Cushing Library Hosts Exhibit of Al Lowman Printing Arts Collection

Texas A&M University Libraries opened an exhibit of selected items from the Al Lowman Printing Arts Collection and Research Archive  on October 17.  Housed at the Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, the collection amassed by Al Lowman documents fine printing, book design, bibliography, and the history of books and printing with special emphasis on Texas and the Southwest.

“Al Lowman is the dean of Texas fine printing collectors.  He has spent over fifty years building a collection which is the cultural equivalent of a Texas natural resource,” explained David Chapman, Director of Cushing Memorial Library & Archives.  The exhibit features materials related to book designers and printers including Carl Hertzog, the William R. Holman family, and Edwin D. Hill, as well as highlights of Lowman's collecting outside of Texas, celebrating fine printers from the West Coast and Europe. The display  highlights books exemplifying distinctive qualities in the printing arts such as typography, layout and illustrations.  Lowman and his wife Darlyne attended the exhibit opening. 

A catalog of selected items from the Lowman Collection accompanies the exhibit, offering insights and appraisals from collectors and scholars familiar with the collection.  Paul Stone, a scholar and contributor who frequently uses the collection, praised Lowman’s quest for the finest copy available regardless of price. The public is invited to view the exhibit on display through February 2009.   Catalogs are available upon request by contacting Melissa Zajicek at 845-1951.