The Baddeley Brothers Book

Over recent months, I have been collaborating with designer DAVID PEARSON to produce two books to delight you through the forthcoming winter months. Today, I invite you to join me in celebrating the publication of the first of these, BADDELEY BROTHERS at St Bride Printing Library, Fleet St, on October 15th at 7pm, with CRIES OF LONDON to follow in November.

Specialist printers & envelope makers, Baddeley Brothers have been established in the East End since the eighteen-twenties, yet before this they were clockmakers in the North of England since the sixteen-fifties, and it has been my great delight to write an account of the dramatic story spanning four centuries of how Baddeleys created one of today’s foremost printing companies. In six chapters, I trace the emergence of the modern culture of design and print from the journeyman clockmakers, die sinkers, letter cutters, engravers and artisans of the eighteenth century right up until the present day through the story of one family.

David Pearson has worked with Baddeley Brothers to compose typographic samples exploiting their astonishing bravura printing techniques, engraving, embossing, foiling, debossing etc which will be tipped-in to all the copies of this beautiful book. Lucinda Rogers has done series of ink drawings of the printers and envelope makers at work at Baddeley Brothers factory in London Fields. Adam Dant has drawn a fold-out map which shows the locations of Baddeleys’ print works around the City of London and East End in the last two hundred years.

Please come along to ST BRIDE INSTITUTE, off Fleet St, on THURSDAY 15th OCTOBER at 7pm for drinks and book signing, as well as the opportunity to try working an embossing machine and make your own sample to take home.

NUMBERS ARE LIMITED SO PLEASE CLICK TO REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE TICKET

Jim Roche at the Heidelberg platen press

Gita Patel & Wendy Arundel and-folding & glueing envelopes

Gary Cline setting up the envelope machine

Jon Webster cutting a force

Working a manual die-stamping machine

Paul King running a four-colour crest on the auto die-stamping press

Magnifying glass and tools

Jon Webster die-stamping a crest

Danny Ede running the foiling machine

Typographic designs by David Pearson and drawings by Lucinda Rogers

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