Item #22048 ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014. John Gerhard Kristensen.
ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014
ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014
ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014
ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014
ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014
ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014
ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014
ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014
ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014
ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014
ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014
ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014
ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014
A MASTER PRINTER'S ARCHIVE

ARCHIVE: Firefly Press — Letterpress Broadsides & Typographic Works — Late 1980s–2014

COLLECTION OVERVIEW — 
This archive comprises thirteen items produced at Firefly Press, including eleven letterpress broadsides and two closely related typographic works in offprint and pamphlet form. The material spans roughly the late 1980s through 2014 and documents Firefly Press work created for teaching visits, bibliophile societies, poetry outreach programs, typographic exhibitions, and private or printer’s-file keepsakes.

Together, the group reflects Firefly Press’s sustained engagement with classical typography, historical quotation, book arts education, and contemporary literary culture in Boston and New England.

General Subjects —
Letterpress printing, fine press and private press work, typography and type history, Boston and New England printing culture, bibliophile societies, printer gatherings, printing education, typographic exhibitions, bookbinding and book arts, broadside poetry, printing ethics and craft philosophy, Daniel Berkeley Updike and the Merrymount Press legacy, historical quotations in print culture.

General Condition —
Condition across the archive is uniformly fine. Sheets are clean and bright with strong impressions and even inking, characteristic of careful hand composition and presswork. No tears, creases, stains, or significant handling wear are present unless noted at the item level. Deckled edges are as issued. All pieces are suitable for framing or portfolio storage.

Here is a link to a PDF with photos and descriptions of each item.

Press Overview
Firefly Press (Boston and Somerville, Massachusetts) is a respected commercial letterpress printing office and type foundry founded and operated by master printer John Kristensen. The press is widely recognized for its fidelity to historical typographic craft and its close association with literary institutions, bibliophile societies, and printing education. Kristensen has taught extensively, including service on the Rare Book School faculty, and Firefly Press is frequently credited on poetry broadsides and institutional keepsakes.

General Scarcity
Scarcity is consistent across the group. These items were produced as keepsakes, teaching editions, society occasion printings, exhibition ephemera, or localized announcements, typically in small and often undocumented distributions. We find no institutional holdings recorded in OCLC/WorldCat for these specific Firefly Press printings, and no duplicate copies are currently located in the trade. Any stated limitation or distribution context is noted at the item level.

Item #22048

Price: $1,500.00

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