Search

Woodblocks, linoleum blocks, wood and linoleum tools, wooden types, metal types, books, proofs, and special printings. Included are woodblocks and linoleum blocks of illustrations and decorations for Walt Whitman's SHORT STORIES (Columbia University Press, 1927), De La Motte Fouqué's UNDINE (Limited Editions Club, 1930), and Sir Walter Scott's IVANHOE (Limited Editions Club, 1940). There are several metal types designed and cast for Lewis; full or nearly full alphabets of special wooden types designed and cut by Lewis in both 216 pt. and 144 pt. sizes; specimens of his wood and linoleum tools, mainly of his own manufacture; books containing illustrations, decorations, and special types by Lewis; proofs of bookplates he designed; and proofs and special printings of various plates.

The collection consists of several sub-divisions, such as bookplates with a printed date (over 300 bookplates, 1587-1800), ecclesiastical bookplates of the 17th and 18th centuries, and a large group relating to Cambridge and Oxford Universities (mostly 18th century). Well represented are bookplates of libraries, starting with a German bookplate, ca. 1580. Among the library bookplates of some significance are large dated German bookplates of the Royal Library, Munich, the earliest being dated 1614, the bookplate of the medical library, Frankfort, 1676, representing the view of a 17th century library, and a large collection of early American library bookplates.