The Penrose Annual

"The Penrose Annual" was a London-based review of graphic arts, printed nearly annually from 1895 to 1982.

The information for this Wikipedia entry comes primarily from a 2006 article, "By Printers for Printers" by Steve Hare printed in "Eye" magazine, No. 60, Vol. 15, Summer 2006.

"Penrose" began in 1895 as "Process Work Yearbook – Penrose's Annual." Lund Humphries has printed the publication since 1897 and has been responsible for its content since 1906. Lund Humphries adoption of Monotype technology in 1906 influenced the production of "Penrose": “It soon became a policy to try out each of Monotype's new types in "Penrose".” ["Eye" magazine, No. 60, Vol. 15, Summer 2006.] The 1938 edition was notable for its text and binding designed by Jan Tschichold. Articles in issues from that era were authored by Beatrice Warde, Stanley Morison, Moholy-Nagy, Nikolaus Pevsner and other leading design writers. ["Eye" magazine, No. 60, Vol. 15, Summer 2006.] Allan Delafons edited "Penrose" from 1958 through 1962. Lund Humphries then had "Typographica" editor Herbert Spencer edit the annual from 1964 through 1973. Spencer's modernist impact on the "Penrose" was immediate: his first cover is printed with a stark gothic sans serif at roughly a 40° angle to the spine. "Penrose's" content was significant in bridging technical aspects of printing and artistic aspects of design. According to St Bride librarian Nigel Roche, “Its importance then was largely as a link between disparate areas of the trade. Its importance today is in the seminal articles that it published that still have reference value: monographs on individuals; articles on various matters of typesetting.” ["Eye" magazine, No. 60, Vol. 15, Summer 2006.]

The publication was most substantial (in size and influence) in the 1950s and 1960s. ["Eye" magazine, No. 60, Vol. 15, Summer 2006.]

Annuals and years

* Annuals 8–21 were published annually and correlate with the years 1903–1916.
* Annuals 22–42 were published annually and correlate with the years 1920–1940.
* Annuals 43–56 were published annually and correlate with the years 1949–1962.
* Annuals 57–69 were published annually and correlate with the years 1964–1976.
* Annuals 70–74 were published annually and correlate with the years 1978–1982.

References

* "By Printers for Printers", Steve Hare, "Eye" magazine, No. 60, Vol. 15, Summer 2006.

ee also

* Richard Eckersley
* Stanley Morison
* Jan Tschichold

Notes