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Eric Gill Collection

 Collection
Identifier: RB-RB-003

The Eric Gill Collection contains over 400 items surrounding Eric Gill’s work and life. This collection consists of many of Eric Gill’s own books along with those for which he was the artist. Additionally, the collection includes drawings, printings, and ephemera, such as his daughter’s wedding invitation he created a wood engraving for and the materials towards his works, such as woodblocks for the Golden Cockerel Press’s The Canterbury Tales (1929-1931). The highlights of this collection feature original drawings, including several for the wood engravings of the Golden Cockerel edition of The Constant Mistress (1934), and drawings for their edition of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. Famous for his typefaces, another item of interest is a 1906 alphabet written by Gill that exhibits the influence of designer Edward Johnson on Gill’s work. This collection provides a deep and substantial overview of Eric Gill’s work and processes. The items are divided into six series. Series 01: Books by Gill, Series 02: Ephemera, Series 03: Prints, Series 04: Drawings, Series 05: Correspondence, and Series 06: Reference Materials.

Dates

  • Creation: 1906-2011
  • Other: Majority of material found in ( 1910-1940)

Conditions Governing Access

Open

Conditions Governing Use

Users of the collection must read and agree to abide by the rules and procedures set forth in the Materials Use Policies. Providing access to materials does not constitute permission to publish or otherwise authorize use. All publication not covered by fair use or other exceptions is restricted to those who have permission of the copyright holder, which may or may not be Washington University. If you wish to publish or license Special Collections materials, please contact Special Collections to inquire about copyright status at (314) 935-5495 or spec@wumail.wustl.edu. (Publish means quotation in whole or in part in seminar or term papers, theses or dissertations, journal articles, monographs, books, digital forms, photographs, images, dramatic presentations, transcriptions, or any other form prepared for a limited or general public.)

Extent

442.00 items

Biographical or Historical Information

The Library purchased this collection in 2005. The Eric Gill Collection was built over nearly 70 years since the 1930s by Charles P. Gould, a book collector from Pasadena, California, and includes over 400 items of Gill’s books, printings, drawings, correspondence, and engraved woodblocks for printing. Previously, in 2001, the Library purchased the Triple Crown Collection, a collection of books and printing ephemera from the legendary English Arts and Crafts presses, the Kelmscott, Doves, and Ashendene, which Charles P. Gould also collected and includes over 1,000 items, including items connected to Eric Gill, such as a woodblock of Gill’s Utopia type for the Ashendene Press and a Doves Press edition of Shakespeare’s Sonnets for which Eric Gill was an engraver.

Note written by

Arrangement Note

The Eric Gill Collection has been arranged into six series: Books, Ephemera, Prints, Drawings, Correspondence, and Reference Materials.

Title
Eric Gill Collection
Author
Washington University Rare Books
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
eng

Collecting Area Details

Part of the Rare Books Collecting Area

Contact:
Cassie Brand, Curator of Rare Books
MSC 1061-141-B
1 Brookings Drive
St. Louis MO 63130 US
(314) 935-5495