Craftsmen

In Abacus Now, Targ quotes Joseph Blumenthal:

"The printing industry surrendered to film composition and offset printing, but the human spirit will never give up the delights and profound satisfactions of personal craftsmanship. A new generation has clung to the craft. Throughout the country the arts of the book have found devoted partisans who set type by hand, who make paper in handmoulds, who pull lever presses or work on hand-operated Vandercooks, and who sew and bind the printed sheets. A few intrepid practitioners continue to produce fine work on surviving letterpress equipment. . . . Despite the omnipresent airwaves that dispense entertainment and information, the alphabet and the book remain the prime sources for the preservation of knowledge and human aspiration. And so, it seems, it will continue to be."

Targ worked with many craftsmen and artists on Targ Editions and throughout his life. Two are featured here.