White Alphabet and Alphabet LIV

White Alphabet
Ronald King
cut and folded paper, 1985
1990.028

Alphabet LIV
Ronald King
cut and folded paper
1990.028

Printer and book designer Ronald King (b. 1932) produced these alphabets as limited-edition posters intended to be unrolled and popped out before viewing. The original dies for cutting the White Alphabet were ruined in a studio flood and had to be refabricated before subsequent variations could be impressed. It gave King the opportunity to rework the “G” and “S” forms.

King established Circle Press in 1967 as the collaboration of artists that the name implies. From its beginnings in Guildford, southwest of London, and its move to Notting Hill in 1988, the Circle Press involved over one hundred artists and writers in over one hundred projects by the time King retired in 2009. It became known for intriguing departures from traditional book form. Circle artists Karen Bleitz, Victoria Bean, and Sam Winston continue the collaborative endeavor as ARC.

The Circle Press published the White Alphabet as an accordion-folded book attached front and rear to beechwood boards, and the smaller Alphabeta Concertina using the same die-cut letterform technique. Both books are available in Bridwell Library Special Collections, BRA2086 and BRF0281.