John S.Fass and the Hammer Creek Press

John Fass and His Work at the Hammer Creek Press are practically unknown today except to a small group of devoted cognoscenti. Unlike Rogers, Updike, or Dwiggins, Fass was essentially a private printer, working alone at his own pace. What he did was done for his own pleasure. But his work, small in size and issued in minuscule editions, was exquisite and executed with impeccable taste. He was a genius at the arrangement of type, ornaments, and wood engravings. Every piece he produced was a small gem, for Fass had the time, skill, and materials to print everything by hand patiently and perfectly. No wonder the emblem he chose for his press was a turtle.