The Roycrofters

Roycroft: A Catalog of Books & Things Hand Made at the Roycroft Shops

East Aurora, New York: The Roycrofters, [ca. 1930s].

THE ROYCROFT IDEA IN ITS LATER YEARS. 
An unusually well-preserved trade catalogue from the Roycroft Shops at East Aurora, presenting the books, hand-hammered metalwork, household wares, maple products, gift items, and other goods then offered by the Arts and Crafts community founded by Elbert Hubbard.

The catalogue combines photographs and illustrations of Roycroft products with descriptions, dimensions, prices, promotional copy, and the distinctive typography and decorative vocabulary associated with the Shops. Providing a particularly useful record of Roycroft production and merchandising after the founder's death, when Elbert Hubbard II was carrying forward the enterprise.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: A ROYCROFT TRADE CATALOGUE. 
+++ Textured salmon-colored stapled wrappers printed in blue and black, with photographic view of the Roycroft Shops on the front.
+++ Oblong; 8.76 by 6 inches; 39, [1] pages. 
+++ Illustrated throughout with photographs and drawings of Roycroft merchandise, printed principally in black with red/orange used for headings and decorative elements. 
+++ The catalogue includes books and bindings, copper and brass-plated buckets and containers, household objects, maple products and confections, gift assortments, and other Roycroft goods, accompanied by contemporary retail prices.
+++ The foreword is signed in facsimile by Elbert Hubbard II and illustrated with portraits and Roycroft devices. Among the later advertisements are Hubbard's The Legacy and No Enemy But Himself, together with discounted Roycroft gift books.

CONDITION: NEAR FINE. An exceptionally clean example with minimal evidence of handling. Wrappers remain fresh and attractive; interior clean and well preserved. Minor offsetting along the upper portion of the rear wrapper. No other notable flaws or blemishes.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: SELLING THE ROYCROFT IDEAL. 
Roycroft catalogues document the commercial side of one of the most influential American Arts and Crafts enterprises. The movement founded by Elbert Hubbard at East Aurora combined printing and bookmaking with furniture, metalwork, leatherwork, and other decorative arts, making its sales catalogues important records of both production and marketing.

This later catalogue is particularly revealing because the Roycroft identity is applied across an extraordinarily broad range of goods. Books appear beside copper vessels, household objects, maple confections, Christmas cards, and gift assortments. The foreword nevertheless continues to promote the familiar Roycroft ideal of workmanship, summarized by the slogan ‘Not how cheap, but how good.’

GENRES: Trade Catalogues, Arts and Crafts, Decorative Arts, Bookselling, Advertising Ephemera, American Design, Private Press.

SUBJECTS: Roycroft, Roycrofters, Elbert Hubbard, Elbert Hubbard II, East Aurora New York, American Arts and Crafts Movement, Roycroft Shops, Roycroft Books, Roycroft Copper, Metalwork, Decorative Arts, Trade Catalogues, American Craftsmanship, Advertising.

Reference: Burchfield Penney Art Center.

Item #22552

Price: $75.00