REPORT ON THE SOCIETY’S ACTIVITIES

Launch of the reprint of the Director

On 27th September some 50 members of the Society, subscribers and other well-wishers met at Nostell Priory, at the kind invitation of the President Lord St Oswald, for the launch of the facsimile reprint of its own copy of the first edition of the Director. This has probably been the most prestigious project in the Society’s history, taking some three years in the planning and production, and requiring nearly £30,000 in fund raising

The President reminded guests that this project, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the book’s first publication in 1754, had been the brainchild of the late Philip Coyne, Mayor of Otley and the Society’s Hon Librarian, who had died so unexpectedly and prematurely earlier this year. The various committee members, especially the Hon Membership Secretary Tony Lumb and Ellen-Ruth Einhorn, had approached their friends and colleagues to take out advance subscriptions for the 100 specially bound copies (at £250 each). The names of these Subscribers are printed at the front of this new edition (similar to the original Director) which is otherwise an exact facsimile of the Society’s own fine copy. The remaining print-run of 400 have gone on general sale (at £100 each) through the Antique Collectors Club. The Hon Curator, James Lomax, had borne the brunt of the work throughout the project’s long gestation and the many difficulties encountered during its production.

Lord St Oswald went on to say what a pleasure it was that the whole project had been produced within a very few miles of Otley, Chippendale’s home town. Peter McGrath of Groundwork Design, Skipton, had acted as designer and technical consultant (waiving part of his usual fee) and had also undertaken the expert scanning of all the images from transparencies. Printing had been done by Jigsaw Print of Yeadon and binding by Smith Settle of Otley.