A History of the Dublin University Press 1734-1976 (Hardcover)

In this book the author deals with every aspect of the production process of the Dublin University Press: the building and equipment; the personnel and working conditions; the policy and finance; and the output and its publication. He has also set the history of the Press in the context of the Dublin printing and publishing trade of the day. Founded in 1734 Dublin University Press is the oldest printing and publishing house in Ireland, its history linked intimately to the scholarly and intellectual life of the nation for more than two centuries. In its early decades, the output of the Press for the most part consisted of minor editions of the classics and textbooks for the student. However, the 19th century saw the flowering of the Press. Under the guidance of Michael Henry Gill, the Press's lists both as printer and publisher were expanded to include all scholarly and technical areas. In 1878 the internationally important Dublin University Press Series of academic texts was initiated. The 20th century was a movement away from book work to scholarly and security jobbing. Although the archival remains of the Press are fragmentary, they are the richest there is for an Irish printing house. Some of the material was unearthed only during research for this book and is recorded here for the first time. The opportunity was taken to interview many of the present and past employees of the Press, thus providing a first-hand account of a Dublin printing house of an era that has now passed. In 1976 the DUP amalgamated with the Brunswick Press and moved off the University campus. It continues to flourish in Sandymount, a Dublin suburb. In this study, Vincent Kinane reveals the rich tapestry of activity that took place behind the portals of the printing house at Trinity College Dublin.