Godine at Fifty: A Retrospective of Five Decades in the Life of an Independent Publisher

David R. Godine, Publisher's founder and namesake gives a personal tour of the most memorable books he published during his 50 year career. From his earliest days as a letter press printer to the present digital era, Godine maintained a tradition of an independent publishing, surviving against all odds: these books are the reason why.

After retiring at the end of 2019, David Godine created this catalog of the books that made his company endure. Uniquely as a small independent, Godine has always been an eclectic house, publishing across all genres. That range is reflected throughout this volume.

Over 350 titles are described in 24 chapters including Early Letterpress & Fine Printing, Wood Cut & Wood Engraving, Fiction, Poetry, Biography & Autobiography, History, Photography, Art, Architecture, Children's Books, Maritime, Music, Gardening, Cooking & Cuisine, and Typography. Authors range from Nobel Prize winners Patrick Modiano and J.M.G. Le Cl zio to Ludwig Bemelmans and Ward Farnsworth. Noteworthy titles include Georges Perec's Life: A User's Manual, Andre Dubus's Separate Flights, William Gass's On Being Blue, Donald Hall's String Too Short to be Saved, Joseph Blumenthal's Art of the Printed Book, 1455-1955, and many more. Each entry is illustrated with its original cover and often interior spreads. Bibliographic information for first printings is provided along with David Godine's commentary on each title.

As a publishing time capsule, Godine at 50 is a record of an era that began during the reign of hot metal type and at a time when all retailers were brick-and-mortar. Cumulatively, this is the story, told through books, of an independent publisher who survived all challenges.