# Fox Ash Press > Source: https://davidjury.com/books-fox-ash-press/ David Jury is proprietor of the Fox Ash Press, designing and letterpress printing limited edition books from his studio. These books are in international collections including the Tate Gallery, Yale Centre for British Art, the British Library's Special Collections, The Bodleian Library and the Nationale Bibliotheek van Nederland. A snippet taken from an article written for *Baseline* (edited by Hans Dieter Reichert) in 2007 to promote the first Codex book fair and symposium in Berkeley, California, by Peter Koch. Why would a typographer also want to be a printer? In practice, the typographer wants the workmanship of the printer to be good, but, of course, it is the printer who decides whether it will be good or not. Inevitably, all jobs are much the same to the commercial printer. A business runs more efficiently, and profitably, if each job has a similar outcome. Nothing better illustrates the advantage of being your own printer, both creatively and practically. It provides, control – independence and freedom – from the vagaries of other people’s priorities. However, there is no point getting involved with printing unless the experience of using it is integral to the design process. I bought my Vandercook proofing press in 1996 for £250. It is one of the newer models (circa 1950s); mid-sized – able to accommodate A2 sheets – and is fitted with power-driven inking rollers. This kind of uncomplicated hand press is ideal for anyone unfamiliar with letterpress because the type can be placed directly on to the flat horizontal bed, and, at the turn of a handle, the inked rollers glide over the face of the type followed by the cylinder with the sheet of paper attached. Composing type by hand is undeniably slower than 'copying' and 'pasting' via a keyboard. Real objects have to be moved around, an often delicate and risky activity, and so modifications are not made before all possible ramifications have been considered. The need to think before acting is demanding and slows down the design process but makes letterpress an intensely cerebral activity – something not often commented on. There is the distinct possibility that such demands will encourage the use of predictable solutions, but why would a letterpress printer, particularly one aiming solely to please himself, do that? ## Projects - [In Darkest England](https://davidjury.com/books-fox-ash-press/in-darkest-england.md): In Darkest England compromises of twenty-three sheets in a clamshell box. Part one is an interview with Humphrey Spender about his role as photographer working for Mass Observation during 1937. Part… - [A Desert Adventure](https://davidjury.com/books-fox-ash-press/a-desert-adventure.md): In 1934, whilst on a commissioned photographic visit to Morocco, Humphrey Spender kept an intimate diary from which, on his return, he produced a censored version with the idea that it might be… - [The Printer’s Return to Morocco](https://davidjury.com/books-fox-ash-press/the-printers-return-to-morocco-2.md): This is the second version of Morocco (intimated by its title) and is much closer to the original concept than the first simpler version. (See Morocco: A Desert Adventure required for Humphrey’s… - [Paris Perpendicular](https://davidjury.com/books-fox-ash-press/paris-perpendicular-2.md): Working in close collaboration with Virginie Litzler, Paris Perpendicular grew out of a shared interest in extending inherent pictorial narrative beyond their photographic frame or the edges of the… - [This Earthen Vessel](https://davidjury.com/books-fox-ash-press/this-earthen-vessel-2.md): A collaborative project with artist, writer and poet Pete Kennedy. Six sheets held loosely by a wrap-around cover. Each sheet contains a poem made up of two contrasting but inter-related texts which… - [Welsh Patagonia](https://davidjury.com/books-fox-ash-press/welsh-patagonia-2.md): In June 2006 photographer Ed Gold planned to spend one month in Gaiman, Patagonia to photograph, record and collate as much information as he could about the descendants of the original community of… - [P D Kennedy Is From Brunlea](https://davidjury.com/books-fox-ash-press/p-d-kennedy-is-from-brunlea.md): The text is written in the form of a journal, telling of Kennedy’s‘great escape’ from Brunlea in 1971 and documents in detail the next three frugal years at teacher training college discovering… --- David Jury · https://davidjury.com/ · Enquiries: jury.david@gmail.com