August 19, 2001 Center for the Book to Cosponsor Printing History Lecture by Johanna Drucker on September 25

Johanna Drucker, Robertson Professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia, will deliver the American Printing History Association's 2001 Lieberman Lecture on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 4:30 p.m. in the Carmichael Auditorium, ground floor, National Museum of American History, Behring Center, 14th Street and Constitution Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. Free and open to the public, this year's talk is cosponsored by the American Printing History Association, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, with the assistance of the Graphic Arts Division of the National Museum of American History, Behring Center.

Professor Drucker's presentation, "Iliazd: The Poet Publisher and the Art of the Book," focuses on Ilia Zdanevich (1894-1975, known as Iliazd), one of the most important avant-garde figures of the 20th century. It will be preceded, from 2 to 4:15 p.m., by demonstrations of type founding and 18th and 19th century printing presses in the Graphic Arts Exhibition Hall on the museum's third floor.

Johanna Drucker is a printer and a scholar whose scholarship centers on visual representations of language and the history of experimental poetry, the alphabet, and artists' books. She is the author of The Alphabetic Labyrinth: The Letters in History and Imagination (Thames and Hudson, 1995); The Century of Artists' Books (Granary Books, 1995); and The Visible Word: Experimental Typography and Modern Art, 1909-1923 (University of Chicago Press, 1994).

The Lieberman Lecture, presented annually at a different host institution by a distinguished figure in the history of printing or the book arts, commemorates J. Ben Lieberman (1914-1984), founder and first president of the American Printing History Association (APHA). Past speakers include John Randle, Barry Moser, Claire Van Vliet, G. Thomas Tanselle, and Paul Needham. More information about APHA's activities is available online at www.printinghistory.org.

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress received APHA's annual institutional award in 1994 for its service "in advancing understanding of the history of printing and its allied arts." The center was established in 1977 to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and libraries. Its program is supported by tax-deductible contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations. For information about its projects and programs and the activities of its affiliates in 42 states and the District of Columbia, consult its Web site at www.loc.gov/cfbook.