221-85-0107
Possibly just scrap paper, but may also be left after something was taken away?

A-74-0659
W. F to R. F, Canada Council for the Arts, November 20, 1974.
Letter of support for C. and the For/Words Foundation. Distinguishes between the Small Press movement and the commercial pressures of being a printer.

F D, Coach House Press and Open Letter, to R. E, Ontario Arts Council. November 25, 1974.
This three-page letter to the OAC was copied to R. F at the Canada Council. Outlines concerns about the proposed split between CHP and For/Words Foundation. Mentions explicitly that the "new cmoputer-type-setting equipment" was purchased not with arts money from the CCA or OAC, but through $8,000 loaned from the Imperial Bank of Commerce, and a second $22,000 loan from the International Acceptance Corporation. Presumably, this would cover the Datapoint and/or the five terminals CHP had before the 1983 pilot project with Rhodnius.

W. B to R. F, Canada Council for the Arts. November 26, 1974.
Pinpoints the reason for the split as being that "government grants to Coach House Press have recently been used not for their intended purpose, publishing, but for the acquisition of press equipment."

F D to R. F. 15 November 1974.
This three-page letter covers much of the same territory as the one to the OAC, including mentioning again the funding sources for the new computer equipment. D also argues that exactly which funds went to which of the publishing or printing expenses is less important than whether CHP has performed, overall, up to CCA's expectations.


X-76-0806
Solicitation letter from Soft Arkiv, June 1978.
A four-page letter intended for sculpture artists requesting their participation in the database project. Outlines the project and includes a questionnaire for artists to complete regarding the potential uses and applications of the database. They're promoting themselves as the last form you'll ever have to fill out.

Report of the Project Coordinator, Soft Arkiv, September 1978. 456343.
Outlines the implementation of the database as it existed at the time of the Tenth International Sculpture Conference. Describes users' reactions to the database and the queries they wanted to run at this demonstration. They also developed a simple computer game called "Guessing Game" which appears to have helped the computer refine its search / query algorithm (applying one player's answers to the next user's search), but also taught people about being comfortable with the computer: asking questions, inputting answers. On page 2 of the report: "the game helped achieve one of our goals: to humanize computer technology."

[Untitled document], n.d. [1978?]. 138328.
Seems to be more of a rationalization piece on why Soft Arkiv is a valid and viable project. Concerned with access to culture, the need for data collection standards, the desirability of repurposing / multi-use data. The proposal suggests going to many arts conferences (various disciplines) to get input; policy seminar; collaboration and outreach; and ongoing software research.

Robert Arn and Stan Bevington, Interim Report to Canada Council from Soft Arkiv (nee Soft Warehouse), n.d. [1978]. 104236.
Most likely from April 1978; there's a handwritten note authorizing the release of the second instalment of funding ($12,500), dated April 21, 1978. 4 pages.
This report outlines the history / timeline so far (this is just before the sculpture conference of May/June 1978. QL Systems and leaving them; initiate with HCR; input on features list from potential stakeholders... The scope of their project grew as they got deeper into databases. Here's an interesting bit: CHP had two "computer assisted typesetting contracts" of relevance: the Literary Press Catalogue, and the Visual Arts Ontario Artists' Directory. So Soft Arkiv, through these projects, got to play with databases for free.

Brochure text, to go to artists and the public. *bf@pSOFT/TXT. 104097.
Soft Arkiv: a "computer-aided information serivce conceived and run by artists." Brings "an artist's viewpoint to the issues which are becoming central to our society--the symbiosis of man and technological change, and the growing dominance of electronically processed information as the primary medium of social, political, and economic change." Concerns were about making the computers accommodate human needs; to winnow out the social and cultural angles from the overall expansion and development of information processing; to balance extensive information with provicay and self determination.

Dear Sculptor. 1301122
Draft letter, to accompany brochure, for artists. Explains the project and the idea of a computer database as a way to flexibly manipulate data into a variety of formats or queries, instantly. Soliciting data corrections and other input.

Robert Fulford, "Writer helps design covers in this publishing operation," publication unknown, no date.
Stan was already, apparently, calling himself head coach. Stan and Victor are listed as 29 years old, so that could help date the article. The article generally describes how things work at the collective-minded, hands-on, quality and love and care first, CHP. Fulford mentions CHP's persistent financial "shakiness": CCA and OAC funds are named, but so are OFY and LIP -- apparently, LIP was $23,000 that year. What are these?

Jane Becker, "Computer methods herald printing revolution," The Telegram, no date.
Describes the transition from letterpress to photographic plate to now computers. Interviews some big commercial printers, then highlights CHP: its history, collective ethos, commitment to art and poetry.

Application for assistance under the Explorations Program. June 1976. X-76-0806.
Project is about using technical solutions to improve the possibilities for information accessibility, specifically via having multiple termianls all accessing the same cenral computer. This project, in part, seems to be about developing cheap terminals for artists (and the budget is pretty low). Overall goal: wide public appreciation and access to Canadian art. Includes project info, budget, Arn's CV, five letters of assessment.


X-73-0441
Application for assistance under the Explorations Program. September 1973. X-73-0441.
This is the computer graphics project, re: rendering character fonts, patterns, etc. Proposes a film "describing the evolution of type fonts through the ages"; was this ever made? (Unlikely: it was going to draw on this research but have separate funding.) One of the issues is to integrate type and images through digitization, and there's a promise of new expressions not possible before. Includes project info, budget, two letters of assessment.


221-86-0118-9
There are no copies with this dividing page. What was removed?


A-78-0268
Coach House Newsletters

No. 1, February 1977:
Introductions and overviews. Technotes this month introduces the equipment used at CHP: the Datapoint (acquired in 1974); Diskettes; microfiche. Mentions the development of the TYPO programme.
The practical applications of computer-driven typesetting, according to the Green Parrot: "If a library desired a copy of a Coach House book that had gone out of print, then we could phone them the entire book in four minutes by hooking their computer into ours."

No. 2, May 1977:
Quebec translations, promotion of various titles. Technotes this month: computer-assisted proofreading. Proposes to address the "spelling machine" function of proofreading. Context: Bell Labs and Quik-Law have used computers in such ways. CHP proposes a study of its own (getting small computers to help publishers) in summer 1977.
CHP started using a computer for typesetting in 1975. David Slocombe did the programming; Green Parrot offers a bio of David: useful cross-reference against David's own interview notes.

No. 3, August 1977:
Technotes is the front-page feature now. This month, it's about integrated random grain screenless photography. The process is defined and its history described: initially by Whitey Roemer from Kodak; also Rick/Simon's additions and CHP projects that use it. Then more promotion of various books, more "bibliographic history," and news tidbits.

No. 4, November 1977:
Technotes this month is sheet-fed offset: a focus on the press itself. Moves from letterpress to A.B. Dick 360 to Heidelberg KORD 64. Also, announcements that the newsletter will continue in this quarterly cycle; various new books.


221-85-0107-3
"Help bring back the future," letter from CHP to its mailing list, n.d. [1985].
This letter, like the 2011 catalogue, uses a bunch of bird imagery. There's an emphasis in the letter on technical innovation and equipment -- using their printer to make "on-demand" editions, or also making typeset and xeroxed guts in offset covers. Mentions Swift Current and SoftQuad, and the movie Echoes without Saying.


221-84-0115-4
Letter from Sarah Sheard to "friends" of CHP, 1983.
The letter explains the catalogue cover, a computer board. Mentions David Slocombe (not by name) as software developer; Swift Current (also not by name). A request for "you" (readers and buyers) to call CHP, collect, and ask about books and buy books. The image of this call (the link between reader and CHP) as completing the circuit that gives meaning to all the rest of the technological "jonque." Yes, this is the letter with that great quote about the jonque.


221-87-0113-3
SoftQuad brochure, 4 pages. Included as supplementary / support material with the grant application.


A-72-2013
The cartoons: the inside view of CHP and the exploded view.


221-80-0110-3
"The Coach House Press and Canadian Publishing: A Position Paper for The Canada Council," February 1, 1980. Covers the state of Canadian publishing and the state of CHP. Includes appendix, "Principal Items of Machinery."


221-83-0130-6
The cover of the 1983 catalogue, with the circuit board.

Letter from Stan Bevington to "friends" of CHP.
Sums up the year. Mentions the Appelbaum-Hebert Report: CHP presented a position paper to the commission which apparently inspired the Commission to expand their ideas of what computers might do for publishing (not just MS prep, but also expand how people access literature). Also describes CHP's ongoing software / computer development.

CCA's summary of the Block Grant and Project Grant Programs, 1983: overview of the programs, mention of Applebaum-Hebert Report.

David Slocombe, "A Proposal for Publishers' Computing Systems," April 30, 1983. The one we've seen before.

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