In the final years of his storied career, William Morris founded Kelmscott Press, a short-lived yet prolific passion project for the Arts and Crafts icon. Between 1891 and 1898, Morris’s printing press published 53 bespoke books. This week, for the first time in half a century, the complete Kelmscott Press collection hit the auction block at Bonhams in New York. All 53 books were successfully sold, fetching a combined total of $690,000.
Morris’s “Craftsmanship Is Still Valued Today”
The Complete Kelmscott Press Collection of Joseph Mark Van Horn was auctioned at Bonhams’ New York headquarters on December 17. The sale achieved what the auction house called “white glove results.” Van Horn was an entrepreneur and inventor who collected rare books in the 1960s and 70s. He was especially interested in the work of William Morris‘s legendary Kelmscott Press, which paved the way for the contemporary fine press movement. After Van Horn died in 1983, his fiancée preserved the collection—which included copies of all 53 volumes published by Kelmscott Press—until her death in 2023.
“Morris spearheaded a new era of fine book printing—taking inspiration and learning from the way that books were first printed in the 15th century,” explained Ian Ehling, Department Head of Books and Manuscripts at Bonhams New York. “The sale demonstrated that his commitment to craftsmanship is still valued today.”
William Morris and the Kelmscott Press
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William Morris (1834-1896) was a multi-hyphenate Victorian who pioneered the Arts and Crafts Movement as a reaction against the mass production and mechanization of the Industrial Revolution. Kelmscott Press was the last great endeavor of Morris’s career. It stemmed from his desire to revive traditional printing techniques and craft “the ideal book.” Using small-batch paper, a hand-operated press, and natural inks derived from medieval formulas, Kelmscott Press aimed to elevate the craftsmanship and design of bookmaking. Morris looked back to the 15th century—when moveable type was invented, and the “golden age” of illuminated manuscripts flourished.
Each of the press’s 53 books was designed by Morris and printed by hand in limited editions of around 300. The most famous of these publications are richly decorated, featuring familiar motifs from Morris’s wallpaper and textile designs. Many also feature intricate wood-engraved illustrations by Edward Burne-Jones, a Pre-Raphaelite artist and lifelong collaborator with Morris. Kelmscott Press closed shortly after Morris died in 1896, but its influence on modern book production was both indelible and international.
Kelmscott Chaucer Fetches $115,000 at Auction
The Kelmscott Chaucer was the ultimate manifestation of William Morris’s “ideal book.” Published just months before Morris died, the Kelmscott Chaucer comprises the complete works of Geoffrey Chaucer, the 14th-century English poet. The book boasts immaculate decoration from margin to margin. It features 87 illustrations by Burne-Jones—who once called the book a “pocket cathedral”—as well as distinctive ornamentation and original typefaces by Morris.
Alongside the Gutenberg Bible, the Kelmscott Chaucer is widely considered to be the most beautiful book ever printed. It was also Kelmscott Press’s most popular and profitable publication. Naturally, the Kelmscott Chaucer was a key highlight of this week’s sale at Bonhams. The edition from the Van Horn collection hammered in at $115,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $90,000.
