Cobden-Sanderson’s commitment

Cobden-Sanderson was deeply committed to his ideals in book design and handcraftsmanship. Upon the Doves Press’s closure, he was so worried that his beloved Doves type would be used for commercial purposes that he became determined to destroy every type piece. Acting directly against an agreement to share the type that he had made with Emery Walker, he did. This reprinted excerpt from his personal journal permits a glimpse into the mind of the frail, 76 year old man who cast hundreds of metal type pieces into the River Thames. He was ruthlessly determined, carrying them in a bookbinder’s tool box, in his pockets and even in his fists, so worried that he would be discovered that he waited for the noise of a passing motorcar to disguise the sound of the splash. In just over five months, the Doves Type was gone, with the exception of a few pieces that had been set aside to print a greeting card.