Graham Moss of Incline Press Dies at 77

Incline Press proprietor, printer and binder Graham Moss has died in Scotland after a short illness.

Graham began Incline Press after a varied career including working as a history teacher. Over the last 30 years, he built Incline into a popular private fine press publisher in the UK, printing with hand set, metal type on a collection of vintage machines, working with writers and artists to make limited edition books and ephemera.

Incline, which will now close its doors, published more than 120 limited edition books, working with writers including Seamus Heaney, Matthew Hollis, Ian McMillan and Lemn Sissay. For more than two decades Graham worked closely with his wife Kathy Whalen, a bibliophile, librarian and printer who died in 2020, and more recently with his wife Helen Moss, also a printer and artist. The most complete collection of Incline Press books and ephemera is held at Chetham’s Library and Ryland’s Library in Manchester. 

The press recently moved headquarters from its longstanding base in a former cotton factory in Oldham, near Manchester to the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland where Graham planned to develop courses teaching the whole craft of book making, with a seasonal gallery space. 

Helen is planning an Incline Press Reading Day, date to be confirmed, on which owners of Graham's books will read his books together in an informal international reading circle to remember him. Details will be announced on the Incline instagram page.

Graham was always supportive of our work at Fine Books & Collections and it was always a pleasure to correspond with him. We pass on our condolences to Helen and his friends and family.