works.
4) The detailed mechanisms of hand-setting for compositors. The picture below encapsulates one of the trials.
5) Page layout, with a focus on the challenges of keeping the Greek (in Lutetia) and the English (Antigone) as close together as possible, line by line.
In addition, there are several illustrations exclusive to the companion volume.
All in all, it is a warm, honest, and scholarly glimpse into the daunting process of creating a project like this one. My admiration for everyone involved in this production increased tenfold after understanding all of the preparation and labor required.
12Eumnestes
>11 PatsChoice: I just noticed this morning that you had replied; thanks for this! What an interesting companion volume. I had appreciated the challenges Greek accent marks would pose to a letterpress typesetter, but not to the extent you outline above. I think that out of the options your photo provides, my favorite Greek font is Monotype Porson, although that may be due to its resemblance to the Greek font I'm accustomed to in Oxford UP editions.
14kdweber
>1 PatsChoice: Thanks for the enablement. I also picked up a copy (standard edition) after following this thread. I was impressed enough that I also picked up a copy of the Libanus Press Theodore & Honoria. Thinking about the Libanus Press Alice with Peake's illustrations. It's fun (and dangerous) to discover a new press.
15Praveenna_Nagaratnam
Is everyone else's copy signed by the artist?
