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“Loaned Treasures from the Robert Bruna Collection:

The Stanbrook Abbey Press and Margaret Adams”

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June 1, 2007 through August 31, 2007
Monday-Friday 9:00am - Noon & 1:00pm - 4:30pm

Cowles Rare Book Reading Room
Foley Center Library
Gonzaga University

This exhibition is from the collection on loan from the Robert Bruna Collection on the Stanbrook Abbey Press, a press run by Benedictine nuns in Worcester, England.  The exhibition also contains item created by Margaret Adams, a talented calligrapher and gilder, who worked for the Press and for her friend, Robert Bruna.

THE STANBROOK ABBEY PRESS

The ancient motto Ora et Labora (Pray and work) embraces the monastic life of the Benedictine nuns of Stanbrook Abbey in Worcester, England.  The nuns supported their life of prayer by the work of their hands in crafts such as weaving, vestment-making, carving and painting crucifixes, book-binding, fine printing, and by literary work of all kinds.   (From the Stanbrook Abbey Press' Christmas Lists, 1959)

“The Stanbrook Abbey Press is the oldest private press in England and probably the only one run by nuns to have an international reputation for fine printing.   Established in 1876, the Stanbrook Abbey Press is the only private press from the 19th Century to be working in the 21st.  Its beginnings were modest, but in 1883 a new printing room was built, about 50 feet long and 13 feet wide.”

By 1952 the Press was in decline.  In 1955 Dam Hildelith Cumming was hired to be the head printer.  Under her leadership the Press flourished.  She sought the assistance and advice of others such as Sir Sydney Cockerell, John Dreyfus, and typographer Jan van Krimpen. She hired a laywoman Margaret Adams to provide calligraphy and gilding to many published books.

In 1993 the printing room was rebuilt; since 1996, largely thanks to the generosity of friends and benefactors, much worn equipment has been replaced.  Pre-press is handled by a G4 PowerMac equipped with industry-standard DTP and imaging software.  Folding and finishing is still mainly done by hand, although there are facilities for wire saddle-stitching and holt-melt perfect binding.  As in the past, the Press is entirely staffed by nuns.”

(History retrieved from www.stanbrookabbey.org.uk)

DAME HILDELITH CUMMING

The Stanbrook Abbey Press’ printed items were not always particularly distinguished.   As Roderick Cave writes in The Private Presses, the Stanbrook Abbey Press was different from other monastic presses, which tended to produce mediocre works.    Since 1956 the press improved because of the remarkable work and influence of the Abbey's Printer, Dame Hildelith Cumming.  She revolutionized printing at Stanbrook and maintained her own standards in the work produced. 

MARGARET ADAMS

Margaret Adams was a laywoman who worked with the Stanbrook Abbey Press.  Margaret, who illuminated many of the items for the press, contributed greatly to the books' character.   The relationship between Dame Hildelith and Margaret, begun in 1957, created an instant sympathy and understanding between them.  Also included in her repertoire are cards published by the Press as well.

DR. ROBERT BRUNA

Dr. Robert L. Bruna was born in Deer Lodge, Montana in August 1931.  When he was 16, his family moved to Mica, Washington, near Spokane Valley.  He graduated from Central Valley High School in Spokane in 1949.  He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and served as a Dental Technician.  Bruna attended several universities in the East and received a degree in Dentistry from the University of Washington.  He entered into the dental practice in Ferndale, Washington in 1961 and retired in 1992. 

For over thirty years, Dr. Bruna dedicated himself to his community and to the love of fine arts, whether in the writings of scholars or the talents of artists.  His friendships with Dame Hildelith Cumming and Margaret Adams let him acquire materials that make his collection unique and priceless.  His Stanbrook Abbey Press Collection cannot be duplicated anywhere.
 
Dr. Bruna passed away in spring of 1993 while traveling.  Prior to his death, he told his family that he very much admired the principles of Gonzaga.  Therefore, in keeping with his memory, the family loaned the collection to Gonzaga in October 1993.