The Practical Colorist : A Pathfinder for the Artist Printer
Burlington, VT: The Owl Press 1900. First Edition. [6], 7-204, [plate leaf], 205-220, [6], 230-233, [plate leaf], [235]-238 pages. COMPLETE. 7 x 10 1/2 inches. Rebound in modern cloth to style with new endpapers. One plate repaired with small section recolored (pp 121/22). Irregularly paginated. Contains twelve plates (defined as illustrated leaves having a blank side) ten of which are included in the pagination (at pages 18, 36, 53, 103, 110, 115, 117, 119, 121, and 123). The final two plates are extra to the pagination and found between pages 204/205 and 234/235. This example contents and collation the same as the Getty Research Institute digital copy. The Harvard digitized copy is defective and interestingly appears to have some illustrations in black and white where this copy is colored (unknown to us if an artifact of digitization or differences in publication). Very Good. Cloth. [27229]
A well conceived and executed treatise on the use of color in printing, for printers. Rather than focusing on theory, the work does an excellent job teaching with both words and profuse examples. In the color harmony section for instance, many pages are printed in different color combinations, with the text on that page explaining what the reader is observing. As such, it provides not only a practical guide, but also a visceral sense of what works and what doesn't. I cannot recall seeing a similar work, and if I were an aspiring printer or one interested in improving my craft this would be an excellent investment of time and energy. There is a practical focus on details that make a difference. Unlike digitized examples, this is one book that is worth owning in the original - particularly due to the varieties and textures of papers used in the examples, impossible to determine in the digital version.
"Believing that in the heart of every printer there is a strong desire to rise above the common level, out of the lethargic indifference of the past, into the joy of the aggressive artist printer, I have assembled the matter in THE PRACTICAL COLORIST as a means to this end." (the author)
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