Description
Here is a unique Roycroft book entitled “Guests” that is “printed and bound by the Roycrofters East Aurora, New York”. What makes this one special is that unlike the Guest books made for sale and taken to customer’s homes, this book is actually the one from the William Morris room at the Roycroft Inn itself! The Roycrofters were an Arts & Crafts community during the early 1900s in East Aurora, New York. They created beautiful hand-bound and illumined books and hammered copperware, and still live on today in the Roycroft Renaissance movement.
The book is packed full with comments from guests who stayed in the room between 1936 and 1947; it contains about 60 individual comments and signatures. Shown are a small subset. Most of them express satisfaction with the peace and comfort at the Inn, and some even have written their own poetry. A surprising number mention Roycroft founder Elbert Hubbard himself, his vision and his greatness, despite him already being dead for 20-30 years. A few comments also give a nod to William Morris, after whom the room was named. And a few are just funny, such as “Drunk again but oh!! Nice dance—good food—bed was OK. Women extra special…”!
According to a 1923 Roycroft advertisement: “The sleeping-rooms of The Roycroft Inn are not numbered. Each room bears the name of one of the world’s great; and the furnishings are carried out in harmony with the character of the personages the room is named for.” While Hubbard was on Campus, he would call guests by the name of their room – so you could be Cleopatra or Socrates or Morris, et al. for the duration of your stay. (https://roycroftcampuscorporation.typepad.com/roycroftcampuscorporation/2013/06/what-do-bronte-socrates-paganini-have-in-common.html)
