The Spiral Press

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The Spiral Press was a fine press founded by American printer Joseph Blumenthal in 1926. In addition to printing limited edition publications for clients, the press also printed ephemera like invitations, bookplates, and stationery to supplement the fine presswork. The Spiral Press also did typographic work for larger publishers such as Random House and Henry Holt, designing jackets and book release advertisements. Blumenthal also designed a typeface, Emerson, for use at the Press. The Press served a variety of institutional clients, such as the Pierpont Morgan Library, The New School, Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Knoedler Art Galleries, American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the American Institute of Graphic Arts. The Spiral Press also published limited editions for the poet Robert Frost, and worked closely with artists such as Ben Shahn, Antonio Frasconi, and Fritz Eichenberg. Blumenthal closed the press in 1971.