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Description of the Press

The name (m)Öthêr Tøñgué Presš originates from Fertig's early interest in translated poetry from other languages. All the accents and grammatical touches in the (m)Öthêr Tøñgué Presš logo reflects a visual diversity of languages.

Fertig's and Haase's books are the result of two creative minds working together, and a marriage of old and new technologies. Many of the inside pages, for example, are laid out by Fertig using QuarkXPress on her Macintosh and printed on special 80 lb papers, while all the covers and some special interior pages are hand-set by Haase, using time-honoured skills and traditional typefaces. Haase sets the type by hand and does the actual press work, drawing on a collection of old platen presses. He also illustrates the books with lino-cuts. Fertig is the editorial and design half of the team and handbinds and constructs all of the books.

Embossing, the process of creating a raised image on paper, is one particularly compelling application of old and new using one of (m)Öthêr Tøñguè's C & P platen presses. Haase decribed part of the process: "I drew the image, e-mailed it as an attachment to Victoria, and they etched it with a laser on nylon." The plates, created with the aid of computers and phone wires, are placed between the antique press and the paper. An enormous amount of pressure is applied and just like in the old days the image appears on the page, raised in texture.

The basement studio in the Fertig/Haase home is described as a "living museum." The studio is filled with four huge, antique presses, a linotype machine made in 1906,about one hundred and sixty trays of type in California job cases, a display of finished books and broadsides, and an array of works in progress spread over the available work space.

The Presses Publishing Profile

As Fertig reported directly to me, "We are interested in publishing Canadian writers (primarily poets) who have done their time and particularly those that have not been published for awhile as well as strong new Canadian voices, whose work I admire. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

Thoughts on Private Presses by Mona Fertig

"There is lots of room to grow in this field. Compared to the United States we are at the beginning stages of a new literary book arts revival/revolution in Canada where the old presses will be reused as art presses instead of newspaper presses and job printers. Also, due to the recent publishing/bookselling crisis in Canada, many new small presses are popping up, using letterpress and limited editions as a means of giving control back to the writer and small publisher. But we need to get a distribution system happening. Possibly a (BC) West Coast Private Press Guild or Association that promotes member's books to the public. Communication and networking will be the key. The Internet will be a great help to those who know how to use it. I'd like to see a Book Art Fair in Vancouver in the near future as well as a market for used presses, old type, a Wayzgoose, etc., and eventually an old press museum and book arts center like San Francisco, New York, Chicago and the Southern States. So much of this equipment is being dumped in back alleys in towns and cities. We need to save these presses and retain the experience of operating them before it's too late. I have started an email list of BC letterpress printers and book artists. Send me your address if you are interested in connecting.

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