Bruce Rogers designed this figure of a centaur
for J. C. Lawson's Litany of the Elves (1919).
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H. M. Marvin Collection
on Bruce Rogers
Bruce Rogers' career as a typographer and designer of books spanned
more than sixty years. The printed works he designed and the typefaces
he created are among his legacies. So, also, is the vitalizing effect he
had upon American and British printing in the early decades of the twentieth
century. Contemporary accounts show the affection and respect which his
colleagues felt for this humorous, strong-minded and skilled artist whom
they always referred to as "BR." Harvard and Cambridge honored
him with degrees, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters awarded
him its gold medal in 1948.
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In his book, Modern Fine Printing in America, A.E. Gallatin declares
that "no printer has shown as great versatility and variety in his
work as has Mr. Bruce Rogers . . . his volumes are as distinctive as those
printed at the Kelmscott, Doves, and other English presses. What Mr. Rogers
has done, however, is a far greater achievement than that accomplished
by any of these presses -- for one thing, and this is an important point,
his books are meant to be read, and are not merely objects d'art."
The Bruce Rogers Collection of the Smith Rare Book Room exists because
of the generosity of a Davidson alumnus, Dr. Harold M. Marvin, class of
1914, an eminent heart specialist, faculty member of the Yale Medical School,
and enthusiastic bibliophile. The collection of Bruce Rogers items includes
most of the "great" books and a number of rare ephemera. Many
are personally inscribed to Dr. Marvin by Mr. Rogers who was his longtime
patient and friend.
Rare Book Room / Library
For more information contact: Jan Blodgett
Davidson College Library
PO Box 7200
Davidson, NC 28035-7200
(704) 894-2632 Fax: (704) 894-2625
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Copyright © 2000-2006 Davidson College Library
http://www.davidson.edu/administrative/library/marvin.asp
Created: 6/2/2003 3:13:10 PM,
Last Modified: 9/4/2001 8:37:37 PM
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