[Libri] David Godine/Charles Skaggs event

[Barbara Blumenthal]

The Five-College Community and the general public are cordially invited
to a lecture by publisher David R. Godine, "A Half Century of Fine
Printing in New England, 1900-1950," on Friday, 13 September 2002, at
4:00 pm in the Neilson Library Browsing Room, Smith College,
Northampton, MA.

This lecture is sponsored by the Mortimer Rare Book Room in conjunction
with our exhibition, "Charles Skaggs: A Life with Letters," in the
Morgan Gallery and Book Arts Gallery in the Neilson Library, which has
been on view all summer and will continue until mid-September. A
reception will follow the lecture; Charles Skaggs will attend this
event.

For more information, please call or e-mail, Barbara Blumenthal
(585-2907 or bblument at smith.edu). 

The following provides more information about designer and calligrapher
Charles Skaggs and the exhibition. It will be on-line SOON.

CHARLES  E. SKAGGS

Charles Skaggs, born in 1917, grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. While in
high school he apprenticed in an art studio, where he learned the
fundamentals of printing processes. At the age of nineteen, he went to
Chicago and soon made his mark designing advertising art, packaging, and
posters. In Chicago he was introduced to the art of book design by
Chicago bibliophiles, including Raymond DaBoll, who showed him the work
of William Addison Dwiggins. Skaggs also taught himself calligraphy
during this time.

Skaggs moved to New York City in 1945 and quickly established himself
as a freelance book jacket designer. He worked on books and jackets for
the Limited Editions Club and for the publisher Alfred A. Knopf. Through
Knopf, Skaggs worked closely with W.A. Dwiggins. Skaggs also became
acquainted with other leading figures in calligraphy and type and book
design-Oscar Ogg, Paul Standard, Philip Grushkin, and George Salter. At
Salter's urging, Skaggs joined the faculty of the Cooper Union in 1953.
For five years, he taught night classes in calligraphy and the history
of the alphabet.

Skaggs career eventually changed from being an independent designer to
working as art director for a variety of publishing houses-Silver,
Burdett and Company, Washington Square Press (Simon & Schuster), Harper
& Row's college book division, and lastly, the trade book division of
Macmillan Publishing Company. In 1969 he left Macmillan and returned to
Kentucky. He continued to work as a freelance designer for New York
firms and for the University of Kentucky. Skaggs moved to Colorado in
1981, and later to his current home in Washington state.

In November 2001 Charles E. Skaggs donated his personal typographic
library to the rare book collection at Smith College. This gift includes
approximately 580 books, many of them special and limited editions
produced throughout the past six decades, many of them designed by
Skaggs. There also is a wealth of ephemeral printed and calligraphic
material. His entire career is highlighted in this exhibition featuring
original art work and calligraphy, his book and jacket designs, and
articles written by him. The work of a number of his colleagues in the
world of lettering and book arts also is shown, both in the Morgan
Gallery (first floor) and in the Book Arts Gallery (third floor). His
own calligraphic signature from 1981 is featured on the main exhibition
sign.


BARBARA B. BLUMENTHAL
MRBR  Assistant
Mortimer Rare Book Room
Neilson Library
Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063
Tel.: 413-585-2907    Fax: 413-585-4486
e-mail: bblument at smith.edu