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New Exhibit Showcasing Former UNO Professor Harry Duncan’s Letterpress Books Opens

The exhibit, 'Post-War Letterpress: Harry Duncan, Cummington Press and Abattoir Editions at UNO', which highlights the fine arts press books published by Duncan’s two printing presses is open through May 4, 2026.

  • published: 2025/11/21
  • contact: Claire Du Laney Dunker - Archives and Special Collections
  • email: cdulaney@unomaha.edu

Post-War Letterpress: Harry Duncan, Cummington Press and Abattoir Editions at UNO shares materials from the UNO Fine Arts Press collection, focusing on the works of Harry Duncan, a printer, typographer, publisher, and former professor at UNO.

Harry Duncan (1916-1997) used a hand-press printer to create letterpress books. Born in Keokuk, Iowa, he founded the Cummington Press (1939-1997) in Massachusetts, before moving the company to Iowa and later to Nebraska. As a professor of fine arts at UNO, he began Abattoir Editions, the UNO Fine Arts Press in 1972 and led the press until 1985.

Duncan was called “the father of the post-World War II private-press movement” by Newsweek in 1982 and his designs were lauded by scholar Joseph Blumenthal for their “compelling and dramatic simplicity.” Duncan worked with authors such as Tennessee Williams, Robert Lowell, Alan Tate, Lyn Coffin, as well as students, faculty and staff at UNO.

Some of the books and woodblocks on display were collected and donated by Mary L. Richmond, the curator of the Chapin Library at Williams College in Williamstown, MA from 1947 to 1955. These items, which compose the Mary L. Richmond Cummington Press Collection, were donated by Richmond to UNO in 1977.

You can find these and other archival materials using the Nebraska Archives Online database of finding aids and the library catalog. If you need help, you can watch this database tutorial or library catalog tutorial for assistance.

Letterpress printing is part of the long history of printing presses, moveable type, and the revolution of printing pamphlets, newspapers, books, illustrations, and more. Smaller, private presses, like the ones founded by Duncan, gained momentum post-WWII and especially in the 1970s. As we look towards the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence, exhibits in Archives and Special Collections will explore the many facets of American history that are revolutionary.

Post-War Letterpress: Harry Duncan, Cummington Press and Abattoir Editions at UNO is on display in Archives and Special Collections, located on the first floor of Criss Library. During regular hours, Criss Library is open to the public Monday - Thursday 7AM-10PM, Friday 7AM-5PM, Saturday 9AM-5PM and Sunday 12PM-10PM. Check here for holiday hours and updates on opening and closing times. This exhibit was curated by Claire Du Laney Dunker, Outreach Archivist.

About Criss Library

The Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library fulfills the UNO mission through dynamic services, highly qualified and adaptive personnel, unique and extensive collections, and accessible learning spaces and environments. With its location on UNO’s Dodge Campus, Criss Library provides UNO students, faculty and staff, and the Omaha community with the resources and materials needed to excel academically and professionally.