#Robert L. Dothard

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Classic Lessons in Love

Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BC-AD 17/18), more familiarly known as Ovid, was a Roman poet most famously known for his mythological history of the world, Metamorphoses. His satirical and sometimes dark take on all the intricacies of love and relationships is exhibited in Ars Amatoria. The Art of Love is a 1971 English translation edition of Ars Amatoria, translated by English classicist and scholar of Latin poetry B. P. Moore (1877-1955), with pen and ink illustrations by British artist Eric Fraser (1902-1983). The edition was designed by Robert L. Dothard and printed at the Press of A. Colish in Mount Vernon, NY, for members of the Limited Editions Club in an edition of 1500 copies on specially-made, oyster-white, mould-made paper crafted at the Arches mill in France.

In the first book of Ars Amatoria, Ovid guides men on how to successfully find a woman. In the second book, we see Ovid's advice shift towards maintaining a healthy relationship with one's partner. The third and final book, produced two years after the first two, focuses on advice for women on how to win and keep the love of a man. The work, however, was considered salacious and was banned by Emperor Augustus, with the charge of it being immoral, and is one of the few examples of the Roman government censoring a Roman author’s writing.

The topic's typical scenarios are presented engagingly, incorporating elements from Greek mythology, daily life in ancient Rome, and universal human experiences. Ovid offers hilarious advice, such as how women can keep their lovers from becoming neglectful by making them artificially jealous. He also advises men to never argue with their mistresses, as it could lead to expensive gift-giving in order to reconcile. When it comes to the sexes, it seems some things never change!

-Melissa, Special Collections Classics Intern

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It’s Fine Press Friday! 

Today we present The Innocent Voyage by British writer Richard Hughes (1900-1976), illustrated by American artist Lynd Ward (1905-1985) and published in New York by The Limited Editions Club, in 1944 in an edition of 1500 copies signed by the artist. The novel was first published in the U.S. by Harper & Brothers in 1929, and in Britain by Chatto and Windus as A High Wind in Jamaica in the same year.    The novel was listed as one of the Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels. It has been adapted into film (1965) and two radio adaptations (1950 and 2000), and it is credited for influencing books such as Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Lynd Ward created more than twenty color lithographs for this edition. Each lithograph consists of four layers of color, pink, yellow, blue, and dark blue in combination they create the great diversity of value and color that we see. Combining the layers so successfully takes the hand of a skilled artist. Lynd Ward drew his illustrations directly on the plates, which were then printed by George C. Miller (1894-1965) in New York. 

This printing was published as a trade edition by Heritage Press, another imprint of George Macy, founder of The Limited Editions Club, in 1944. The trade edition does not contain original lithographs and the fine paper and binding that this edition does. 

Robert L. Dothard designed this book. The text is composed in Linotype Baskerville and was printed at the shop of E. L. Hildreth in Vermont. This edition is bound in a dyed sheepskin and stamped with a decorative illustration in gold foil. The paper is all-rag and was made by the Worthy Paper Company. Each copy is housed in a solander case wrapped in white linen and a lithograph by Lynd Ward. Our copy is a gift of Loryn Romadka to Special Collections, UWM Libraries, from the collection of Austin Fredric Lutter.  

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– Teddy, Special Collections Graduate Intern

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