The Amazing Mr. Forgue - Part 1

"The Amazing Mr. Forgue" is how Norman W. Forgue is described by R. Hunter Middleton, one of the finest practitioners of the book arts in the past century. 

Who is Norman W. Forgue? 

I asked the same question about 10 years ago when I picked up and read a copy of Poorer Richard a short light hearted biography of a man who, without a background in art or literature, decided to become a printer and publisher of fine books. He printed and published under four different imprints, the most famous being The Black Cat Press. He never stopped - from his first book in 1933 until the last in the 1980s. At an age where most retire, he published about 100 miniature books, most in fine leather bindings. His output was prodigious. 

I've recorded over 1,000 items he either printed, published, wrote or otherwise was associated with. This information is rapidly disappearing, therefore a solid bibliography of his work is needed before much of this information simply passes away. Much of his work was ephemeral in nature but those are the ones that sometime tell the most about how an artist works. The vast majority of his output was published in runs of several hundred or fewer, several in the single digits.

As a bookseller I come in contact with vast number of books, and started collecting Forgue's work as I came across them. To date I've accumulated about 250 items. About 100 others are available but those are far too expensive for my budget. Most of the rest exist only as references in the literature. Several collections of his work and papers were given to various libraries and universities after his death and I hope to visit them to document in detail many of the items which I will never own.

After much consideration, I've decided to produce a bibliography of his work, at least the beginning of what I hope will be a much larger project. As to the form of this work, for now it will exist in bits and bytes, easier to publish and distribute. I also hope to include biographical material, which would mean talking to those who knew him, as well as his daughter, whom I believe was involved in his many pathways. As a labor of love, it will be a slow road as it will produce no income but I'll allow as much time as I can afford. If anyone reading this would like to reminisce about Norman Forgue, I'd be glad to listen. I'll be posting a list of publications for which I'm seeking information and would welcome input from anyone who wants to fill in the blanks with dates, photos, etc.