William Morris

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William Morris

• Kelmscott Chaucer
• Golden Legend

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William Morris The Pre-Raphaelites

• Against mechanized printing press believed
  needed handmade cuts for more beautiful results
• Thought about the image and impact he wanted to
  create and the type and borders he would use

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Chaucer Font

• Designed the Troy type based on Gothic type E
  is rounded, S has a horizontal middle stroke,
  h has Gothic hook to the left, g looks
  identical, e has sloped line
• BUT does not have d bent left, ligatures (tied
  letters), and contractions
• Chaucer evolved from Troy font 12-point version
  of 18-point Troy font
• Named because Morris planned on using it for
  Chaucers Canterbury Tales

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Kelmscott Chaucer

• Last thing published by Kelmscott Press before
  Morriss death in 1896
• Morris had wanted to publish this work since 1891
• Worked on borders beginning in February 1893
• 87 illustrations from 1892-95 by Burne-Jones and
  William H. Hooper
• Morris designed a few pigskin covers before he
  died

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Kelmscott Chaucer
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Kelmscott Chaucer
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Golden Type

• Developed in 1890
• Based on Roman type from 15th century Venetians
  (Nicolaus Jenson Jacobus Rubeus)
• Compared to Roman type, Morriss is darker,
  thicker
• Goal for Golden type pure in form severe
  solid, without the thickening and thinning of the
  line and not compressed laterally

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The Golden Legend

• medieval book of Saints lives
• Supposed to be first book published by Kelmscott
  Press, but not finished until November 1892
• Morris designed the borders
• Illustrations by Edward Burne-Jones

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The Golden Legend
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The Golden Legend
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Morriss Bindings

• Used Henry Bands vellum for text and bindings
• Kelmscott Chaucer had different bindings
• White pigskin binding
• Blindstamped pigskin binding designed by Morris