Book Arts and Graphic Design Collections

Learn about the history of book arts and graphic design from papermaking and folding to typography, illustrations and bookbinding. The collections highlighted below are a small part of our book arts and graphic design collections. Most of the materials in these collections and many others can be located through Library Search

Collections

  • Frank Allen Bookplate Collection (1800-2000)

    Collection of bookplates as well as supporting periodicals and books about bookplates donated by Frank Allen, former librarian at WMU.

    Allen Bookplate Collection

  • Children’s Education and Literature Collections

    Children’s books for all ages and in several languages which showcase many artistic and graphic design styles and techniques and recall WMU's initial founding as a teacher's college. Pop-up books, mainly from the 1990s on, are prominent in one of the collections.

    Children’s Education and Literature Collections

  • Fine Press Ephemera Collection (1973-2005)

    Correspondence, brochures, greeting cards, postcards, illustrated folios and more produced by or relating to Arion, Bergamot, Black Sparrow, Bloodroot, Janus, Kat Ran, Ninja, Sutton Hoo and many other American fine presses which were operating in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

    Fine Press Ephemera Collection

  • Ladislav R. Hanka Book Arts Archive (1975-2004)

    Sketches, artist's proofs, numbered prints, unique hand-bound volumes and correspondence by artist Ladislav R. Hanka, a graduate of Western Michigan University and resident of the city of Kalamazoo.

    Hanka Book Arts Archive

  • Ives Street Press Archive (1979-2001)

    Correspondence, designs for broadsides and books, and business records of the Ives Street and Cellador presses from Barbara Cash, a printer and designer at Ives Street Press. Also included are materials for Cash’s MFA thesis on fine presses in New England.

    Ives Street Press Archive

  • Eunice LeFevre Miniature Book Collection

    More than 500 volumes of miniature books including poetry, fairytales, education, biographies and books on the history of printing in English, French, German, Icelandic, Russian, Greek and Japanese. The core of this collection was donated by Eunice LeFevre, a librarian in Kalamazoo.

  • Hugh J. Moser Graphic Design Collection (1929-90)

    Books on printing management, graphic design, typography and more from Hugh Moser, a graphic designer at the Upjohn Company who served as the art director in the International Advertising Division.

    Moser Graphic Design Collection

  • Pages from the Past (2500 BCE-1894 CE)

    Manuscript and rare book leaves compiled and sold by New York book dealer Alfred W. Stites from 1964-67. Donated by Mrs. Donald Gilmore of Kalamazoo.

    You can also view Pages from the Past online at bit.ly/4a0wZfd.

    Pages from the Past

  • Crimilda Pontes Graphic Arts Archive (1951-91)

    Samples of the work of designer Crimilda Pontes, who spent her career at Yale University Press and the Smithsonian Institute, as well as graphic arts books on book design, art and calligraphy from Pontes' personal library.

    Pontes Graphic Arts Archive

  • David Small and Sarah Stewart Archive

    Journals, sketches, correspondence, drafts, unpublished works, poetry and original artwork that document the work and daily life of these internationally-recognized, Michigan-based authors.

Special Collections

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We have more than 43,000 items available for your research, creative and academic projects.