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UK Libraries’ King Library Press is excited to welcome letterpress printer Bradley Hutchinson for the 11th Hammer International Book Arts Biennale.
On Thursday, November 5, Hutchinson will offer a free public lecture in the Young Library Auditorium on the first floor of William T. Young Library.
The lecture, “Victor Hammer's Andromaque: A Resurrection,” will trace the history of Victor Hammer’s last typeface, Andromaque, from its first test casting in 1959 to its multiple afterlives in the present, including Hutchinson’s own casting and printing of the typeface.
Hutchinson will also discuss RH Middleton's larger 14 point version, for which Middleton cut the punches by hand. Both sets of matrices will be available to view.
The lecture begins at 6pm, and a reception will immediately follow in the Alumni Gallery.
RSVPs are appreciated.
Held every two years, the Hammer International Book Arts Biennale honors Carolyn and Victor Hammer and their legacy to fine printing by inviting distinguished scholars and book artists to lecture on printing, typography, illustration, bookbinding, graphic design, and other aspects of the book arts.
Together with other annual seminars and workshops, the Press has brought some of the most distinguished printers, type designers, typographers, and book artists from around the world to UK, providing UK students, faculty, staff, and the wider Lexington community an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with noted experts in the field.
Recent Biennale speakers have included Dard Hunter, Richard Kegler, Jerry Kelly, and Peter Fallon.
Victor Hammer, a Viennese artist, sculptor, printer, type crafter, and architect, emigrated to the United States in 1939. After moving to Lexington in 1948, he began teaching at Transylvania University. He married Carolyn Reading Hammer, a librarian at UK, who founded the King Library Press in 1956. Victor Hammer was one of the few great 20th-century practitioners of hand-cutting type. He developed several notable typefaces, including his most well-known type, the American Uncial.
The Hammer Biennale is made possible by an endowment established through the King Library Press. To support the Hammer Biennale and other KLP events highlighting Kentucky’s tradition of fine printing, consider a gift to the King Library Press Fund.
Formerly housed in the basement of Margaret I. King Library, the Press has relocated during the renovation project that will modernize this central campus landmark and help bridge its current and former roles.
Learn more about the new, temporary home of the Press.
