The Whole Book Experience

For this year’s Christmas book, I finish up with the last of the three Christmas-themed books published by the Barbarian Press. It’s fitting that the last is also the first in many respects. It was the first Christmas book that the press printed, and the tenth book overall, when it was published in 1984. It was also the first time they were to publish a book with illustrations. According to Hoi Barbaroi: A Quarter Century at the Barbarian Press, “the most important result of working with engravings was JE’s discovery of her affinity for printing them.” Finally, it was also the first time that Crispin cast type for a Barbarian Press book. Jim Rimmer of the Pie Tree Press & Typefoundry taught him to cast type and he was hooked. They bought the Monotype Sorts Caster from Rimmer and were off and running down another of printing’s many fascinating twists and turns. Continue reading →