Thursday, September 18, 2025

A Lauriston Garden of Verses, and Will Ransom

I've been updating my recent post on Edgar W. Smith's ouvre and the products of his 'Pamphlet House' press. 

In looking into this I picked up a copy of 'A Laurison Garden of Verses' by Helene Yuhasova. Summit, N.J.: The Pamphlet House, 1946, but printed at the Thorneycroft Press of Summit, NJ. p. [15]. Limited to 250 copies. 

Bruce Harris provided the images shown on that blog post and it's in great condition. My copy looks like it was dragged through a garden. Nevertheless, it was being sold at a scientist-friendly price. 


When I glanced at the inside rear wrapper, I spied a small private library stamp: Will Ransom Library Record. No. 3347, From E.W. Smith. Rec'd 10/27/48.


Who is Will Ransom? 

Will Ransom (1878-1955) was a designer of typefaces and other graphic, but also well known as a collector and bibliographer of private presses - a historian of printing. Ransom's notebooks and correspondence were organized prior to his death and donated to the Newberry Library - an independent research library in Chicago. The library has several of Smith's publications in its holdings. So as the operator of a private press, Smith was likely in touch with Ransom, and perhaps correspondence between them exists in the Ransom collection at Newberry.

What a nice find.

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As a side-note, Smith has been on my mind, and yesterday my mind led me to Second Story books in Rockville. There in the little Sherlock section they have, I picked up a non-Sherlockian book by Doyle - 'Rodney Stone'.


Opening it up, what do I see find...... 




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A Lauriston Garden of Verses, and Will Ransom

I've been updating my recent post on Edgar W. Smith's ouvre and the products of his 'Pamphlet House' press.  In looking int...