My first & loveliest Albion

when in Wellington recently I was kindly shown over the Wai-te-ata Press at Victoria University of Wellington by Meredith Paterson - the Press has for some years housed this Albion handpress which I secured under the ownership of the Alexander Turnbull Library back in 1979 - according to Reynolds Stone in his writing on Albions, this one dates (because of the specific fulcrum action when the handle is pulled) to the early 1830s, tho the handle itself has a date of (I think) 1861 or 1881 - in any event, a lot later - I printed several books on this wonderful press, and I still regard it as the best press I have ever worked with - the photos were kindly taken by Dan Tait-Jamieson of Moana Press, Wellington, and of The Printing Museum there - anyone who thinks one cannot get a bit teary over a chunk of old cast iron, should think again -