Boston College collection of Wild Apple Press
Scope and Contents
Collection consists of booklets, bookmarks, broadsides, calendar pages, cards, leaflets, and pamphlets printed by Wild Apple Press. Printed materials highlight works by Irish writers, poets, and artists, and include drafts of Wilder’s colophon designs of a Celtic knot and a shamrock. Some of the items contain handwritten notes by Wilder.
Dates
- Creation: 2003 - 2026
Creator
- Wilder, James C. , 1940- (Person)
- Wild Apple Press (Bethesda, Md.) (Organization)
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.
Biographical note: James C. Wilder
James "Jim" C. Wilder was born in March 1940 in Bethesda, Maryland. He is the founder and owner of the printing press Wild Apple Press located in Bethesda. In the 1960s, he attended the University of Alabama and earned his master’s degree in journalism. He completed his thesis in 1964, entitled, “History of the Alabama Negro Press, Post-Reconstruction to 1901”. Wilder was inspired to create the Wild Apple Press after attending the Book Arts Program at the University of Alabama. He has been a member of the Chesapeake Chapter of the American Printing History Association (APHA) since the early 2000s and contributed to many of the group's publications.
Sources:
"Chesapeake Chapter/Member News". American Printing History Association, https://printinghistory.org/ (accessed February 10, 2025).
"History of the Alabama Negro Press, Post-Reconstruction to 1901". University of Alabama Libraries, June 3, 2021. https://ir.ua.edu/items/2d0cb98a-17cf-42ca-9152-850e03feab2a/full (accessed February 10, 2025).
"James Chapman Wilder in the U.S., Index to Public Records, 1994-2019". Ancestry, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/62209/records/110916879?tid=&pid=&queryId=17912f02-05e9-4264-ae0b-aa4d7ed6ebe3&_phsrc=glZ27&_phstart=successSource (accessed February 10, 2025).
Historical note: Wild Apple Press
Wild Apple Press is a private American printing press founded by James C. Wilder in the late 1960s in Bethesda, Maryland. The Press primarily prints stories and imprints about Ireland and by Irish writers. Wilder created Wild Apple Press after attending the Book Arts Program at the University of Alabama. All the type is handset and letterpressed by Wilder. Works from the Press have been included in collections at: Royal Irish Academy Library; National Library of Ireland; Russell Library, Maynooth University; Early Printed Books, Trinity College Dublin; Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University; Catholic University of America; and Special Collections, University of Delaware.
Sources:
"The Wild Apple Press". National Print Museum, October 9, 2017. https://www.nationalprintmuseum.ie/the-wild-apple-press/?srsltid=AfmBOoqUtHCgoC65YWFFpxJ6JKnh5l80LaowF3-JcJlMj54KY35v8d0l (accessed February 10, 2025).
Full Extent
2 Linear Feet (2 containers)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
A collection of printed material from Wild Apple Press, a private hand press founded and owned by James C. Wilder, a member of the American Printing History Association (APHA). Contains booklets, bookmarks, broadsides, calendars, cards, leaflets, and pamphlets.
Arrangement
Arranged in six series: I. Booklets; II. Broadsides; III. Calendars; IV. Cards; V. Ephemera; and VI. Leaflets and pamphlets.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of James C. Wilder, Wild Apple Press, 2024.
Source
- Wilder, James C. , 1940- (Person)
- Title
- Boston College Collection of Wild Apple Press
- Subtitle
- 2003-2026
- Author
- Molly Aleshire
- Date
- 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2026 January: Incorporated accruals of ephemera and a calendar page.
- 2026 February: Accrual of a poetry booklet
Repository Details
Part of the John J. Burns Library Repository
John J. Burns Library
Boston College
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill MA 02467 USA
617-552-4861
burns@bc.libanswers.com