Fireweed Press fonds
| Record No. | SC381 |
| Main Entry | Fireweed Press |
| Title | Fireweed Press fonds |
| Dates | 1968-1989 |
| Physical Description | 1 m of textual records and graphics. -- 15 photographs. -- 15 linocut blocks. |
| Bio/Admin History | Fireweed Press was founded in 1973 (initially under the name "Greentree Press" until 1975) by Wendy Bender [later Morton] and Vernon Bender. By 1978 Wendy Morton was the principal proprietor and printer until Fireweed's demise in the late 1980's. Fireweed used 2 Chandler & Price 8x10 presses and a Vandercook proof press. Fireweed produced hand set books, broadsides, ephemera, and commercial printings. The printers looked to the masters of the printing art in the pursuit of quality. Favoured typefaces included Centaur, Arrighi, Lutecia and Benedictine Book. The press used fleurons, colour, rag paper, vinyl cuts, lino cuts, woodcuts and silk screens. They often enlisted artists for their graphics. There were collaborations with others including Jim Rimmer of Pie Tree Press. Typefoundry produced lino cuts for Fireweed's annual calendar broadsides, and Denise Carson of Winter Lily Press colaborated on a broadside. Wendy Morton, in the tradition of other printer/writers, produced a number of her own works including Earth Market (1975) and Earth Market Cookbook (1976) as well as poetry. The printing and literary interests of Fireweed resulted in exchanges with other hand press operaters such as Fred Louder of Villeneuve Publications (Montreal), and with poets such as August Kleinzahler, whose first book, The Sausage Master of Minsk (1977), was published by Louder. |
| Scope and Content | The fonds consists of 12 Series: Greentree Press; Publications with Related files; Small Format Broadsheets, Cards and Single Leaf Printings; Job Printing including: Publicity Brochures, Menus, Broadsides and Business Cards; Subject Files; Office Files; Fireweed Printing Samples; News Clippings; Photographs; Large Format Broadsheets; Certificate and Event Posters; Linocut Blocks. Correspondence is retained in the associated files. |
| Title Source | Title based on the contents of the fonds. |
| Finding Aids | Inventory available with series and file level control. |
| Online Finding Aids | Fireweed Press |
| Restrictions | |
| Notes | |
| Provenance | Fireweed Press Greentree Press |
| Repository | University of Victoria Libraries Special Collections |
| Subject Headings | Book design Fireweed Press Hand presses Kleinzahler, August Morton, Wendy, 1940- Printing Publishers and publishing--British Columbia |
| Related Links | Book Arts Collections Literature Collections Publishing Collections |