Ars Omnia Tuetur: 25 Years of Fine Printing at Thornwillow (Imprint No. 33)

Curator of special collections at Vassar College, Ron Patkus has followed Thornwillow’s work since the Press moved to the Hudson Valley, New York. In his role as curator, he has overseen what has become one of the greatest collections of Thornwillow publications on the globe—Vassar houses every Thornwillow edition in every binding since approximately Imprint #20. For the 25th anniversary of the Press, Patkus set out to create a bibliography of the Press’ work to that point. The resulting book, Ars Omnia Tuetur, is the definitive bibliography of Thornwillow Press up to 2010. Interspersed with photos of the Press, and including reflections from historian and presidential speechwriter, Ted Widmer; Houghton Library curator Roger Stoddard; famed art historian Richard Wendorf, and others, the publication is introduced by Patkus’ essay, “The Thornwillow Imprint: An Historical Imprint”, which documents the history of the press to its present home. As Widmer wrote, “If Thornwillow Press did not exist, it would surely be necessary to invent it.”