Of the Friendship of Amis and Amile

1894

Special Collections PQ1425 A35 E49

Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press

William Morris refashioned Victorian art, printing, and typography by recycling medieval and romantic motifs and technologies. He founded the Kelmscott Press to create beautiful books using exemplars from the medieval period and print technology, type styles, and decorations from the fifteenth century. His work inspired the private press movement. He translated the French romance Of the Friendship of Amis and Amile in 1894 and printed 500 copies. Amis and Amile are loving friends who cannot be separated even in death: when they are killed in battle and buried apart, their coffins are found together the next morning.