Morris’s works and Legacy
Book Arts
In the first half of the 1870s, Morris experimented with calligraphy and illumination inspired by medieval manuscripts. In 1888, he again turned to the book, this time concentrating on print. Again drawing on the inspiration of medieval manuscripts as well as incunabula (early, pre-sixteenth-century printed books), Morris set out to design typefaces that reflected the ideals and ornamentation of the period. He designed three typefaces between 1888 and 1893: Golden, Troy, and Chaucer.
In 1891, Morris set up the Kelmscott Press with the objective of recapturing the beauty of incunabula. In the next seven years, the Kelmscott Press produced 53 books totaling 18,000 copies. Many featured illustrations by Morris’s lifelong friend and collaborator, the artist Edward Burne-Jones. The most celebrated Kelmscott work is The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, commonly known as the Kelmscott Chaucer.
Morris died soon after the completion of the Kelmscott Chaucer in 1896. His legacy is a long one: as well as inspiring the work of other major fine presses of his period, his work with typefaces and at the Kelmscott Press remains influential in contemporary printing and book design.
Image: One of the opening pages of the Kelmscott Chaucer. The Kelmscott Press, 1896. British Library, C.43.h.19.
William Morris and Book Arts
Learn More
Browse articles in the Journal of William Morris Studies about Morris’s book arts.
Visit the Library of William Morris, a digital project reconstruction Morris’s book collection.
More resources on Morris’s book arts, book collection, and the Kelmscott Press.
Read more about Morris’s works in design and literature.
International Kelmscott Press Day
On June 26th, 2021, The William Morris Society in the United States organized this event, during which libraries, museums, and other institutions across the world commemorated the 130th anniversary of the founding of the Kelmscott Press and the 125th anniversary of the publication of the Press’s edition of The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer.
You can read about these events and find links to digital exhibtions, blog posts, and videos on the event page.