LBP - Issue № 1 - Where Do I Start?
Linotype Book Project Issue № 1: Where Do I Start?
Welcome to the first issue of the Linotype Book Project newsletter — I’m so happy you’re here. This is where I will be sharing my journey of researching, writing, and documenting the history of the Linotype and its impact on printing, journalism, and society. Let’s dig in with this first issue, originally sent in May of 2023.
Linotype Book Project - Issue № 1
Where Do I Start?
The story of the Linotype Book Project starts back in… well, where do I start the story?
I could start the story the day I first saw a Linotype at Tim Trower’s shop in Springfield, Missouri sometime in 2004.
I could start the story the day I convinced my good friends to make a film about the Linotype in 2010.
I could start the story at the world premiere of the film in New York City, in 2012.
I could start the story after the screening tour, being surprised by the overwhelmingly positive reaction to documenting this “forgotten” machine in 2014.
Or, I could start the story much more recently: Thanksgiving day, 2022. This was the day I sat down and finally put all of the thoughts which had been swirling in my head for over a year into a note on my phone.
No matter where the story starts, the simple fact is this: I thought I was finished with the Linotype after the film, but I was VERY WRONG. I’m still quite interested in the Linotype and how it impacted journalism, communication, and society as a whole.
Since the film, I have continued to collect books, ephemera, interesting stories, and further details surrounding the Linotype and I’ve finally admitted to myself that the Linotype isn’t done with me yet ;-)
Why Now?
Just like when we made the film, I’ve realized we are in a moment of generational shift. Over a half-dozen of the people we interviewed have sadly passed away, and those who are still alive are a generation older than myself.
Even though I accidentally became one of the “experts” on the Linotype, people like Frank Romano and Dave Seat have so much more knowledge than I do. When someone asks me a question about the Linotype that I don’t know, I ask them — but that won’t always be an option. Now is the time to document and transfer as much of their knowledge as possible to a new generation.
Sources of Inspiration
Of course, there have been many books written about the Linotype in the past, but none of them are like what I envision. I want my book to be a beautiful, coffee-table book with amazing images, ephemera, and diagrams while also having a well-researched and interesting story which weaves through the book.
In the past couple of years I have been inspired by the work of Bruce Kennett in his book about W.A. Dwiggins, the book about the Rob Roy Kelly American Wood Type Collection researched and written by David Shields, and the upcoming book about keyboards, Shift Happens by Marcin Wichary.
All three of these books show me a path forward (both in their style and business model) to make my book a reality. These books are much more than a collection of facts and images; each of them highlight the people and fascinating objects that their subjects created. Additionally, they are not only books with pretty pictures in them; they give new information and insight into the humans and humanity of what was made.
Status Update
So where am I in the process? As of May 2023, I’m no longer at the very beginning—since January, I’ve been doing steady bibliographic research, refining the story structure and overall narrative, defining research locations, contacting libraries, and gathering advice from multiple authors and researchers. Also, making the LBP website, newsletter, announcement videos, and basic design elements certainly have taken a lot of time!
Right now, I have two research trips planned for this upcoming summer: one trip to Columbia University in New York City in June, and one to the Museum of Printing, near Boston in July. I’ll send more details about those trips as they come together, but I’m so excited to dig through the amazing Henry Lewis Bullen ATF Library at Columbia (which I’ve never visited) and to again dig through Frank Romano’s world-famous library at the MOP.
I’ll always try to have a bit of fun in these newsletters, so I’ll start by sharing the ridiculously short TL;DR supercut of my announcement video. I edited this on a complete whim, trying to edit it down the core message, but I ended up kind of loving it?
Thanks
I am already in the debt of many people as I’ve been getting this project off the ground, so I should start my thank you’s now:
Thanks to David Shields, Bruce Kennett, Jeff Jarvis, and Glenn Fleishman for many hours of advice and expertise on researching and writing a book. They are to blame for not discouraging me from doing this project.
Thanks to Dan Rhatigan, Kyle Read, Briar Levit, Brandon Goodwin, and Jess Heugel for being helpful sounding boards as this project unfolded and to Sergey Gregorian for lending me a camera to capture my thoughts and ideas.
And thanks to Henry Desroches for doing a bit of “coding for the ’net” for an old co-worker in order to get the LBP site and newsletter up and running.
Support the LBP!
This newsletter is free, but also pay-what-you-want, and if you are in a position to help support my research and writing by becoming a paying subscriber, I would greatly appreciate your support. If you’re not in that position, no worries, I’m thrilled you’ve signed up for the journey!
Waving from sunny Denver,
Doug Wilson
