Strange Types & Odd Sorts

The National Print Museum and Fighting Words collaborated in the creation and publication Strange Types & Odd Sorts, A Peek into the World of Print in Ireland.

Volunteer compositors and printers from the National Print Museum worked with a team of Fighting Words mentors to document memories of lives lived in apprenticeships, jobbing houses, newspapers, binderies and a now utterly transformed world of printing. The sessions were full of laughter, shared reminiscences and a strong desire to document their working lives so that they would be preserved for future generations.

The book was launched on 30 June 2023 with special guest Roddy Doyle. The second edition was launched on 7 November 2024 as part of Dublin Book Festival.

I felt close to my father as I was reading the essays in this collection, immersing myself in the world of the printers – his world, too – and I’m grateful to the authors for this, and grateful, too, because the writing is of such a high standard, so alive and informative, and just plain great. Roddy Doyle, Co-founder Fighting Words

The second edition is available to purchase here.