A John DePol New Year’s Eve Typography Tuesday
On this last day of the year, we take our leave of 2019 with these artist’s proof sheets of historiated initials by the great American wood engraver John DePol, who created them in 1996 for the chapter heads of Jan and Crispin Elsted’s Barbarian Press edition of Canadian writer Theresa Kishkan’s novella Inishbream, printed in Mission, British Columbia, in 1999 in an edition of 175 copies. This publication, with a narrative set on a small island off the west coast of Ireland, exploring the relationships of the Canadian narrator with the Irish inhabitants of the island, includes 21 original wood engravings by John DePol and won first prize for limited editions in the 1999 Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada.
DePol sent these proofs to our friend and benefactor Jerry Buff in March 1996. Buff writes to DePol:
I enjoyed looking at the engravings for the Inishbream book. They have a sense of permanence, capturing the feeling of this land by the sea. I particularly enjoyed the sea bird on the waves, the man bent against the wind, making his way to a cottage, and the Epilogue. . . . Thanks again for sharing your work with an admirer.
In a letter to Buff, DePol tells him of
One of my favorites . . . it’s a little girl puppy, a sheepdog, and her master who, with fist on hip, appears to be in a foreboding stance. Hope he is praising, not scolding her. . . .
View our previous New Year’s Eve posts.
View our other Typography Tuesday posts.
Best wishes from UWM Special Collections for a safe and happy New Year!
