The central collection in this group is the papers of Stanley Morison. Morison was a historian of printing and letter-forms, a practical typographer, advisor to Cambridge University Press and the Monotype Corporation, briefly editor of the Times Literary Supplement, and a man of many other interests including the history of diplomacy. His papers were given to the University Library by his executors after his death in 1967.
Morison’s papers attracted more typographers’ and printers’ papers, first from those (like Beatrice Warde and S. H. Steinberg) who were associated with him, and then from other printers and presses (notably the Curwen Press). The whole group of collections was generally known as the Morison Room Papers, from the dedicated room in the Library where they were housed. For an account see D. J. McKitterick, ‘Typographers tallied: the origin and growth of the Stanley Morison Room, Cambridge University Library’, Matrix 5 (1985), 15-22.
More recently, the name Printers’ Papers has been adopted for these papers as a whole (the Morison Room itself having been turned to a different purpose). The former ‘MS Morison’ class-marks have also been abandoned, and all the individual collections now belong to the Additional Manuscripts series.
The Printers’ Papers consist of the following collections. Click on a link to go to the finding aid in ArchiveSearch.
Add. 9812: Stanley Morison Papers
Add. 9813: Papers of Francis Meynell
Add. 9814: Allen Hutt Papers
Add. 9815: John Dreyfus Papers
Add. 9816: Rampant Lions Press Archive
Add. 9817: Papers of Beatrice Warde
Add. 9818: Edward Johnston Papers on his type-designs for the Cranach Press
Add. 9819: Papers of S. H. Steinberg
Add. 9820: Papers of Ellic Howe
Add. 9821: Correspondence of Kenneth Day relating to books on typography
Add. 9822: Papers of F. R. Mansbridge
Add. 9823: Papers relating to work by Bruce Rogers for Cambridge University Press
Add. 9824: Papers of Brooke Crutchley
Add. 9825: Fanfare Press Papers
Add. 9826: Water Lane Press Papers
Add. 9827: ‘Printing and the Mind of Man’ Papers
Add. 9830: Reynolds Stone engravings and artwork
Add. 9832: Correspondence between Denis Tegetmeier and Stanley Scott
Add. 9851: Daedalus Press Papers
Add. 9853: Curwen Press Papers
Add. 9861: Vine Press Archive
Add. 9927: Clarion Publishing Archive
Add. 9929: Papers of John Peters
Add. 9945: Allenholme Press Archive
Add. 9984: Papers of The Book Collector
Add. 10010: Laurie E. Deval correspondence
Add. 10011: Herbert G. Smart, Electrotyping and stereotyping
Add. 10030: Papers of Nicholas Barker
Contact: John Wells (01223 333055; jdw1000@cam.ac.uk).