Incline Press

Rather surprised there isn't a dedicated thread yet for Incline Press, so here it is. Wanted to post about their latest offering, a seasonal poetry volume that serves as a counteractive to the anodyne, titled Gifts of the Magi. Ordered my copy now, it looks well up to Incline's usual excellence.

Feel free to post here about your favorite Incline titles!

I think that the Incline press is interesting rather than essential. I have eight of their works (Minerva, Mantone and Circes; Brose; Song for the Small Hours; The Rolling English Drunkard; The Deserted Village; Walking Round Cambridge with William Blake; The Elusive Number Sixty-Eight; Near Thursbitch) and for me The Deserted Village is my favourite.

We get so focused on "essential" that we tend to give short shrift to anything else. "Interesting" presses are certainly worthy of discussion and while the so-called essential presses are definitely worth the amount of words expended on them, the "non-essential" presses have much to offer. Admittedly, some of them are tightly focused on subjects that don't have a wide appeal, but they exhibit superb craftsmanship. We should not be loathe to discuss these as well.

As for Incline Press, I have but three of Graham's offerings: Minerva, Mantone and Circe; A Bonnie New Garland of Robert Burns' Love Songs & Poems, and the magnum opus, Emil Rudolf Weiss : E R Weiss : the typography of an artist.

Edit: Lest I forget, I also have a copy of Wortbuch / Word Book, which came as a freebie with my copy of the Weiss biography.

>3 Glacierman: Well said, and I heartily agree. I have Minerva, Mantone and Circe and A Bonnie New Garland as well and enjoy them. I also very much like The Charm of Magpies, but then I'm a fan of the work of Nick Wonham. I'm in the process of chasing down his production of Aesop’s Fable of The Miller, His Son and Their Ass. Anyway, yes, these presses should be celebrated as well. They are often a font of titles that the more esteemed presses would never deign bring out.

For quick reference their website is at https://www.inclinepress.com/

>2 DMulvee: I was not aware of their Deserted Village - I assume it is long out of print?

I have been on the search for a suitable copy of the Roycrofter's edition for a year or two now, but would probably settle for something in the style of what I've seen from Incline Press.

>1 Shadekeep: Thank you, I was not aware of them.

I do think... well, their edition of "Near Thursbitch" ... I'm just wondering if maybe they should have used smaller fonts...

>6 NathanOv: It was one of their first books (1993) and so you need to search the secondary market. I think I picked it up for a touch under £100 and was very pleased with the price I paid.

>1 Shadekeep: Graham has produced some absolutely wonderful books and booklets over the years. My favourite is ‘Urban Birds’, which makes me smile every time I open it!

Some favourite items from Incline Press

‘Urban Birds’:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2Unoa-hn9K/?igshid=b2dhcjRvNXljZm51

Matthew Hollis ‘Stones’ (the first edition, and particularly one of the hard bound specials with the gorgeous marbled paper covers):

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_K4KmNBHVe/?igshid=MWwxYjkyMXYxMDQyeQ==

Adam Thorpe ‘Two Poems’:

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByTE3SAh9Ac/?igshid=emFjdmNxOGtjMGNx

Keith Pettit ‘Stillness’:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcAEVIPssm-/?igshid=MWJ4aWRwNmxyeTV6eA==

>10 ChestnutPress:

And 'Rants, Whispers & Cries', two poems published to commemorate the bicentenary of Peterloo: Andrew Rudd's 'Rants, Whispers & Cries: Thinking of Peterloo in 2019' and Shelley's sonnet 'Condition of England in 1819'. Peterloo is still a resonant event in the Manchester area.

The soft cover version of the Adam Thorpe poems is covered in '...Amate... a Mexican paper made from hammered wood bark fibre. We may not see the like again.'

Great titles, everyone! Here are three more which I can recommend that are still in stock:

Three Poems of the Seventeenth Century

The Hunters; Les chasseurs; Cacciatori

Danger & Destiny in the Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm

>7 astropi: Ha ha, yes, I do think that is an unfortunately (and unintentionally, one believes) aggressive layout. I think if I were going to use a font that large I'd arrange the words unbroken vertically instead.

Incline Press has some of the most delightful chapbooks I've seen out of England! Still-available highlights include Word Book, Better is Not So Good, and (my favorite) The Printer's Fist. I can also recommend his paper and type specimen books, especially In Praise of Patterned Paper (1997) and Hung Out to Dry (2007), which I think are only available on the secondary market.

Moss has a wonderful sense of playfulness in his books, paired with excellent printing and top-notch papers. He has used Wookey Hole mouldmade for several books (not one you see that often, I suppose), and his type selection is impressive. For example, I generally don't care for Scotch faces, but Moss pairs them with appropriate texts. He also employs a healthy amount of wood type and ornaments. In short, the Incline Press output is eclectic and quite fun, not to mention, quite affordable too!

>12 Shadekeep: The first and second of those are on my shelves, and both great!

>14 DenimDan: I'd forgotten The Printer's Fist, I have that, and thought it was good

I don’t have that one.

I love those Amate handmade papers. I have a couple of items bound in it. James Freemantle used two lovely colours of it for his wonderful Hercules.>11 affle:

>12 Shadekeep: Danger & Destiny in the Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm is just terrific. I can never quite remember, but it might have been my first Incline Press book.

>18 TheTotalLibrarian: That one feels very much like a Fleece Press book to me, which is a good thing. The eclecticism of the illustrations makes it all the better, too. And while it's a treasure for folklorists, one doesn't need to be one to enjoy it.

I have a few from Incline Press:

Randall Davies and His Books of Nonsense
Minerva, Mantone and Circes (Boccaccio)
A Lullaby (Richard Rowlands)
Jabberwocky (Carroll) -- printed on really fun handmade paper
There Is a Lady
The Elusive Number Sixty-Eight (Arnold Paucker)
A Garland of Love Songs (Burns)

Germane to this discussion: Incline Press.

I didn't know about this one from Incline Press until recently, but it's the one title from them I wish I could justify the purchase for. Besides being a signed Seamus Heaney book, it has what is perhaps the most beautiful peacock marbling on the cover that I have ever seen.

https://www.biblio.com/book/midsummer-feast-heaney-seamus-marie-heaney/d/1450365...

Graham has listed his devoted undertaking for sale now: Memento Mori : Memento Vivere

Available in two editions and promises to ship soon. I've seen lots of good preview photos of it elsewhere.

>22 Shadekeep: that looks like an Ann Muir marbled paper. If the topic interests you, Graham made an excellent book with text by Muir and samples of her paper called Harvesting Colour.

New chapbook offering from Incline - Les Feuilles Mortes - Autumn Leaves.

Les Feuilles Mortes - literally the dead leaves - was written by the poet Jacques Prevert in 1946 post war France. The poem was developed into a song with composer Joseph Kosma, and sung by actor Yves Montand in films and performances for decades. The song developed into a jazz standard performed by virtuosos such as Miles Davis and Nat King Cole, and is an evocative and evergreen tune of our culture.

Here, this 12 page chapbook celebrates the poem both in English and French, with translation and introduction written by Graham Moss. It is in an edition of 100 copies, printed on handmade Indian Khadi paper and set with Bembo, Fairbank, and Weiss type for display. There are two illustrations cut by Helen Moss, hand printed on the Albion press, and it comes in a Khadi paper chemise with a small surprise tucked inside.

Seems like Khadi paper is gaining favor with private presses of late. Took the chance to add a couple other chapbooks in while ordering this (The Christmas Pudding and Better is Not So Good). Also took another look at Layers of Concord, which had fallen off my radar. Looking at it again, it's very much my kind of thing, especially as it's set in Virginia, so I added it too. I may post impressions about it once it arrives, it seems like a fascinating work both textually and for its artistic contents.

>25 Shadekeep: Got mine yesterday and it’s absolutely gorgeous! Definitely one of the loveliest booklets I own from Incline Press.

>26 ChestnutPress: Isn't it charming? I love the binding, and the interior is just as nice. Really is a delight from the press.

EDIT: Whoops, I was talking about Gifts of the Magi. Haven't received Les Feuilles Mortes yet, but it's en route, along with the other titles.

Their “Jabberwocky” chapbook is also printed on Khandi paper, if anyone’s looking to sample that.

>23 Shadekeep: Graham Moss lent me a review copy of Memento Mori: Memento Vivere to show on my blog and YouTube channel. Some might be interested in a closer look at what's going on in this book:

https://youtu.be/arzAG8nxElg

https://ubiquitousbooks.wordpress.com/2023/12/09/memento-mori-memento-vivere/

I tried not to let the fact that I received a loan of the book colour my normal approach to showing it.

>29 ubiquitousuk: Thank you for doing this review. I've had my eye on this book for a while and it's great to get a detailed look at it. I'm hoping to have funds for it in the next couple of weeks, provided that there are still copies left by then!

>29 ubiquitousuk: A truly beautiful book.

ubiquitousuk, I have watched a number of your videos, they are extremely well done and several cuts above many of the other book reviews to be found on youtube. More please.

>31 Pendrainllwyn: Seconded!

Lovely seeing Graham and Helen yesterday after what seems an absolute age! Lots of forthcoming goodies to look forward to over the next year or so. Particularly looking forward to ‘Baskerville’s Preface’!

>25 Shadekeep: and >26 ChestnutPress:
Got my copy of Les feuilles mortes today which I ordered thanks to your praise and it is a wonderful little booklet! Autumn Leaves is incidentally one of my favourite jazz pieces (Art Pepper and Cannonball Adderly did wonderful recordings).
I also got Minerva, Mantone, and Circes and both make want to revisit the inventory of Incline Press to find some more beauties.

>34 SebRinelli: Wonderful, glad you like it! Waiting on my copy this side of the pond, and do let me know if you'd like any recommendations on other titles.

>35 Shadekeep: Suggestions are more than welcome. Les feuilles mortes ticks all the boxes for me. A beautiful text printed with a beautiful typeface on handmade paper with woodcuts. The dried leaves give it nice touch. What‘s not to like?

>29 ubiquitousuk: Thanks a lot for the lovely review. It 'enabled' me to purchase a copy of the unique book.

>34 SebRinelli: Isn’t it an absolute delight! I’m glad you picked up a copy, along with ‘Minerva…’ on that gorgeous blue Wookey Hole paper. I’m now waiting on Graham to finish ‘Baskerville’s Preface’, which he reckons he will before December is through

>36 SebRinelli: I would suggest the below items, if you don’t yet have them:

https://www.inclinepress.com/shop/two-poems

https://www.inclinepress.com/shop/to-a-mouse-by-robert-burns

Stillness by Keith Pettit is a particular favourite booklet of mine but it doesn’t seem to be in print on the Incline Press website. It would be worth asking Graham if he might have a copy floating around that he’d part with, as it really is lovely.

>36 SebRinelli: You wouldn't go wrong with any of these titles, so see if any align with your interests.

- A Bonnie New Garland of Robert Burns
- Danger & Destiny in the Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm
- The Hunters; Les chasseurs; Cacciatori
- Three Poems of the Seventeenth Century

I also like The Charm of Magpies very much, but it's predominantly an art book.

The latest box of bounty from Incline arrived, replete as usual with ephemera. It includes Les Feuilles Mortes - Autumn Leaves, which has been justly praised here. Also a couple other chapbooks, Better is Not So Good and the seasonally appropriate title The Christmas Pudding.

Also finally got Layers of Concord, which I had overlooked for too long. Very happy with this one, it's another standout title in their line of excellent volumes. Promises to be an evocative read.

John Baskerville's Preface to Milton's Paradise Lost is now available for sale from the Incline Press website.

https://www.inclinepress.com/shop/baskervilles-preface

>42 TheTotalLibrarian: Thank you for the note - I seem to have slipped of Graham's mailing list for the moment.

New book out today, bit of a surprise as I heard nothing in the lead-up to it.

Singing Aloud

A collection of eight traditional ballads, gathered together as ‘merch’ for singer Jennifer Reid who is touring with Eliza Carthy in 2024. This book is lavishly illustrated with chapbook blocks that Incline Press has been gathering for years, including a beautiful wood engraving of a chapman. There is a ‘bonus track’ of a facsimile broadsheet slip song tipped in at the back.

Hand set throughout in 10 and 12pt Sabon, Modern No 20 for sub-titling, Atrax on the title page and cover and a splash of a Stevens Shanks revival on the half title and inside back cover. Printed on some old paper stock, a nice cream tint.

Of the 500 copies printed, 100 are available from our shop, as shown here. They are cased with additional dedication and colophon, and bound in Edward Bawden’s original Curwen Press paper with equally vintage green book cloth. 12 x 22 cm.

Have ordered a copy, very much my kind of thing.

>44 Shadekeep: Thanks for posting this. I've just ordered one too!

>44 Shadekeep: This looks great--enough to finally get me to place an order with the press (and pick up a few other items I've had my eye on). Thanks for sharing!

>45 TheTotalLibrarian: >46 JacobHolt: My pleasure! Graham does such charming work that it's a delight to share it.

Sharing the latest email from Graham and Helen, as they are looking to move the press and are reaching out to the community. I recommend getting on the mailing list to receive any updates if this interests you.

---

We are on the move and need your help.

Incline Press has been working for the last 30 years in Oldham, England; and housed in a former cotton mill in Bow Street since 2001. We now have an opportunity to live the dream and move to beautiful, rural Scotland. As well as printing, we will be able to develop a practice teaching the whole craft of book making, and open a seasonal gallery space which the current building cannot accommodate. But we need help to make it happen.

After a long search we now have the chance to buy a former shop in the Dumfries and Galloway region, close to Scotland's book town. The vendor has reduced the price which has put it nearly within our range. We have some savings, and plan to sell some workshop gear, fine press books from our library and have some smaller funding applications lined up. We are determined to organise ourselves so that our printing is only minimally disrupted; new books will continue to be made, and we shall keep as much of the type collection and vintage machinery as we have room for, most if not all.

The Galloway property is in reasonable order, but it will need some immediate work before we can move in. All the lower ground floor joists must be strengthened to take the heavy gear, and the whole building rewired. Then we can begin the difficult, expensive and demanding job of moving presses, type cabinets, paper, the stock and everything else. In other words, we cannot sell our current premises until those essential repairs are done. We've never had mortgages, credit cards, loans or debts, so our credit rating is non existent and to the banks we are unworthy of their support!

In short, we have to find £65k in a few weeks to make the deal. We have a verbal agreement with the vendor, and she will take the building off the market until mid January so we won't be gazumped or undercut, but that is a short deadline for us to find the money that is needed.

So we are hoping for a miracle....and we have some ideas to help that along.
Firstly we have lots of great hand made books and affordable pamphlets in our shop, ready to go and your purchases will help us greatly. Please take a look there. For most of our books we will post them first class in the UK until the new year.

Incline Press shop

Secondly we will be selling some new and used type and workshop gear on Ebay over the coming months, including rare and unused foundry type in mostly unopened packets, cast in the 1960s and rare as hen's teeth. We will flag this up on our Instagram page as we go.

Ebay shop

Thirdly, this is the launch of our crowdfunder! We would gratefully accept any gift you might wish to send us using the blue buttons (Paypal or Bank Transfer) or you can pick from this list below.

£10 - A bundle of ephemera, with a newly printed book mark.

£25 - A copy of the pamphlet RED which was the new year book of 2023, plus the ephemera.

£50 - A hardback copy of Jennifer Reid's latest songbook, a copy of RED, plus the ephemera.

£100 - Gifts Of The Magi, a poetry book by Jamie McKendrick, and the pamphlet 'My Orcha'd in Linden Lea' by William Barnes, plus the ephemera

£500 - A copy of Punch and Judy, and the Owl and the Pussy-cat and the ephemera

£1000 - The Oldham Charivari, a new portfolio of over 150 items of ephemera printed over the last 20 years, to be bound over the summer of 2025. It will not be available otherwise. Your name or other dedication of your choice can be added to your own copy.

£2500 - Come to Scotland (once we've moved there!) for a four day course of one-to-one printing instruction with Graham, to make your own letterpress project. Including B&B accommodation, and vegetarian meals.

£3500 - During 2025, we will publish Herbert Read's War Poems. An exemplar edition will bound by Roger Grech, contained in a drop back box with an additional portfolio of Oliver Flude's woodcuts for the book. This edition is exclusive to this fundraiser and will not be available otherwise.

Paypal link
Bank transfer link

Lastly, it would be so appreciated if you can share this email with folk you think might be interested in contributing, and please do repost our Instagram and Facebook posts as they come up in the near future. We need our community!

We shall keep everyone posted about developments and send you photos as the move progresses – if we get a chance to make it happen.

Letterpress is listed by Heritage Crafts as endangered, with just a handful of workshops like ours left. We are up against the environmentally polluting Digital Big Boys, but still believe in the sustainable fifteenth century tools and traditional publishing model. As custodians of increasingly rare machines and skills who just love real books, we still follow William Morris' rejection of soulless industrialism. We hope you can help us start this new phase of our work - and we will continue to meet the challenge of making and we hope, teaching it.

Thank you so much for all your support of Incline Press. Here's to life's Big Adventures!

Graham and Helen.

>48 Shadekeep: Awww, ya beat me to it!

>49 Glacierman: Too many people trying to do good - more internet forums should have that kind of problem. ^_^

>1 Shadekeep: Thank you!

>51 HelenMoss: My pleasure, and hope it helps!

What a great press if you're starting out in fine press collecting. Lots of reasonably priced books and booklets and free postage in UK. You can get a nice selection without much financial damage, so I picked up a Danger & Destiny.