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 Wood Beyond The World by William Morris 1972 Dover Facsimile Kelmscott Press

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William Morris Golden Type 5 Vols Alice Pattinson Arts Crafts Fine Binding

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A Bibliography of The Kelmscott Press by William S. Peterson

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

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William Morris Kelmscott Press Vintage Ornamental Page Photo Reprint Wall Art

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

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1969 Franklin THE PRIVATE PRESSES 1st Ed ILLS Kelmscott Golden Cockerel &c

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Easton Press Works Of Geoffrey Chaucer Kelmscott William Morris Facsimile 2009ed

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Fantasy novels and Icelandic sagas by William Morris and Eirikr Magnusson; 1901

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Utopia ~ SIR THOMAS MORE ~ Kelmscott Press ~ William Morris ~ Limited ~ 1893

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

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The Kelmscott Chaucer Folio Society Facsimile Edition Slipcase 2008

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KELMSCOTT CHAUCER DELUXE LTD HUGE- Easton Press - RARE

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

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

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

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

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A Bibliography of the Kelmscott Press WILLIAM PETERSON ~ 1st Edition Morris 1984

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William Morris "Grapes" Kelmscott Press Arts And Crafts Filigree Picture Frame

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The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley KELMSCOTT PRESS Limited Edition 1894

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The Golden Legend of Master William Caxton ~ Kelmscott Press (1892).

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

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The Kelmscott Press and William Morris Master-craftsman

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The Sundering Flood. ~ William Morris. Kelmscott Press 1897. Deluxe binding.

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Poems of Robert Herrick, Kelmscott Press 1895.

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In Memoriam Sanford Lionel Berger William Morris Kelmscott Press Tribute

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Buch: The Kelmscott Press - William Morris. William S. Peterson, 1991, Clarendon

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

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

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

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Easton Press Kelmscott Edition Works of Geoffrey Chaucer in box NEW SEALED MM

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KELMSCOTT PRESS, William Morris / Tale Of the Emperor Coustans And Of Over Sea

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Hand and Soul ~ by DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI ~ First American Edition ~ KELMSCOTT

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KELMSCOTT PRESS, William Morris / Child Christopher And Goldilind The Fair 1895

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Kelmscott Doves Ashendene Press Beyond British Isles Exhibition Wash U St Louis

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

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William Morris's Kelmscott: Landscape and History By Tom Hassall

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The Poems of William Shakespeare, Essex House Press, 1899, copy #402/450, Fine

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The Private Presses Colin Franklin -Kelmscott -Ashendene -Golden Cockerell +More

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Maud ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson. Kelmscott Press 1893.

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1983 William Morris's Printing Press Kelmscott Illustrated Limited Ed

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The Poems of John Keats 19th England Original Kelmscott Press William Morris

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The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer: Folio Society William Morris Kelmscott Press RARE

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THE KELMSCOTT PRESS AND WILLIAM MORRIS MASTER-CRAFTSMAN

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

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Kelmscott Press, J W Mackail / Biblia Innocentium Edward Burne-Jones' copy 1st

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William Morris Biography Kelmscott Press George Bernard Shaw 1st Edition 1936

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The influence of William Morris and Kelmscott Press Margaret Bingham Stillwell

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