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American Printing History Association APHA is an organization whose members are interested in the history of printing. Individual members specialize in things like typography, calligraphy, typefounding, papermaking, illustration, bookbinding, and the business of publishing. Fans of specific writers or literary movements would be better served in other organizations. (However, an author or student researching a particular writer might well find an expert in the period or region involved who could solve mysteries in their author's publishing history.) Members get to participate in an annual conference (often three days) and receive its journal, published twice a year. Lucky members in regions with a local chapter can experience fellowship with local comrades. APHA's closest international analog is the Printing Historical Society of the U.K.

Founding and Early Years The organization was founded in 1973 under the guidance of J. Ben Lieberman. The story of the founding is told by Terry Belanger in a 2011 issue of Printing History, the group's quarterly publication.

Publications For those who are curious about printing topics, APHA's publications will be a starting point. Verse into Type: The APHA Poetry Portfolio, issued in 2006, provides samples of current letterpress printers printing poetry. ''The Spiral Press, 1926–1971. A Bibliographical Checklist'', issued in 2002, provides an in-depth study of an influential printer of artful books. American Proprietary Typefaces, 1998, provides insight into a byway of type design, including contributions by a veritable who's who of type historians: Susan Otis Thompson on American Arts & Crafts typefaces, Martin Hutner on the Merrymount Press, Herbert Johnson on Bruce Rogers's Centaur type, Cathleen Baker on Dard Hunter's typefaces, Mark Argetsinger on Frederic Warde, Stanley Morison, and the Arrighi type, Jerry Kelly on Joseph Blumenthal's Spiral (Emerson) type, Dwight Anger on Frederic Goudy's Kaatskill type, W. Gay Reading on Victor Hammer's Uncial Types, John Kristensen on experimental types of W.A. Dwiggins, and Paul Hayden Duensing on then-contemporary private types.

Annual conference and local chapters While the books mentioned above are available for purchase on the open market, participation in events and local chapter meetings required membership. Upon joining, a member will start to receive future issues of Printing History and be offered a chance to purchase available earlier issues from time to time.