Locks' Press

Proprietors
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Proprietors

Margaret Lock in the studio of Locks' Press Copyright/Source

Margaret Lock was born in Hamilton in 1950. She graduated with an honours BA in Fine Art from McMaster University in 1972 and later studied printmaking at Goldsmiths College, University of London.

Fred Lock was born in England in 1948 and came to Canada as a graduate student in 1971. From 1974 to 1987 he taught in Australia, at the University of Queensland. Since 1987 he has been a Professor of English at Queen's University in Kingston. A specialist in 18th century literature, his most recent book is Edmund Burke, volume 1: 1730-1787 (Oxford University Press, 1998). He is now working on a second volume of the same work.

Press Profile

Margaret and Fred have turned their Kingston kitchen into a printing office. The floor boards are braced to support the weight of the Vandercook SP15 proof press and a double bank of type cases, and the kitchen appliances now reside in the dining room.

The Locks established Locks' Press in 1978 in Brisbane, Australia. They published their first book there in 1979, and by 1987, when the Locks returned to Canada, they had produced seven books. By 2001, they had printed eleven books, fourteen pamphlets, and twelve broadsides, most of them with woodcut illustrations by Margaret. All their publications are set by hand, printed on the proofing presses, on hand-made paper, done in small editions and bound by hand.

The Locks' two main aims are to publish literature written before 1900 that they feel deserves to be better known, and to provide a vehicle for Margaret's woodcut illustrations. Fred acts as editor and has also provided translations for about a third of the titles. The texts reflect their personal interests: Fred's in the classics and in medieval and 18th century literature; and Margaret's in texts (often comic or didactic narratives) that lend themselves to illustration in woodcut.

Margaret, who designs the books, says "I try to present the text in such a way that the viewer will feel compelled to read it. The piece has succeeded if people find reading the text in that format, with those illustrations, a satisfying experience. My design is conservative: most readers will be unaware of the individual components of the design or of the decisions that went into making it. Nevertheless, the design accentuates certain aspects of the text, and I hope that the reader's remembrance of the text will be coloured by my imagination."