Robert R. Reid Printing & Book Design

Bob is currently at work on a book about the printing and typographic work of Takao Tanabe's Periwinkle Press in the 1960s. It will contain numerous color reproductions drawn from an archive of Tak's work recenty donated to Simon Fraser University. The book will be issued in a limited edition, digitally printed, by the Alcuin Society.

LOVE, TONI
In 2008 Bob completed a major new Toni Onley publication, in collaboration with the artist's former wife, photographer Yukiko Onley. love toni reproduces 26 letters written by Onley to Yukiko between 1991 and 2003, a time when their marriage was failing. All of the letters are in Onley's calligraphic writing and embellished with sumi-style paintings. These have been digitally reproduced in full color on various handmade Japanese papers. Four complete copies with the text also printed digitally were prepared and issued in the fall of 2007; one can be found in the Special Collections of the University of British Columbia. The balance of the edition of 30 copies (numbers 5 - 30), with the text printed letterpress in two colors on Nideggen paper at Heavenly Monkey, are now available. The book (12 x 15 inches, 60 pp) has been hand-bound in Japanese aubergine bookcloth with a matching cloth slipcase. See yukikoonley.com for contact details.

THE ROBERT R. REID AWARD
The November 16, 2007 evening celebrating Robert Reid's six decades of design and printing was a tremendous success - attracting over 100 enthusiasts, friends and colleagues - but perhaps most noteworthy for the unveiling of a new national award for contribution to the book arts in Canada. The first Robert R. Reid Award for Design was presented to its namesake by Dr Yosef Wosk. The award, which is coordinated by the Alcuin Society, will be given occasionally, as deserving recipients emerge.

The speakers at the evening included Robert's old printing partner, Takao Tanabe, who spoke fondly of the commraderie amongst Vancouver's artistic community in the 1950s. McGill University's Peter McNally spoke about Robert's activities while working in Montreal. Former Vancouver Art School student Charlie Mayrs spoke about Robert's influence as a teacher in the late 1950s and early '60s. Mayrs also passed along comments he had solicited from some of his former peers at VAS. The evening was started with a brief overview of Robert's private press publishing activities by Heavenly Monkey publisher Rollin Milroy.

A special 48-page keepsake pamphlet was issued at the evening, featuring a stunning collection of new photos of Robert by Yukiko Onley (one of them is shown at the top of this page), combined with extracts from his multi-volume memoirs. One hundred copies were sewn in wraps of various colors and distributed hors commerce at the event.

A full accounting of the evening, with photographs, will be featured in the February 2008 issue of the Alcuin Society's magazine, Amphora. In addition, Simon Fraser University has issued a DVD recording of the evening.

RECENT WORKS
Recently issued books designed by Robert include:

Illustrations from Children's Books presents a wide selection from Reid's own collection, with an Introduction by Marilynne V. Black (octavo, 108 pp, edition of 15 copies, cased in linen).

Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll, with new illustrations by Marlene Travis (octavo, 32 pp, edition of 30 signed copies, cased in linen).

Duthie's Bookmarks, a new book by Robert published under the auspicies of the Alcuin Society presents 50 years of bookmarks produced for Vancouver's famed Duthie Books. Some of the artists who participated include Takao Tanabe, Chris Berthorson, Hugh Michaelson, Reinhard Derreth, Peter Quartermain and King Anderson. Contact sales@alcuinsociety.com for details.

Return to the main Robert Reid Printing page.

HEAVENLY MONKEY

Photos by Yukiko Onley

Promotional typographic card designed by Reid for Grant-Mann Printers in the mid-1950s.