News

As part of the Artistic Impressions exhibition in the main University Library, the Centre for Artists Books at the Visual Research Centre will be having a free open afternoon on Friday 23rd May 2-4pm. Although artists have been involved in illustrating and publishing books for centuries, it is only since the 1970s that the term Artist’s Book has been widely recognised as a distinct form of art. The Centre for Artists Books at the University’s Visual Research Centre has a collection of over 500 artworks that reveal the extraordinary variety of forms that Artists’ Books can take. Why not come along to find out more about this unique art-form and the fascinating collections held in the Centre?
Contact: museum@dundee.ac.uk or 01382 384310.

Under the title Hot metal and cold print, the theme for Local History Week in 2008 is printing and newspapers: a list of events specifically relating to printing, such as Rival voices: history of the Aberdeen Press at the Local Studies Department of the Central Library in Aberdeen (22 April to 31 May), can be downloaded here. The full programme listing events is available at
www.slainte.org.uk/cilips/sigs/locscot/locscotindex.htm

The Scottish Centre for the Book at Napier University, with the support of the Consul General of Germany, has organised a study day on 'The Manuscript and Printed Book in Germany' on Friday, 2 May 2008, to be held in the Boardroom of the National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EW. Places are limited: please email f.hartree@napier.ac.uk for more details of this event, or to book a place.

Sandstone Press, in association with the National Library of Scotland, are publishing Scottish printed books by Anthony Kamm, 'an account of the first five centuries' of printing in Scotland. For more details, visit the publishers website at: www.sandstonepress.com/scottishprintedbooks,php

Friday 4 April 2008 marked the 500th anniversary of the printing of The Complaint of the Black Knight by Chepman and Myllar in Edinburgh and the book itself was put on display at the National Library of Scotland. A modern printing press, sponsored by Heidelberg UK, demonstrated modern techniques on Princes Street.

During the morning, a commemorative plaque was unveiled by Councillor Donald Wilson in Edinburgh at the corner of Blackfriars Street and the Cowgate near the site of their printing press.

In addition, a website showing the spread of printing across Scotland was launched www.nls.uk/printing/ The day ended with a celebratory dinner in the Playfair Library Hall of the University of Edinburgh.

A number of other events took place in the week leading up to it. Exhibitions were opened in Dundee (see www.deidonum.org), Glasgow and Kilmarnock, and a modern press, kindly organised by our sponsors Heidelberg UK, demonstrated to the public at Glasgow Metropolitan College and on Princes Street. 

In Dundee there was a public day of printing on 4 April at Dundee Contemporary Arts, based on the text and printers' devices from The Complaint of the Black Knight, culminating in a public reading of the poem, and a website was designed on the day www.500years.co.uk

Items about the celebrations appeared in several newspapers and on BBC Scotland radio and television news programmes.

For some links see: http://living.scotsman.com/books/Scotland39s-oldest-printed-book-on.3948378.jp

http://www.scotlandistheplace.co.uk/stitp/133.html 

http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwh_gfx_en/ART55962.html

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/recommends/Best-birthplace.3984691.jp

http://1stangel.co.uk/art/500-years-of-printing-in-scotland  

http://www.tollcross.org/Article766.htm