ATX is where I spent my Christmas holiday with old&new friends and family. Another important point to my visit was to listen to some fine live music, which Austin and Gruene are popular for, and get in touch with some of Austin’s letterpress community. Wow, I think I hit the jack pot! One of the great visits I made was to the Rob Roy Kelly American Wood Type Collection. Thanks Laura for that:)
It’s pretty amazing to think that only in Texas can you find a trove of comprehensive all American wood type manufactured in the 19th c. The coolest part of this visit, I think, was the private tour given by David Shields associate prof. of the design devision at University of Texas. Another clever endeavor done by the department was to even classify different modes of planing wood by the different early manufactures of wood type like J G Cooley, American Wood Type Co. and Hamilton Holly Wood Type Co.
New American Wood Type_Virgin Wood Type
I also learnt of two gentleman who are keeping the craft alive by producing new American wood type. At Moore Wood Type specialized equipment has been produced to be able to use the finest of maple wood for cutting. Then there’s Virgin Wood Type out of the New York area who purchased crates full of goodies when American Wood Type Co. went out of business in 2001. They are on the exciting pursuit to sort and put names to type bought with the help of the American Wood Type catalog put together by none other Rob Roy Kelly.
