Books and Vines often gushes oodles of love when gazing at the marvelous illustrations that typically enhance fine press books. This one will not! Instead, we take a quick look at one of the great typographical works of the twentieth century, the 1931 Limited Editions Club (LEC) editions of Homer‘s Iliad and Odyssey, both designed and printed by one of the 20th centuries master typographers, Jan van Krimpen.
Jan van Krimpen studied at the Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten in Den Haag (1908-1912) and joined the famous printing house Johanees Enschedé en Zonen, Haarlem (Holland) in 1925 (Enschedé has existed since the 16th century, initially founded as a type foundry). His objective was to produce “readable books with a touch of the twentieth century.” He certainly succeeded, and these two editions of Homer show just how eminently readable his work is. He is perhaps most remembered for designing some very classic, restrained and beautiful book typefaces, including Cancellaresca Bastarda, Spectrum, Lutetia (his most famous, which is said to be based on his own hand-writing) and Romanée, a new type that van Krimpen created for these twin LEC editions of Homer.
Romanée is unquestionably beautiful and just as unquestionably readable. The LEC Monthly Letter (ML) says:
This Romanée type is crisp, and has a slender loveliness which is also characteristic of most Dutch types.
The ML mentions that Romanée is based on a ‘lovely’ italic letter designed by Christoffel van Dijck in the 17th century, for which van Krimpen now drew a roman latter as accompaniment. In fact, both editions shown below use the aforementioned Van Dijck italic for the introductions. Doing so is a nice touch, allowing the reader to see the transformation.
The Homer editions below allow one to appreciate van Krimpen’s Romanée, but also allows one to witness his overall design approach, that being classical and simple. This design approach drove the execution of every element of these works. George Macy remarked of these editions that:
There is a Hellenic simplicity and a Grecian nobility to the pages…. If the resulting type page does not caress your eye into reading it, then your eye simply cannot be caressed.
And that these two editions have:
…a typographic beauty which will appeal to all people who like fine books, a quality of elegance which should be in all good books, but which many of our so-called deluxe books smoother will their frills and furbelows.
It is well worth mentioning that all 1300+ pages across these editions were set by hand. There were no shortcuts here! The sixteen point size and 8″ x 12″ page size both also contribute to the readability of the text.
The LEC ‘set’ of the Iliad and the Odyssey is two of only three LEC publications that were included in Martin Hunter and Jerry Kelly’s round up of the finest print books of the twentieth century: A Century for the Century (The Grolier Club & David R. Godine 2004). Hunter and Kelly inform us that the great typographer John Dreyfus wrote of these two LEC’s:
The text of Pope’s translation was done the fullest justice by a spacious setting on Romanée. Like Pope’s lines, the type revealed it creator’s ability to fashion a new masterpiece.
Just look at the page examples below, and you will see what all the fuss is about!
Jan Van Krimpen also provided the drawn decorative initials in these editions. The all rag paper from Pannekoek paper mills is a “sort-of-flat white” in color and wove (meaning that there is no laid chain in the paper). It is watermarked with the mark of the paper mill, the printer, the name of the book and the name of the Club! You will see some examples of that below.
Both editions contain no illustrations. Macy remarked that:
We felt quite strongly that {this work} is beyond the power of any modern illustrator, and that this work most definitely demands the simple dignity of a non-illustrated edition.
It is hard to argue with that, in this particular case, as it let Van Krimpen’s phenomenal typographic work and book design vision to come through. The Iliad was bound in ‘blood’ red linen and the Odyssey bound in sea-blue linen by Gerald Proost at J. Brandt en Zoon of Amsterdam, with the title stamped in gold upon the backbone. It is nearly impossible to find either of these editions without significant sunning to the spines. After many years of looking, I gave up, purchased otherwise fine editions with sunned spines and had them rebound in Alran hand-boarded Madras goatskin (vegetable tanned and aniline dyed) by Starr Bookworks in Arizona. I tried to stick to the same model; classic and simple (essentially leather versions of the linen versions that Van Krimpen and Macy provided to us). I did want matching endpapers to tie together the set, and choose Payhembury S1 Italian hand-marbled paper, which reminded me of the natural design that was in quite a bit of marble ruins I had seen around Greece on my visit in 2014 (the pictures do not do it justice, they look much better in person).
About the Editions
- Designed by Jan Van Krimpen
- Introduction to The Odyssey by Carl Van Doren; Introduction of The Iliad by Alexander Pope
- Printed by Jan Van Krimpen at Johanees Enschede en Zonen, Haarlem (Holland)
- Romanée type (made by Jan Van Krimpen for this edition), 16 point
- Introduction in Van Dijck italic (from which Jan Van Krimpen created the Romanée)
- Decorative initial letter drawn by Jan Van Krimpen
- All rag paper from Pannekoek paper mills (watermarked with the mark of the paper mill, the printer, the name of the book and the name of the Club)
- The Iliad bound in ‘blood’ red linen and The Odyssey bound in sea-blue linen by Gerald Proost at J. Brandt en Zoon of Amsterdam, with the title stamped in gold upon the backbone (my copies shown below re-bound by Starr Bookworks in Alran hand-boarded Madras goatskin (vegetable tanned and aniline dyed), with Payhembury S1 Italian hand-marbled paper for endpapers)
- 8″ x 12″, 752 pages (Iliad), 570 pages (Odyssey) – each page set by hand
- Limited to 1500 copies, signed by Jan Van Krimpen
Pictures of the Editions
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Wonderful volumes, a superlative example of elegant simplicity. Once again, Chris, you demonstrate your good taste in bookbinding design, doing justice to the originals with the rebinding. If I did not already own the Nonesuch Press edition of the Iliad and Odyssey, then I would procure the LEC edition without hesitation.
Thanks Christopher! How do you like the Nonesuch? I have been picking up a handful of Nonesuch editions the last few years and love them.
I like the Nonesuch edition very much. Top notch typography, classic full-leather binding, and the wonderful decorations and vignettes from Fritz Kredel.
This edition of the Iliad and Odyssey is one of the first LECs that I purchased. The paper and printing are truly elegant, and very hard to fault; and I applaud the lack of illustration. There have been several instances where I decided not to add a book to my collection just because the illustrations seemed almost gratuitous, and weren’t nearly up to the standard of the paper and presswork — I’m glad this edition of Homer didn’t fall into that trap.
About a year ago, I came to the same conclusion as you did — that a copy with the original binding in fine condition likely was not in the cards for me — and purchased a set with pristine pages (unopened) and deteriorating covers, intending to have them re-bound. I haven’t yet given myself permission to spend the money, though, after seeing your results, I feel passion beginning to overcome prudence!
My own vision for the binding entails matching 3/4 Nigerian goatskin (perhaps purple or mustard?) on both volumes, over hand-marbled paper — red for the Iliad and blue for the Odyssey. I’m not sure yet about the end papers, but I’d definitely like to add silk place-marker ribbons, and I’m thinking a cloth-covered double slipcase to house both volumes would be very nice.
That does sound nice, once you do so please send some pics!
You and Starr Bookworks have outdone yourselves. The rebinding , choice of Payhembury endpapers, matching slipcases and labels, etc., are stunning, befitting two of the greatest books in George Macy’s tenure as proprietor of the LEC. This is a magnificent set of books.
Van Krimpen’s work as a typographer and book designer are (for me) very reminiscent of the two great Italian private presses, Alberto Tallone and Hans & Giovanni Mardersteig’s Officina Bodoni. All three published books with elegant types, uncluttered pages, and emphasis on elegance and clarity. These books are always a pleasure to handle and read.
In addition to his work at the Joh. Enschede en Zonen, van Krimpen also worked at a less well known publishing house in Holland – the Halcyon Press. Examples of several other notable books featuring his beautiful types can be found in both. My recommendations and favorites are:
1. Six Hymns of Homer (the English translation by P.B. Shelley), Halcyon Press (1929). In this book the poems in the original Greek are printed on the verso page in Antigone Greek type (very elegant !!) and Shelley’s translations are printed opposite on the recto page in his Lutetia Roman type.
2. The Masque of the Red Death and Other Tales by E.A. Poe, Halcyon Press (1932). Van Krimpen’s Romanee type is used on Barcham Green handmade paper. The book also contains a set of wonderful wood engravings by John Buckland Wright.
And, best of all:
3. The Book of Psalms, Joh. Enschede en Zonen (1947). This book was designed by van Krimpen and printed in his Romanee type on English handmade paper, bound in half morocco and hand marbled paper over boards. The Romanee type is large and crystal clear, literally floating off of the page, in an austere book design perfectly suited to the Book of Psalms. Not surprisingly, this book is included in the Grolier Club / David Godine book ‘A Century For the Century’ (2004).