The Gehenna Press

Gehenna Press

Company type	Private
Industry	Fine arts publishing, Book publishing
Founded	1942
Founder	Leonard Baskin
Defunct	2000
Headquarters	Worcester, Massachusetts (until 1953); Northampton, Massachusetts (from 1956) , United States
Products	Limited edition fine arts books, poetry publications, illustrated books
Number of employees	Several collaborators including Harold McGrath, Sidney Kaplan, Arthur Larson, Daniel Kelleher, Carol Blinn, Hosea Baskin

The Gehenna Press ranks among the pioneering limited edition fine arts publishers in the United States. Established in 1942 by sculptor and graphic artist Leonard Baskin (1922–2000) during his time at Yale, the press produced approximately 200 titles over nearly sixty years, concluding its activity shortly after Baskin passed away in 2000. Renowned for its groundbreaking approaches to printing, typography, bookbinding, and illustration, it partnered with notable 20th-century poets such as UK Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath, and posthumously James Baldwin. The Press’s publications have been extensively displayed and are included in public collections across the globe. In 1995, both Baskin and the Press were honored with a dedicated retrospective at the Library of Congress—the first ever for an artist still living.

History

The Press’s emphasis on poetry is reflected in its name, which originates from the Hebrew word for "hell" and a phrase found in Milton’s Paradise Lost. This choice resonates with Baskin’s artistic fascination with dark themes and traditional printing jargon related to devils and “the black art.”

Drawing inspiration from William Blake, Gehenna’s debut publication highlighted Baskin’s dedication to exquisite bookmaking—focusing on typography, binding quality, and woodblock illustrations. The press merged meticulous craftsmanship with inventive design features such as arranging type into geometric patterns and using selective color accents, frequently produced on a vintage Chandler & Price treadle press.

Later in his career, Baskin based his designs more firmly on classical letterforms, particularly those crafted by Nicholas Jenson, mirroring his interests in art history, natural history, mythology, as well as both contemporary and classical literary works.

The Press’s initial release was Baskin’s own poetry volume, On a Pyre of Withered Roses, which exemplified his preference for somber subject matter. Its follow-up, Little Book of Natural History (1951), reflected the influence of his marriage to nature writer Esther Tane. Production was temporarily halted due to Baskin’s service in the Navy during World War II and his subsequent studies in Florence and Paris.

Printing took place in Worcester, Massachusetts until 1953; from 1956 onward, operations shifted to Northampton at Metcalf Printing Press. Between 1958 and 1976, Harold McGrath oversaw typesetting and printing tasks. Sidney Kaplan assumed editorial responsibilities starting in 1957.

Baskin recognized the specialized appeal of fine printing: “People like me… constitute the tiniest lunatic fringe in the nation.” Over time, letterpress printing responsibilities expanded to include collaborators such as Arthur Larson, Daniel Kelleher, Carol Blinn, and Baskin’s son Hosea. Photo-lithographic and offset printing were managed by Oxbow Press. Throughout, Baskin maintained creative control over the Press’s design direction and commissioned most writers and illustrators.

In 1992, Southern Methodist University’s Bridwell Library together with the Library of Congress marked Gehenna’s fiftieth anniversary through an exhibition. Baskin, his son Hosea, and bibliographer Colin Franklin jointly authored an extensive bibliography covering works from 1942 to 1992. Franklin also contributed critical commentary published by Oxbow Press under the title The Gehenna Press: The Work of Fifty Years.

Creative process

Prior to the 1997 exhibition Poets at Gehenna: 1959-1995, the University of Wisconsin's Messenger magazine highlighted Baskin's unique approach to creativity:

Contrary to conventional practices where artists depict pre-existing poems, Gehenna Press poets compose pieces inspired directly by Baskin's original prints or illustrations. Significant collaborations include Capriccio with Ted Hughes, Ruth Fainlight's Sibyls, and Anthony Hecht's Presumptions of Death. Additional important works feature Hugh MacDiarmid's Eemis Stane, Hecht's The Seven Deadly Sins, Hughes's A Primer of Birds and Moko Maki, alongside James Baldwin's Gypsy. The interplay between manuscripts, sketches, woodblocks, and proofs offers insight into the joint creative efforts of both poet and artist.

Baskin’s most notable artistic alliance was formed with poet Ted Hughes, starting with the broadside Pike: A Poem and subsequently creating A Primer of Birds (1981), which Baskin illustrated and Gehenna Press printed in Lurley, Devon. Other distinguished collaborators encompassed Archibald MacLeish and Wilfred Owen.

In addition to working with contemporary poets, Baskin also published—and frequently illustrated—the works of classic literary figures such as William Blake, Shakespeare, Aesop, and Euripides. His portfolio further included Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience, letters by James Agee, narratives by Joseph Conrad, and William Morris’s essay On the Nature of Inspiration (1962). The Gehenna Press also produced art books covering subjects like craftsmen, printers, Dutch art surveys, sculpture, Jewish artists, and Rembrandt. Some titles reflected Baskin’s fascination with darker themes, including Demons, Imps and Fiends (1976) and Fancies, Bizarries & Ornamented Grotesques (1989).

Bibliography

• King, Dorothy (1959). Notes on the Gehenna Press. Lunenburg, Vermont: PAGA The Stinehour Press.
• Baskin, Leonard (1963). A Listing of Books to Be Had From the Gehenna Press. Massachusetts: Gehenna Press.
• Baskin, Leonard (1964). A Catalogue of the Gehenna Press Works. Hartford: Gehenna Press.
• Fern, Alan Maxwell (1969). A Note on the Gehenna Press. Massachusetts: Gehenna Press.
• Brook, Steven (1976). A Bibliography of the Gehenna Press, 1942-1975. Northampton, MA: J. P. Dwyer. p. 79.
• Franklin, Colin (1992). The Gehenna Press: The Work of Fifty Years, 1942-1992. Massachusetts: Bridwell/Gehenna. p. 239.

Public collections

• Bowdoin Library
• Bodleian Archives and Manuscripts, Oxford University
• Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
• The Five Colleges and Historic Deerfield Museum Consortium
• Library of Congress
• The National Gallery of Art
• The New York Public Library
• The Newark Public Library
• Portland Art Museum
• Firestone Library, Princeton University
• UW-Madison Library Collections

Awards and honors

Leonard Baskin earned a variety of accolades throughout his career for his achievements in printmaking and graphic arts. These honors include six honorary doctorates, a Special Medal of Merit awarded by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), and a Printmaking Prize at the 1961 São Paulo Bienale. In 1994, the Library of Congress organized a solo retrospective dedicated to the Gehenna Press, highlighting its significant industry impact and legacy.

External links

• Artflex – A Cornell-hosted site influenced by the works of Gehenna Press.
• Brandeis University archival collection featuring Leonard Baskin and the Gehenna Press
• The William Blake Archive at [1] – Source of early inspiration for the Gehenna Press