Matrix is above all a good read, a visual treat, and a unique record of the renaissance of fine printing that was initiated by the foresight of William Morris, and that continues to this day. Edited, typeset, printed and distributed from its home at Whittington, there is nothing else quite like it, nor is there likely to be. From its premises in Gloucestershire (once described by one of our first American visitors as ‘a shack’, but who nevertheless seemed tempted to make us an offer for the whole thing) it has made great efforts over the years to see at first hand what the rest of the world is up to, and its coverage of the work of other presses around the globe has been unusual.

It seldom strays pre-1900, preferring to record what is in living memory for the researchers of the future. Recently, having in earlier numbers recorded the exploits of pre- and post-war presses, often in the words of those who were personally involved, it has included the activities of more recent printers who have grasped Gutenberg’s technology with both hands, realising, as Alan Kitching and Celia Stodhard wrote in Matrix 26, ‘though locked tight in metal, it is amazing how liberating letterpress can be.’

All of our books are bound at The Fine Book Bindery, Wellingborough.