Lewis Osborne small press collection and papers

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: MSS-021

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Lewis Osborne collaborated with recognized experts in the book trade and with numerous established historians and Western Americana writers to produce his books. Among those who contributed introductions to this editions include David Lavender, Richard Dillon, Shirley Sargent, Kenneth Johnson, Roger Swearingen, William Hutchinson, Oscar Lewis, Ansel Adams, George Stewart, and Ferol Egan. Osborne was knowledgeable of all aspects of book production, and on a few of his later books, he hand set the type, printed, edited and authored (under pseudonyms) the introductions.

The bibliography is arranged in the chronological order according to the date of issue. The information is taken from books themselves and from interviews conducted with numerous friends and collaborators of Lewis Osborne. Special mention must be made of the assistance provided by Michael Harrison of Fair Oaks, California, George Pfeiffer III of Los Altos Hills, California, and Sherwood Grover of Aptos, California. Above all, Mrs. Lewis Osborne’s help in so many ways was instrumental in making this record as complete and as accurate as it now stands.

Dates

Creation: Majority of material found within 1900s

Creator

Osborne, Lewis (Donor, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright and any related rights protect materials in this collection. Researchers are free to use these materials for any purpose that is permitted by the copyright and any rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses, researchers need to obtain permission from the rights holder(s). http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

For fair use/educational reproduction, please provide the following credit: From the Lewis Osborne small press collection and papers, courtesy of Southern Oregon University Hannon Library.

Biographical / Historical

Lewis Osborne was a well-known and respected representative of the so-called “San Francisco School of Fine Printing.” He was a member of the Roxburghe Club of San Francisco, the Book Club of California, and the Moxon Chappel, an informal group of Bay Area hobby printers.

Lewis Osborne devoted his career to designing, printing, and publishing beautiful books, mostly in the field of Western Americana. A graduate of Stanford University, he was employed as the production manager of the Book Division of Lane Publishing Company in Menlo Park, California, from 1952 until 1965. He began his own publishing company, Lewis Osborne Limited Editions, in 1966 in Palo Alto, California. In 1969 he moved to Ashland, Oregon, where he continued his publishing activities, until his death in 1978. In 1972 he established the Oregon Book Society and published six books (in eight volumes) under that imprint over the next six years, in addition to his Lewis Osborne Limited Editions books.

Extent

12 Linear Feet (15 boxes, 1 flat drawer)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Osborne’s books are characterized by a restrained and tasteful style, fine topography, high-quality paper, abundant use of period illustrations, and fine binding. The book trade quickly recognized their merit and in the thirteen years that he was a publisher, fifteen of his books won the coveted Rounce and Coffin Club “Western Book Award,” and two were selected for the prestigious national American Institute of Graphic Art’s “Fifty Books of the Year” Award. A complete collection of the fifty-two titles (fifty-four volumes) produced by Lewis Osborne are described in a bibliography, plus a collection of his printing ephemera and miscellaneous papers.