Interpreting the Words: 30 Years of Work

from the Cowell Press

October 1 - December 20, 2002

Case 1
Years with Jack Stauffacher

The Cowell Press began with the appointment in 1974 of Jack Stauffacher, printer from San Francisco, as Regents’ Professor. He taught two courses, a laboratory class working with the press and a seminar course. He attracted students with broad interests including studio art, history, and literature. His students explored their fields of interest using the basic typographic tools, those used by printers since Gutenberg: metal type, a composing stick, and the letterpress.

Letter to a Reader
Written by Thomas Carlyle
Printed by Joylene K. Harvey
The Cowell Press, 1974

A Movement
Excerpts from Joseph Conrad
Printed by Gregory Graalfs
The Cowell Press, 1974

Exhibition Catalogue: Bulmer & Bensley
Written and Printed by Jim Faris
Senior Thesis Project
The Cowell Press, 1974

Seven Watermelon Suns
Selected Poems by Richard Brautigan
Printed and Illustrated by Ellen Meske
The Cowell Press, 1974

A Dispersal
Written by William Carlos Williams
Printed by Thomas Whitridge
The Cowell Press, 1974

Evicting the Household Gods & Other Essays
Written by Jasper Rose
Illustrated by Jean Rose
Printed by SB Master & Jim Faris
The Cowell Press, 1974

Case 2
Years with Jack Stauffacher

Jack Stauffacher taught under his appointment for three quarters, continuing to encourage and instruct students. During this time he also formed what became lifelong friendships with many of his students. The work printed at the press ranged from modest pamphlets and keepsakes, portfolio pieces, and senior thesis exhibition catalogs to hardbound limited edition publications.

Stage Exits
Written and Printed by Richard Bigus
The Cowell Press, 1974

Course Syllabus
Prepared by Jack Stauffacher
The Cowell Press, 1974

Chamber Music
Written by James Joyce
Designed and Printed by SB Master
The Cowell Press, 1975

Meditations on Michelangelo
Photography by Matthew Foley
Written and Printed by Matthew Foley
The Cowell Press, 1975

Exhibition Catalogue: Aristide Maillol
Written and Printed by Gregory Graalfs
Senior Thesis Project
The Cowell Press, 1976

Case 3
Culmination of First Years

At the close of Jack Stauffacher’s tenure at Cowell College, he brought the students together on a wonderful project, Mind, Tongue, and Hand. Students chose a text to respond to this subject and the final portfolio included an essay that considered this theme, written by poet Michael Taylor.

Mind, Tongue, and Hand.
Pieces Printed by:
Victoria Brown
Maureen Carey (Shown)
Pamela Erbe
Gregory Graalfs
Melinda Hodges
Thomas Killion
Hope W. Kingsley (Shown)
SB Master
Everett Proctor
Felicia Rice
Massie Tice
Donald Webber
The Cowell Press, 1975

Case 4
Collaborations

From the outset, The Cowell Press encouraged collaboration between students; these extended beyond the original scope of the press as a student laboratory. The press published a book by San Francisco printer and printing historian, Adrian Wilson. Students established their own presses and worked together. Eastward the Armies, printed and designed by Richard Bigus, included poems by William Everson. Bill, poet-in-residence at Kresge College, was another important campus influence to students of the book arts.

Auden: Five Poems
Illustrated by Maureen Carey
Printed by Richard Bigus
Labyrinth Editions, 1983

Eastward the Armies
Poems by William Everson
Illustrated by Tom Killion
Printed by Richard Bigus
Labyrinth Editions, 1974

The Tale of Fair Lily and the Green Serpent
Written by Alice Raphael
Illustrated by Ann Arnold
Printed by Lucy Dines and Thomas Whitridge
Didymus Press, 1974

…the highest form of flattery…
Designed by Adrian Wilson
Written by Adrian Wilson and Joyce Lancaster Wilson
Printed by Felicia Rice with Nick Zacherson
The Cowell Press, 1982

Case 5
Transitional Years

No longer directed by Jack Stauffacher, the press remained active and students taught one another. The enthusiasm for the press, for printing, exploring the book arts was established. Then for one semester, Sherwood Grover, another fine printer from San Francisco, taught a course. Finally, George Kane took over The Cowell Press.

The Dwarf: A Short History of a Short Man
Written and Printed by Peter Thomas
The Cowell Press, 1976

Meat (La carne)
Written by Virgilio Pinera
Translated and Printed by Jess Grant
Pooder Press (at The Cowell Press), 1984

Electra
Written by Sophocles
Printed by Ruth McGurk
The Cowell Press, 1979

Poster
Designed and Printed by Peter Thomas
The Cowell Press, 1976

Tao Te Ching: Chapter 8
Illustrated and Printed by Aaron Johnson
The Cowell Press, 1982

Exhibition Catalogue: A Short History of Book Illustration
Written and Printed by Ruth McGurk
Senior Thesis Project
The Cowell Press, 1980

Alliterate Beasts for Children
Written, Illustrated, and Printed by Peggy Gotthold
The Cowell Press, 1974

Case 6
Years with George Kane

George Kane, a former newspaper publisher in the Silicon Valley area and a man who started printing and working a linotype machine as a boy in Iowa, assumed responsibility for The Cowell Press in 1978. George retired from his newspaper businesses and is now a rare book dealer. Using the wonderful books and printing examples from his private collection, George has been inspiring students for over twenty years.

All pieces printed at The Cowell Press

Easter
Printed and Illustrated by Elin Christopherson, 1995

Manners for Women
Printed by Mia Michelle Cardinell, 1999

Temptation
Printed by Christian Stralton, 1989

A Chorus Line
Printed by Teri Klonsky, 1980

The Sugar Water Way
Printed by Patizio Pellouchond, 1991

“Shoes”
Written and Printed by Kim O’Keefe, 1996

Ain’t I a Woman
Printed Desire Delara, 1993

The Flood
Printed by Julia Machotka, 1990

Case 7
Years with George Kane

In his class, George first has students select a work to design and print in a four-page format. The creativity and variety of such efforts are shown in these two cases. Following this first assignment, they next design a broadside, challenged with this larger, more open-ended format.

All pieces printed at The Cowell Press

Cozy Fear
Printed by Genevieve Munsey, 1995

lennon & mccartney revisited
Printed by Dave Barber, 1983

The Dream of the Open Box
Printed by Samuel Amico, 1982

Wapanand
Printed by Little Pearl, 1996

The Broken Places Autoneurotica
Printed by Callie Janoff, 1992

Mad Song
Printed by Lauri Chen

Dune
Printed by Jessica Curtaz, 1997

Myth of Sisyphus
Printed by Amy-Geene Williamson, 1998

Elemental Particles
Printed by Asia Seltzer, 2002

World of Music
Printed by David McAllester, 1998

Case 8
Alumni Work

Many students have gone on to work in fields and professions first introduced to them at The Cowell Press. The book and graphic design, and related areas, have provided a terrific form for their creative expression. Some are publishers, some are illustrating their own books, others are contributing to identity and branding for corporate accounts, many are engaged in writing and research of many kinds. Also interesting are the limited edition, fine press books that have been subsequently published as trade editions for a wider reading public.

Cannibal Ants
Written, Printed, and Illustrated by Ruth McGurk
The Cowell Press, 1996

The Tree
Written by John Fowles
Printed and Illustrated by Aaron Johnson
Yolla Bolly Press, 1995

Tower of the Winds
Printed by Peggy Gotthold and Lawrence G. Van Velzer
Foolscap Press, 2002

Scams & Hilltribes
Illustrated and Printed by Ruth McGurk
Peripatetic Press, 1985

Six adjectives chiefly remarkable for their Hats
Illustrated and Printed by Ruth McGurk
Peripatetic Press, 1987

Eloise the Aviatrix Visits the Alumverts
Written and Printed by Ruth McGurk
The Cowell Press, 1980

The Dwarf: A Short History of a Short Man (miniature version)
Written and Printed by Peter Thomas
Illustrated by Donna Thomas
The Good Book Press, 1983

Case 9
Alumni Work

Phisicke Against Fortune
Written by Francesco Petrarca
Illustrated by Hans Weiditz
Printed by Peggy Gotthold and Lawrence G. Van Velzer
Foolscap Press, 1993

The High Sierra of California
Poems and Journals by Gary Snyder
Illustrated and Printed by Tom Killion
Limited Edition
The Quail Press, 2000

Trade Edition
Heydey Books, 2002

The Double Whammy
Written by Tom Breidenbach
Woodcuts by Donald Baechler
Thomas Whitridge, Didymus Press, 2000

The Chaste Mouse & the Wanton Mouse
Written by Ian Jackson
Illustrated and Hand-colored by Ann Arnold
Published by Ian Jackson, 2000

Fanny at Chez Panisse
Written by Alice Watens
Illustrated by Ann Arnold
Harper Collins, 1992

The Adventurous Chef: Alexis Soyer
Written and Illustrated by Ann Arnold
Frances Foster Books, 2002

Case 10
Alumni Work

Java™ Technology Concept Map
Designed by Jim Faris
Sun Microsystems Inc., 2002

Calvert Vaux: Architect and Planner
Written by William Alex
Designed by Thomas Whitridge
Ink, Inc, 1994

Codex Espangliensis: From Columbus to The Border Patrol
Printed by Felicia Rice
Limited Edition
The Moving Parts Press, 1998

Trade Edition
City Lights Press, 2000

Collateral Material for Master-McNeil Inc.
Creative and Strategic Naming Services
Produced by SB Master

“Gill Sands”
Written by Gregory Graalfs
Print May/June, 1996

“Lawrence of Arabia, Designer & Printer”
Written by Gregory Graalfs
Print Nov/Dec, 1996