This photograph is of Dave Vandercook, Deceased daughter Barbara Helene and His surving daughter Ann and two of her 4 children. Ann’s surviving children are Joann Moulton, Barbara Belle Moulton, Joseph Sidney Moulton III, Helen Marie Moulton Died Feb 3, 2006.

On Saturday, December 12, I will give my Vandercook history talk at the Museum of Printing History in Houston, Texas. I’ve heard great things about this place and am looking forward to setting up their recently acquired Rocker Series press. Let me know if you will attend.

REVISED. The question keeps coming up: when was the first Vandercook sold? A 1909 sales brochure says the first press was sold in May of 1909. The story of that sale was recounted in a 1940 Editor & Publisher profile of R.O. Vandercook: “Vandercook had not intended to stop at proof presses, but planned to [...]

So, as some of you may remember, I’m restoring an SP20 currently (yeah, I know, I should be done by now… but I’m not.) Well, I’m finally having the rollers recast, and I noticed something yesterday I thought I’d pass along. I was cleaning the gunk off of the ends of my cores to send [...]

This photo shows the interior of the Vandercook & Sons plant at 900 N. Kilpatrick Avenue in Chicago. Similar shots are used in catalogs of this era. In the foreground and suspended at left are 219s, further back are what look to be four 22s, a No. 3 and a 17. The plant built by [...]

A perusal of the serial number/model record cards, held by NA Graphics, revealed that Vandercook & Sons exported presses via multiple foreign firms beginning in the late 1920s through the 1960s. Most of them are listed in adverts found in The Inland Printer as well as The British Printer. This data is complied on the [...]

Given that next year 2009 is the Vandercook centenary I thought the occasion could be marked in some way – so I thought I’d get the ball rolling – there would appear to be 1011 presses out there at the last count, I wonder how many owners would consider a joint project where each would [...]

I spotted this on ebay 370033826590 – somebody might be interested – what is it? John arcane devices

On Sunday March 2, after some research and some guessing, Sarah V. and I went to Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, IL to visit the Vandercook graves.There was a lot of snow on the ground and the staff was very sure that we wouldn’t be able to find the markers, but we were insistent. So [...]

From left: Fred, Ed, and Dave Vandercook standing next to a lathe, circa 1918. This may be the W. Austin Avenue plant (Nos. 1716-1722). This photo, perhaps taken by R.O. Vandercook, is provided courtesy of Bill and Lynn (Vandercook) Critchlow.

I’ve posted six additional photos of Vandercook & Sons employee gatherings. Once you view them you will agree that Lowenbrau was the offical company beer.

In this photo from a Vandercook & Sons exhibit at the American Photoengravers Association convention there is a press shown with a reciprocating bed. Is this in the era of the Hacker buyout, or did Vandercook make a press with a travelling bed? Daniel Morris The Arm Letterpress Brooklyn, NY