A small machine with a long story
A hand-cranked letterpress in Hogsback Library offers a tangible link to the wider history of Lovedale Press and the printed word in Xhosa.
From Lovedale to Hogsback
This rigid-bed proof press is thought to have been made between 1910 and 1920 and used at Lovedale Press.
It was rescued when it was no longer in use, then later offered a home in Hogsback. After a careful clean, it was donated to Hogsback Library in November 2020, where it remains part of the library's collection.
Why Lovedale matters
Lovedale Press became an important part of South African publishing, helping bring Xhosa-language writing and the work of Black authors into print while also training people in printing and bookbinding.
Its deeper history reaches back to the Tyhume Valley. In 1823, the first fifty copies of a Xhosa alphabet were printed at the Chumie Mission, an early moment in the long development of Xhosa in print.
At Hogsback Library
The press is a small object in a small village library, but it opens onto a much larger story of language, books, education and print.
If you would like to see it, check current library opening arrangements locally before visiting.
Read Hogsback's wider story