Francis Meynell

Francis Meynell (1891-1975). Courtesy Fight the Good Fight.

Sir Francis Meredith Wilfrid Meynell (12 May 1891 - 10 July 1975) was an English poet and printer who founded Nonesuch Press.

Life

Meynell was born in London, the son of journalist and publisher Wilfrid Meynell and poet Alice Meynell, a suffragist and prominent Roman Catholic convert. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin.

Meynell was brought in by George Lansbury to be business manager of the Daily Herald in 1913. He founded a short-lived handpress, Romney Street Press in 1914.

When military conscription was introduced in World War I, Meynell refused as a conscientious objector to serve or do alternative servide, and was imprisoned in Hounslow Barracks. After a 12-day hunger strike he was hospitalized, and released from military service.

He managed Pelican Street Press from 1916 to 1923. In 1923 he opened Nonesuch Press, which won a reputation for its fine book editions, which used modern mechanical technology to achieve results comparable to the quality printing of handpresses.

A socialist, Meynell travelled to Stockholm in 1920 to meet with agents of the Russian government who were willing to bankroll the Daily Herald. He supported the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War.

He married Alix Kilroy (1903–1999), a civil servant with the Board of Trade. They worked together during World War II on Utility Design, an austere and functional style. After the war they lived and farmed in a secluded part of Suffolk for many years. Their union was childless.

Meynell was director of the Cement and Concrete Association from 1946 to 1958. He died at Lavenham, Suffolk.'

Recognition

Meynell was knighted in 1946.

Publications

Poetry

• Fifteen Poems. London: Nonesuch Press / Dent, 1944.
• Seventeen Poems. London: Nonesuch Press / Dent, 1945.
• Poems and Pieces, 1911-1961. London: Nonesuch Press, 1961.

Non-fiction

• Typography. London: Pelican Street Press, 1924.
• The Typography of Newspaper Advertisements. London: [[Ernest Benn Ltd.}Ernest Benn]], 1929; New York: Stokes, 1929.
• A Note on the Format of the Nonesuch Dickens. London: Nonesuch Press, 1937.
• English Printed Books. London: Collins, 1946.
• The Seeing Eye: An address at the annual prize distribution of the Schools of Technology, Art and Commerce. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1948.
• My Lives (autobiography). London: Bodley Head, 1971; New York: Random House, 1971.

Edited

• A.M.: A keepsake for the American Institute of Graphic Arts, chosen by Francis Meynell. London: Nonesuch Press, 1930.
• The Week-end Book (with Vera Meynell). Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin, 1938; London: Nonesuch Press / New York: Random House, 1955.
• Alice Meynell, The Poems of Alice Meynell, 1847-1923. London: Hollis & Carter, 1947; Westminster, MD: Newman Press, 1955.
• Alice Meynell, 1847-1922: Catalogue of the centenary exhibition of books, manuscripts, letters and portraits, October 10-November 7, 1947. London: Cambridge University Press, for the National Book League, 1947.
• By Heart: An anthology of memorable poetry, chosen from all periods. London: Nonsuch Press, 1965
  • published in U.S. as Memorable Poetry: Chosen from all periods. New York: Franklin Watts, 1966.
• Fleuron Anthology (edited with Herbert Simon). London: Ernest Benn / Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1973; Boston: Godine, 1979.

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.

See also

• List of British poets
• List of British book publishers

References

• Sir Francis Meynell (1971) My Lives
• Dame Alix Meynell (1988) Public Servant, Private Woman: An Autobiography

External links

Poems

• Sir Francis Meynell at Poetry Nook ("Permanence")

Books

• Francis Meynell at Amazon.com

About

• Francis Meynell in the Encyclopædia Britannica
• "Francis Meynell's Hunger Strike" at Faith in Wartime
• "Francis Meynell & Nonesuch"

Etc.

• The Meynell Collection at the University of Cambridge