Imprints – ANDREW BENT: Father of the Free Press in Australia

Paper in mourning

On 19 October 1827 Andrew Bent issued what must surely be one of the most curious newspapers ever printed in Australia—the famous ‘mourning’ issue of the Colonial Times. It was…

Crim. Con.

24 Sep 202117 Sep 2021

In my list of Andrew Bent’s printing I have included a number of items which, while known to have been printed and published, have no surviving copies. There were also…

Bookbinding (2)

11 Sep 202014 Sep 2020

Rivals and Arrivals The eighteen thirties saw an expansion of bookbinding activity in Van Diemen's Land and the arrival of at least two skilled free workmen, GEORGE HOWARD and GEORGE…

Bookbinding (1)

28 Aug 202031 Aug 2020

1827 HTG (detail) This account of Tasmanian colonial bookbinding, in two parts, examines Andrew Bent’s involvement, but also touches on others who offered bookbinding services either as entrepreneurs or practical…

Digitisation

8 May 202011 Mar 2021

Update October 2020 An increasing amount of Andrew Bent's printing output is becoming available online thanks to the fantastic digitisation work of the holding institutions (especially the National Library of…

Early Almanacs

8 Nov 201919 Oct 2020

Andrew Bent’s seven almanacs, published annually from 1824 to 1830, collectively comprise some of his most significant printing. Their survival rate has in general been better than that of his…

Marginalia

1 May 201929 Jun 2019

The 2018 conference of the Bibliographical Society of Australia and New Zealand - Marginalia: Bibliography at the Margins - highlighted handwritten annotations as a fertile field of study. Early Australian…

“Michael Howe” turns 200!

15 Mar 201915 Mar 2019

Today - 15 March 2019 - is a special anniversary in the annals of Australian printing and publishing. Two hundred years ago in Hobart Town emancipist printer Andrew Bent published…

Stanhope Press

12 Oct 201812 Oct 2018

Collection: Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. S1973.104 Photo courtesy of TMAG For over eighty years it was generally believed that the Stanhope press in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery…