A Brief History of Bird & Bull Press

Perhaps it will be appropriate at this time to make some general comments regarding the origin and nature of the Press, its goals, and past and future activities. In 1958 it was not my intention to establish a private press — I hadn't even heard the term before and had no knowledge of such things. My press was started in order to make use of the product of a new hobby — hand papermaking. I was already in the commercial printing business and so had access to type and a press. In 1956 I accidentally wandered into hand papermaking — a rare stroke of good luck which was to change and enrich my future in ways beyond imagining. At that time amateur papermaking was a field in which there was great interest and few practitioners. My initial production in 1958 was a cook-booklet printed upon the first paper I'd made, and this launched my career as a printer-papermaker. Had I started my private press along the more usual lines of perhaps reprinting small existing works or original poetry or prose, things would most certainly have been different. Hand papermaking overcame most of the customary obstacles confronting the neophyte private press.

I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction to my first miserable efforts at bookmaking. I had little knowledge of book design and none at all regarding the printing and binding of fine books. Except for the paper my work was terrible. But even for that time, at $3 it was cheap, and most important, it was printed on hand made paper of my own manufacture. Had I printed the identical booklet on ordinary paper, it would surely have gone unnoticed— initially it was my paper, and not what was printed on it that attracted attention.

Although my design and execution were then indifferent, even from the start I thought that it was the content of a book which was of the greatest importance. Since papermaking was my raison d'etre, and because I enjoyed learning its history, many of my books have dealt in some way with this, or allied bookish subjects. It pleases me to know that without the Bird & Bull, many books on worthwhile, albeit esoteric subjects would probably never have been published. My aim has always been, and will continue to be, to provide a worthwhile text in as physically attractive a form as my artistic and budgetary limitations will allow.

Through my work I keep discovering new areas that I find interesting and exciting, and often my readers find similar interest and excitement. All of which gives me much pleasure and satisfaction and reminds me of the great riches possessed by those who know how empty life would be without the daily stimulant and challenge of worthwhile labor.

Henry Morris