John Ashbery in Newsweek described Moser's wood engraving technique as "never less than dazzling." His list of limited edition fine press books illustrated with wood engravings includes: Through the Looking-Glass, Frankenstein, Moby-Dick, the centenary edition of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Men of Printing.
Barry Moser was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1940. He was educated at Auburn University, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and later did graduate work at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His artistic work, which includes the books from his Pennyroyal Press, is represented in numerous collections, museums, and libraries in the United States and abroad, including the British Museum, the Library of Congress, and the New York Public LIbrary. Moser's 1982 Pennyroyal edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, subsequently published by the University of California Press, won the American Book Award for design and illustration.
During the last few years, Mr. Moser has provided watercolor illustrations for many different publishers. In 1986 and 1987, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich published Jump! and Jump Again! Both books were ALA Notable Books, Horn Book Fanfare Selections, Booklist Editors' Choices, and School Library Journal Best Books. Jump Again! was also chosen as a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year and a Redbook Best Illustrated Picture Book. His most recent work, In the Beginning (1988) was named a Newbery Honor Book.
In addition to being a designer, printer, painter, printmaker, and illustrator, Mr. Moser frequently lectures and serves as a visiting artist at universities and institutions across the country. Moser has exhibited internationally in both one-man and group exhibits. He is an associate of the National Academy of Design.