Ben Majchrowicz with his original 1923 Hogarth Press edition of “To a Proud Phantom.”

When I sat next to Ben Majchrowicz at the 34th Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf, he showed me a treasure.

Untucking it from below his seat and unwrapping it tenderly, he revealed his recently purchased copy of a Hogarth Press edition of To a Proud Phantom, a book of poetry by Ena Limebeer.

This 1923 edition, handset and printed by Virginia and Leonard Woolf, was his most recent purchase for his notable collection of Hogarth Press originals.

Ben’s collection of such treasures is now part of a world premiere exhibition, sponsored by the Gordon Square Society, called “Letter by Letter (From the Woolfs’ Hands): Handprinted Books by Virginia & Leonard Woolf.” The exhibit is the first to present several titles with their variant covers.

About the exhibit

For the first time in Belgium, this public exhibition brings together all 34 books hand-set, printed, bound and published in limited editions by Virginia and Leonard Woolf themselves under their Hogarth Press imprint.

These rarities in the literary and bibliophile world with their original covers and illustrations designed by Bloomsbury artists come from the collections of  Ben, co-founder of the Gordon Square Society, as well as Pierre and Marie-Madeleine Coumans.

Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Dora Carrington and Roger Fry are just some of the artists who created the cover designs for the highly sought after volumes.

The exhibition is complemented by the first “Bloomsbury” book and all the books published by The Omega Workshops.

Who: Sponsored by the Gordon Square Society
What: “Letter by Letter (From the Woolfs’ Hands): Handprinted Books by Virginia & Leonard Woolf” Exhibit
When: Nov. 30 and Dec. 4,5,6,7,11,12, 18, and 19
Where: The Splendid Nottebohm Room of the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library – H. Conscienceplein 4, 2000 Antwerp
Tickets: Check to see if any dates are available.

Follow Ben on Instagram @benmajchrowicz.

Title page of Ben Majchrowicz’s copy of the Hogarth Press “To a Proud Phantom.”