Last modified: 2011-08-20 by rob raeside
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Quoting the Alcuin Society's website:
"The Alcuin Society is a voluntary
association of people who care about the past, present and future of fine
books. Founded in 1965 by Geoff Spencer and six other Vancouver bibliophiles,
and maintained by the current board, it is the only non-profit organization
in Canada dedicated to the entire range of interests related to books and
reading. These interests include authorship, publishing, book design and
production, bookselling, book buying and collecting, printing, binding,
papermaking, calligraphy and illustration.
The Society’s two main goals
are to promote a wider appreciation of books and reading and to support
excellence in book design and production. In support of these goals, it
sponsors educational programmes, publishes a journal, offers a prestigious
award known as the Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in
Canada, and the Robert R. Reid Award and Medal to recognise lifetime
achievement, or extraordinary contributions, to the Book Arts in Canada.
The name “Alcuin” honours the memory of Alcuin of York (c. 735 to 804
A.D.), Abbot of St. Martin at Tours, a man who cared deeply about books and
literacy. As Charlemagne’s "Minister of Culture", and a respected teacher,
Alcuin encouraged the study and preservation of ancient texts, contributed to
the development of the lowercase alphabet and helped establish numerous
schools and libraries."
http://www.alcuinsociety.com/about/index.html
The Grant of Arms, Supporters, Flags and Badges to the Alcuin Society
appears in the Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada, 15 June
2007, Vol. V, p. 145.
The flag is a square banner of the arms.
http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=1162&ProjectElementID=4092
The coat of arms is described as follows:
"Blazon
Arms
Per chevron Azure and Argent in chief two open books
Argent edged Or and in base a handpress Azure;
Crest
Issuant from a
circlet of maple leaves Or and dogwood flowers Argent, a demi-sixteenth-century
pressman affronty proper habited Azure holding in the dexter hand a composing
stick and in the sinister hand a punch Or;
Supporters
Two owls Or
each gorged with a collar Azure pendent therefrom a hurt, that to the dexter
charged with a quill and a knife in saltire Or, that to the sinister charged
with a rose Argent, standing on a rocky mound proper above barry wavy Azure
and Argent;
Motto
BONI LIBRI BENE CONFECTI;
Symbolism
Arms
The chevron division represents an "A", referring to the initial
letter of the Society’s name and the scholar and scribe after whom it is
named. The hand press symbolizes the production of fine books, while the
books themselves refer to writing, publishing, reading, book collecting, book
binding and the encouragement of the arts associated with literature.
Crest
The maple leaves and dogwood refer to the Society’s foundation in
Vancouver and its outreach in Canada. The compositor is a version of an
emblem that the Society has used for many years and refers to the complex
intellectual work required in the early period of hand press printing.
Supporters
The owls represent wisdom and learning. The quill and the
knife are the traditional tools of the calligrapher and refer to Alcuin’s
pivotal role in the creation of new letterforms that are the basis of good
communication. The rocks symbolize the firm foundation on which the Society
is built, and the wavy bars the waters around Vancouver, where it was
established, as well as a principal medium for the creation of fine papers.
Motto
This means "Good books well made", a summary of key elements of the
Society’s philosophy: the beauty of good books and all the crafts and arts
which are involved in their creation and production and the many pleasures
books give."
http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=1162&ProjectElementID=4088
The original grant is shown on the Society's
website.
http://www.alcuinsociety.com/about/coatofarms.html (with a
clickable image)
Ivan
Sache, 3 August 2010