A delicate letterpress hand-bound book of Monotype borders, printed on fine layered Tengucho Japanese paper. Seven pages of pattern, typeset in 24pt Monotype borders 1405/1406, with title & colophon in 18pt Caslon. The book & cover have been single colour printed in scarlet, on white tengucho paper layered to 14.6 gsm. Each editioned copy measures 7.0 x 6.0 cm & comes in a wrapper. This edition consists of thirty copies, twenty-nine of which are available for purchase. No further copies will be added to the edition.

The book, printed in 2021 & bound between 2021-23, is a celebration of the Blaze border designed by David Bethel for the Monotype Corporation. The edition is being released in 2023 to celebrate the centenary of David’s birth. The borders were designed in 1957 & released by the English Monotype Corporation in 1958/9*. Bethel submitted a number of designs to Monotype in the late 1950s (1955/6-1958/9) including Glint, Leaf, Coronet & Scorpio, Blaze being his final design for the corporation.

Dr David Bethel CBE LLD D Litt D ED was born in Bath in December 1923. He served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, completing his education at the West of England College of Art & the University of Bristol in 1951. Following graduation he was appointed Lecturer in Graphic Design at Stafford College of Arts, becoming head of department in 1953. He left Stafford for the Coventry College of Art & Design in 1956 to take charge of their Design & Printing Departments. He served as Principal at Coventry from 1965-1969. During his time at Coventry Bethel developed courses in book & technical illustration, typographic design & practised as a graphic & typographic designer.

In 1969 he moved to Leicester Polytechnic, becoming Director in 1973, holding the post until 1987. He was awarded a CBE in 1983 for services to higher education & was a key figure in helping Leicester Polytechnic attain university status as De Montfort University.

Bethel represented the UK on the OECD & EEC committees for higher education, served on the Hong Kong University & Polytechnics Grants Committee, & was founding chairman of the Council for Academic Accreditation. He was also a member of the Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters (WCFK), serving as Liveryman from 1976, Steward 1994-97, & Member of the Court of Assistants from 1997 to his death. The company still annually award ‘The David Bethel Bursary’ in his honour. He was also a member of the Board of the Leicester Theatre Trust (Haymarket Theatre) from 1979 to 1985. David Bethel died in 2006 at the age of 83.

Each book was printed on a Farley No.11 proofing press.

The borders were cast by Jessie Reich at the Three Ton Bridge Foundry of Skaneateles, New York.

*Sources date the border as being released by Monotype in both 1958 & 1959. The eels have taken the date of 1959 as given in Bolton, C. (2000) A Border Specimen. Marcham: The Alembic Press.

© Red Eel Press 2023