Minnesota Center for Book Arts to rename its type library for Allan Kornblum

Formal dedication to take place Feb. 25.

February 9, 2017 at 12:12AM
(laurie hertzel/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Allan Kornblum, setting type
Allan Kornblum, setting type (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Allan Kornblum was a master of the letterpress, an expert on fonts and type, a scholar of the history of publishing. The founder of Coffee House Press, Kornblum, who died in November 2014, was known for his elegant hand-set broadsides, which he gave away by the hundreds, a labor of love.

This month, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts will rename its typesetting library in honor of Kornblum.

The type library at the center is stocked with all kinds of resources for writers, poets, artists and printers, including tens of thousands of pounds of antique type and more than 500 unique typefaces. Kornblum collaborated with the MCBA throughout his career in the Twin Cities, once donating a press and metal type to be used in the center's studios.

The library dedication in Kornblum's honor will take place from 3-5 p.m. on Feb. 25 in the center's lower print studio. The Minnesota Center for Book Arts is in the Open Book building, 1011 Washington Av. S., Mpls.

about the writer

about the writer

Laurie Hertzel

Senior Editor

Freelance writer and former Star Tribune books editor Laurie Hertzel is at lauriehertzel@gmail.com.

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