Kelmscott Press

The Kelmscott Press
The Kelmscott Press was a renowned private press founded by William Morris (the influential British designer, poet, and key figure in the Arts and Crafts movement) in collaboration with printer and typographer Emery Walker. Established in 1891 in Hammersmith, London, it operated until 1898, shortly after Morris’s death in 1896.

Named after Morris’s home, Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire, the press aimed to revive the beauty and craftsmanship of medieval illuminated manuscripts and early printed books (incunabula from the 15th century). Morris sought to create “the ideal book”—one that was beautiful, readable, and produced with meticulous attention to every detail: handmade paper, custom typefaces he designed (such as Golden, Troy, and Chaucer types), intricate woodcut borders, initials, ornaments (often floral and vine motifs in his signature style), and illustrations primarily by his friend Edward Burne-Jones.

The press produced only 53 books (in 66 volumes) in limited editions, but they are celebrated as masterpieces of fine printing and book design. They profoundly influenced 20th-century typography, private presses, and the broader revival of artisanal book production.

The crowning achievement was The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (commonly called the Kelmscott Chaucer), published in 1896. This monumental volume featured:
87 woodcut illustrations by Burne-Jones
Elaborate borders and initials by Morris
Over 550 pages printed in black and red ink
A design inspired by medieval manuscripts

These books often featured dense, richly ornamented pages that integrated text, illustration, and decoration into a unified artistic whole—reflecting Morris’s belief that everyday objects (including books) should embody beauty and craftsmanship rather than industrial uniformity.

The best places to find Kelmscott Press books online are:
eBay Books

Popular Kelmscott Press Books
The Story of the Glittering Plain by William Morris (1894)
The History of Reynard the Foxe (1892, after Caxton’s edition)
The Poems of John Keats (1894)
Love is Enough by William Morris (1897)

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The Kelmscott Press's Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Limited Edition

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The Kelmscott Chaucer / Folio Society Facsimile Edition in Slipcase / 2008

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Kelmscott Press Collected Works Chaucer 1958 Facsimile Illustrations Edward FD

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Collection of William Morris and Kelmscott Press Ephemera ~ WILLIAM MORRIS 1890

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William Morris and the Kelmscott Press an exhibition held in the library 1st ed

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Folio Society Works Of Geoffrey Chaucer - Facsimile of Kelmscott Press Edition

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Folio Society Works Of Geoffrey Chaucer - Facsimile of Kelmscott Press Edition

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Easton Press Kelmscott WORKS OF GEOFFREY CHAUCER William Morris designed 1896 Ed

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1991 William S. Peterson KELMSCOTT PRESS William Morris Typography Printing

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William S Peterson / Kelmscott Press History of William Morris's Typographical

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The influence of William Morris and Kelmscott Press Margaret Bingham Stillwell

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KELMSCOTT PRESS / Poems Chosen Out Of The Works Of Robert Herrick 1895

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Tale Of Beowulf, William Morris (Kelmscott Press 1895) 1st Ed 1st Print 1/300

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Books and autographs .. fine bindings .. Kelmscott Press - J Horace Harding 1937

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KELMSCOTT CHAUCER DELUXE LTD HUGE- Easton Press - RARE

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VALE PRESS- 1900 The Life of Benvenuto Cellini — Charles Ricketts Two Volumes

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Easton Press Kelmscott WORKS OF GEOFFREY CHAUCER William Morris designed 1896 Ed

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Kelmscott Press Chaucer Page. 432/433

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H Halliday Sparling / Kelmscott Press and William Morris master-craftsman 1st ed

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John R Turner ETTLINGER / William Morris and the Kelmscott Press 1st ed 1960

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J Ben Lieberman / Liberty Bell on the Kelmscott Goudy Press...With 1996

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The Kelmscott Press and William Morris Master-Craftsman 1924 First Edition.

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Easton Press Kelmscott Edition Works of Geoffrey Chaucer in box LARGE NEAR MINT

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Beowulf The Tale of Deluxe Morris Edition Alice Cao Kelmscott Fine in Slipcase

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William Morris / Child Christopher And Goldilind The Fair 1st Edition 1895

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The Kelmscott Press's Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Limited Edition, New

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1983 William Morris's Printing Press Kelmscott Illustrated Limited Ed

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H Halliday Sparling / Kelmscott Press and William Morris Master-Craftsman 1st ed

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BURNE JONES Antique Religious Print "Christ Enters Jerusalem as King" FRAMED COA

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DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI "Hand & Soul" ED450 1899 Thomas B. Mosher Kelmscott Press

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1800s Edward Burne Jones Religious Antique Print Christ, the Nativity FRAMED COA

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DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI Hand and Soul ED450 1899 Thomas B. Mosher Kelmscott Press

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Biblio Premiere Issue July-August 1996, The Kelmscott Press & William Morris

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William Morris Lectures GOLDEN TYPE Chiswick Press Signed ALICE PATTINSON 2 vols

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Kelmscott Press William Morris & His Circle The John J Walsdorf Collection 1st

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Kelmscott Press William Morris Original Illust. Page Works of Geoffrey Chaucer

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William Morris and the Kelmscott Press 1994 Univ of Scranton Exhibit Catalog

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KELMSCOTT PRESS, William Morris / Defence Of Guenevere And Other Poems 1892

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A Bibliography of the Kelmscott Press by William S. Peterson (English) Hardcover

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A Bibliography of the Kelmscott Press by William S. Peterson (English) Hardcover

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Sparling H HALLIDAY / Kelmscott Press and William Morris Master Craftsman 1924

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Love is Enough ~ by WILLIAM MORRIS ~ Limited Edition ~ KELMSCOTT PRESS ~ 1898

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Wilfrid Scawen Blunt / The Love-Lyrics & Songs of Proteus 1892 1st Thus

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A Note by William Morris on His Aims in Founding the Kelmscott Press: Together w

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KELMSCOTT PRESS 1891 TO 1898 NOTE BY WILLIAM MORRIS ON HIS AIMS IN FOUNDING

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Robinson Jeffers / Two Consolations Limited Edition 1940

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The Tale of the Emperor Coustans; and Of Over Sea: Done out of Ancient French by

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Kelmscott Press loose large folio leaf from the First Edition of THE WORKS OF CH

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The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye, Kelmscott Press 1892.

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A Note by William Morris on His Aims in Founding the Kelmscott Press: Together w

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