PRESS RELEASE April 2023
Private press publisher, INCLINE PRESS is celebrating 30 years of printing books and ephemera in November 2023.
Proprietor, printer and binder Graham Moss, has published over 120 limited edition books in traditional private press fashion. A true craftsman, he carefully chooses the metal type, paper and binding for each of them, creating a beautiful collection of sought-after work.
During a 20 year partnership with the late Kathy Whalen - bibliophile, librarian and printer - Graham has worked with authors, poets and artist-printmakers, creating a body of work that makes an important contribution to the canon of independent fine press book publishers. Incline Press offers books of songs, poems, historic research and humour, with a sprinkling of seditious material.
Graham began Incline Press after a varied career from bottle washer to history teacher. Working full time, he continues to print and pass on letterpress skills to students, librarians, and thousands of new learners on social media.
Graham is a passionate book designer and type collector, with a working collection of printing presses. He sources the best materials and vintage tools available, practicing an integrated life living over the printshop in a former cotton factory in Oldham, northeast of Manchester. His largest books are printed on a 1936 Victoria printing press made in Germany. Using a commissioned text or an interesting submission, Graham designs each book from scratch using technology rooted in the fifteenth century to hand-set the type. After printing, the binding is either done in-house, or large editions are bound in collaboration with artisan book binders. Sales are made through the on-line shop and specialist book fairs and dealers.
The long list of collaborators that Incline Press has worked with include the poets Nancy Campbell, Vona Groarke, Seamus Heaney, Matthew Hollis, Ian McMillan and Lemn Sissay. He has published books on graphic design by David Blamires, Jerry Cinamon, Pauline Paucker, Alan Powers and Carolyn Trant.
Original relief printing and engraving is a vital element, and he has worked with the artists Katherine Anteney, Bert and Molly Eastman, Rigby Graham, John Liddell, Enid Marx, Ann Muir, Keith Pettit, Alice Smith, Peter S Smith and Nick Wonham.
Graham’s most ground breaking work to date, is probably New Borders: The Working Life of Elizabeth Friedlander, 1998, written by Pauline Paucker and reviewed here by the Fine Press Book Association. One of the pioneer women of typography almost forgotten by history, Elizabeth Friedlander carved a career in four countries, fleeing antisemitism in Germany and Italy. She arrived in England late in 1939 without any friendship networks to support her. She found war-time work forging documents for the British Intelligence service, and as a freelance designer worked for Curwen Press and Penguin books among many others. New Borders showed over 80 tipped in illustrations of her work, including original Curwen Press papers, the edition selling out within a few months. The book led to a major exhibition of her work, shown at Ditchling in 2018 curated by Kate Meynell.
The most complete collection of Incline Press books and ephemera is held at Chetham’s Library and Ryland’s Library in Manchester. The V&A has a copy of Art for Life : The Story of Peggy Angus, written by Carolyn Trant, which is a book that placed Peggy back as facilitator of the famous artists of southern England in the 1930s, including Eric Ravilious, Edward Bawden and Alexander Calder. The book was described in Crafts Magazine, as ‘an exhibition in a box’.
Graham is currently working on a book called Memento Mori : Memento Vivere, commemorating Kathy Whalen’s life and work, due to be released by the end of 2023.
A recent interview was published in the British Printing Society’s magazine Small Printer, which you can see on Graham’s blog here.
Graham would be pleased to discuss his work or supply further information for your publication. Please contact him at graham.moss@inclinepress.com or call 0161 6271966 or write to Incline Press, 36 Bow Street, Oldham, OL1 1SJ. You can also find images on his website www.inclinepress.com and follow developments at www.instagram.com/incline_press
Photo credits: Incline Press 2023
