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Dan Wood Collection of Amalgamated Printers Association Ephemera

 Collection
Identifier: 023-02

Scope and Contents

The Dan Wood Collection of Amalgamated Printers Association Ephemera includes printed works by APA members for inclusion in the monthly bundles that were collected by APA member Dan Wood. Wood collected mailed bundles from when he first became a member of the organization in August 2001 through October 2009. Not all months from each year are in the collection, and some bundles are incomplete. The collection materials include handwritten communications from APA mailers to Dan Wood, examples of the work of DWRI Letterpress, and some APA reports.

Material in the collection includes envelopes, samples of a printers’ work at the time, mock-up documents, certificates, proprietor’s cards, announcements of contests, publications (not related to the APA), advertisements, event announcements, type specimens, artifacts featuring printed elements (such as fans and matchbooks), posters, fliers, bookmarks, art prints, calendars, greeting cards, postcards, napkins, and notebooks.

Content varies widely, due to the hired work of the printers, but includes some political commentary and reflections on national events, poems, recipes, some handwritten notes.

Dates

  • 1980 - 2010
  • Majority of material found within 2001 - 2009

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

PPL does not claim copyright to this collection. Users of this item are responsible for determining copyright restrictions.

Biographical / Historical

The Amalgamated Printers Association (APA) was founded in 1958 by cousins Michael J. O’Connor and Roger V. Ralphe in Hastings, Minnesota. Originally founded as an organization for amateur journalists, it quickly became a membership organization for letterpress printing hobbyists, comprising both amateur and professional printers.

The APA has a limited membership of 150 members, with prospective members on a waiting list until a current member leaves the organization. At induction, the new member is given an APA member number of a departing APA member. The main activity of the organization is the exchange of print samples between the group’s members. Participation in the mailing is compulsory; each member must participate at least four times a year. Every month each member sends 160 copies of a piece of work to a coordinator or "mailer," who then creates a bundle for each member that features one copy of each submission. The mailer might use the position as an opportunity to create a decorative envelope to hold the monthly bundle. The organization also sponsors printers’ contests, a newsletter, and an annual meeting called “Wayzgoose.”

APA Member Dan Wood, the donor of this collection, is a professional printer and founder of DWRI Letterpress, a letterpress print shop in Providence, Rhode Island. He became a member of the APA in August 2001.

Extent

3.75 Linear Feet (9 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Collections are organized into two series:

Series I: Bundles of the Amalgamated Printers Association, 2001 August –2009 October This series is arranged in chronological order by monthly bundle and includes the envelope for the bundle if it was available.

Series II: Differentiated materials, approximately 1990 – 2010. This series is arranged by differentiated material type, and then in chronological order.

Custodial History

Material was acquired from collector.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Dan Wood, 2014 March 12.

Accruals

Accruals are expected.

Existence and Location of Originals

Items are original printed works made by APA members.

Related Materials

004, Updike Collection on the History of Printing

024-02, Voyager Press Collection

Processing Information

The collection was processed in 2015 by Emma Sarconi.

Creator

Title
Dan Wood Collection of Amalgamated Printers Association Ephemera
Status
Completed
Author
Emma Sarconi
Date
2015
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Providence Public Library Repository

Contact:
150 Empire Street
Providence RI 02903 United States of America
401-455-8021