Sherwin Beach Press

Established in 1984 in Chicago, Sherwin Beach Press is a small fine press specializing in nonfiction prose. Thus far we have published eight books; they are, in order of publication:

• The Essence of Beeing by Michael Lenehan, with illustrations by Alice Brown-Wagner
• Within the Context of No Context by George Trow, with a new preface by the author, and interpretive drawings by artist Howard Coale
• $144 a Month by Steve Bogira, with portraits by photographer Mike Tappin
• The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain, with cartoon illustrations by Heather McAdams
• Ballet for Opening Day by Nelson Algren, with etchings by Tony Fitzpatrick
• Poisonous Plants at Table, featuring “Prudence: The Cautionary Tale of a Picky Eater” written and illustrated by Audrey Niffenegger
• Saving His Life by Lee Sandlin, illustrated with photoetchings of family photographs
• Searching for Morris Fuller Benton by Juliet Shen, with a foreword by Roger Black, frontispiece wood engraving by Carl Montford, and typographic specimens

All of these limited edition fine press books have been letterpress printed and hand bound. For each book, the body text was composed in metal type — four books hand set, and four set by Monotype composition.

Sherwin Beach Press books have been widely exhibited in places like Santa Cruz, California; Verona, Italy; Portland, Oregon, and Racine, Wisconsin. Some of the libraries which hold our books are Northwestern University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, National Library of New Zealand, University of Alberta, University of San Francisco, and University of Illinois at Chicago, as well as The Chicago Public Library, The Boston Public Library, The New York Public Library, and The Library of Congress.