BPS Library

Books for Sale

At the 2025 Annual General meeting, members voted to disperse the library. The archive will be kept securely but a postal lending library is no longer viable. We have priced the books based on half of a rough average of the market values on Abe Books, World of Books, Betterworld Books, Oxfam, Amazon and Ebay.

To keep this sale fair, we would like to limit each member to purchase 10 books maximum. Books will be sold on a first-come first-served basis. This list will be updated periodically.

Here is the list of books for sale at half-price to BPS members only:

Sale of Books from the British Printing Society Library, Version 4, Mar 2026 (PDF, 91 KB)

Browse the Library

Books and DVDs

Download the library catalogue (PDF, 489 KB) or browse the online flipbook.

Machine Manuals

Download the machine manual catalogue (PDF, 292 KB) or browse the online flipbook.

Some Highlights From the Collection

Johnston & Gill: Very British Types

Mark Ovenden; 2016, Lund Humphries

This is a history of the two familiar typefaces which are known to us through London Underground and the BBC, and which were designed by friends Edward Johnston and Eric Gill. Both men were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement which in turn referred back to the Middle Ages but the book is full of references to well-known type designers from the 19th and 20th centuries and demonstrates how ideas were copied and developed. This is a lovely hardback book, beautifully illustrated and a very interesting read.

The Handy Book of Artistic Printing

David Clouse and Angela Voulangas; 2009, Princeton Architectural Press, NY

The description on the front of this book is A collection of letterpress examples with specimens of type, ornament, corner fills, borders, twisters, wrinklers and other freaks of fancy. It is about the style of letterpress printing, known as artistic printing, which flourished in the 19th century and, in the 1880s, briefly dominated the printing industry. The style had dropped completely out of fashion by the early 20th century being by then regarded as extreme and “outlandish” but the book is nonetheless fascinating, if only for its entertainment value in seeing just how much decoration, ornament and variety of typefaces can be included on one page.

Type: A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles

Ed. C W de Jong, A W Purvis, J Tholenaar; 2013; Taschen

A two-volume publication. Both are 360 pages long, with little text and hundreds of illustrations. Volume 1 covers the years 1628 – 1900 and is, as the “blurb” inside the cover describes, an exuberant collection of typographic fonts and styles tracing the modern evolution of the printed letter from exquisitely designed catalogues showing type specimens in roman, italic, bold, semi-bold, narrow and broad fonts. Also included are borders, ornaments, initial letters and decorations as well as letters by inscription carvers and calligraphers. Volume 2, covering the much shorter period of 1901 – 1938, is described as a connoisseurs overview of typeface design, exploring the most elegant fonts from the history of publishing. Both are a joy to browse.

FAQ

I am not currently a BPS member, can I still buy the books?

This offer is open to BPS members only. You are welcome to join the society if you wish to buy any of the books or DVDs.

How much will I pay for postage?

Postage is based on weight and items will be sent via first or second class mail.

How do I pay for my books?

Please email vicepresident@bpsnet.org.uk to confirm the combined cost of postage and items. You can pay by bank transfer or cheque.