Isador Mendle Memorial Collection

In 1968 Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Mendle established the Isador Mendle Memorial Collection on the History of Printing in honor of Mr. Mendle’s father, Isador Mendle (1882-1935), a leader in the St. Louis printing industry and the founder of the Mendle Press, Inc.

Mendle’s interest in the printing processes of the 20th century created a new focus within the Libraries’ printing history collections, namely developments in printing since the Industrial Revolution, with an emphasis on the last 100 years. 

Included in the collection are examples of fine commercial printing work that represent early uses of new technologies as well as works that describe technical developments. In addition to books, Mendle collected papers and archives of printers and printing historians. The manuscript collection includes the papers of James Moran, a British author and historian of printing, and materials from Alcuin Press and Gogmagog Press that show book production in various stages.