Date of Award

Spring 2026

Thesis Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Master of Liberal Studies

Advisor(s)

Dr. Steven Schoen

Second Advisor

Dr. Deborah Prosser (ERAU)

Abstract

This master’s thesis project, the central topic of which is German private press books of the early 20th century, lays a foundation for an exhibition scheduled to be held at The Grolier Club of the City of New York in the spring of 2029. That exhibition, proposed to be titled Und Doch, Das Idealbuch Revisited: German Private Presses to 1935, will mark the centenary of another important exhibition of German private press books, one curated by the German private press printer Willy Wiegand and held at the Grolier Club in April,1929. The 2029 exhibition will include a researched catalog, the contents of which will be drawn substantially from this thesis. The thesis project is organized into the following sections: an opening essay provides an analysis of the history and development of the German private press movement, followed by a timeline of critical events of the period. Two “Highlight” essays focus special attention on two particularly important books in the collection, the Cranach Presse Hamlet, in German translation of 1929 (but 1930) and the Bremer Presse’s Vesalian Icones anatomicae of 1934 (but 1935). A complete bibliography of research materials is provided. Finally, an appendix sets forth a catalog of items from the collection from which the project is drawn. That appendix was generated by BookPageant, a digital exhibition displayed on a platform created by members of the Grolier Club and found online at https://bookpageant.net/. A hard copy of the complete thesis project is held at Rollins College. The author’s electronic submission to Rollins College includes only the Vorspiel (Prologue) and Einleitung (Introduction), the latter of which includes a listing the component parts of the project. Requests for an electronic copy of the entirety or any part of this project may be submitted to the author at beppy.owen@outlook.com.

Comments

Requests for an electronic copy of the entirety or any part of this project may be submitted to the author at beppy.owen@outlook.com.

Rights Holder

Beppy Landrum Owen

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