i need information about stephenson blake the typographer?

Question

anything about his life or acomplishments

Answer 1

Try a local library to see if they can get a copy of this book for you to check-out-

Stephenson Blake: The Last of the Old English Typefounders. By Roy Millington. New Castle, Del.: Oak Knoll Press, and London: British Library, 2003. x, 247 pp. $49.95. ISBN 158456086X.

Looks like "Stephenson Blake" was the firm name-
http://www.myfonts.com/foundry/stephensonblake/

The firm closed in late 2004/early 2005, according to a forum post from-Richard Hards
18 January, 2005 - 2:08pm

Richard Hards's picture

The last traditional type foundry in England(?) closed it's doors over the Christmas holidays.

As discussed elsewhere on these pages they've not been producing type for a number of years, instead making (among other things) brass electrode bars and dies for high frequency welding.

Tom Blake told me that he had an offer he couldn't refuse for the site in the centre of Sheffield, so decided to sell up a couple of years sooner than planned.

He also tells me that his wife will get used to the press in the garage!

All things must pass.

http://typophile.com/node/8711

Biography

Sheffield typefoundry started in July 1818 by silversmith and mechanic William Garnett and toolmaker John Stephenson, financially supported by James Blake, seemingly with little prospect for success.

However in November of that year news came that the breakaway Caslon foundry (formed when William Caslon III left the original Caslon foundry in 1792) was put up for sale by William Caslon IV. In 1819 the deal was concluded and Blake, Garnett & Co. were suddenly in charge of one of England’s most prestigious typefoundries. In 1829 Garnett left to become a farmer. The company was renamed Blake & Stephenson in 1830, but Blake died soon after. It became Stephenson, Blake & Co. in 1841. John Stephenson died in 1864, the year after he handed control to his son Henry.

Over the years the company has acquired: Fann Street Foundry (1906); Fry’s Type Street Letter Foundry; H.W. Caslon & Sons (1937); Miller & Richard (1952). Thus it inherited almost the entire British fine printing industry.

In recent years the matrices and other typographic equipment, by then of little commercial value (but of great historical value), were passed to Monotype and now form a key part of the Type Museum in London. Members of both the Stephenson and Blake families still sit on the board of the present company.

Tom Blake, Managing Director of Stephenson Blake, tells us (August 2001) that the foundry still produces some type in zinc, and also has a stock of lead type.

Answer 2

I have provided a couple links below. The book "Stephenson Blake: The Last of the Old English Typefounders" is your best bet. There's very little biographical info online, especially since the Stephenson Blake, Ltd. company stopped operations last year.