Lola Montez. The Colt Press, 1938.

Oscar Lewis.
Lola Montez. San Francisco: The Colt Press, 1938.
(BKRT) DD801 .B383 M64 1938.
Special Collections, UWM Libraries

In the years following World War II, several small fine printing presses found success in the San Francisco Bay Area, one being the Colt Press, which produced 19 books between 1938 and December 1941. The Colt Press had its roots at the Grabhorn Press, which was originally founded by Edwin Grabhorn. In reaction to the Depression, the Grabhorn Press published rare Americana, mainly Western books that were out of both print and copyright. Produced in small editions and of excellent quality, the Colt Press was the creation of Jane Grabhorn (wife of Edwin’s younger brother) and saw success as a collaborative effort between friends and printers.

Lawton Kennedy did the mechanical presswork for Lola Montez, the first book from the Colt Press, and was known to have been especially proud of his participation with this press. Featuring woodcuts by Mallette Dean and printed on Kennedy’s Number 3 Miehle cylinder press, the book tells the story of the famed entertainer, actress, and political influencer. Inside the book, a 1938 inscription from Jane Grabhorn to Kennedy, predicting the future of their collaboration, reads:

For Lawton Kennedy with admiration and devotion. Let us hope this is only the beginning of a long mutually beneficial association.