NOTES
Reading edition
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER THE TYPES AND TYPE FOUNDING OF THE FIRST PRINTERS
s. d.
Acciaio (steel) liv. 2 8 0 la lib. ( = 9 0 per lb.)
Metallo (type-metal?) ″ 0 11 0 ″ ( = 2 0 3⁄4 ″ )
Ottone (brass) ″ 0 12 0 ″ ( = 2 3 ″ )
Rame (copper) ″ 0 6 8 ″ ( = 1 3 ″ )
Stagno (tin) ″ 0 8 0 ″ ( = 1 6 ″ )
Piombo (lead) ″ 0 2 4 ″ ( = 0 5 1⁄4 ″ )
Filo di ferro (iron wire) ″ 0 8 0 ″ ( = 1 6 ″ )
1. THE ENGLISH TYPE BODIES AND FACES
2. THE LEARNED, FOREIGN, AND PECULIAR CHARACTERS
3. THE PRINTER LETTER-FOUNDERS, FROM CAXTON TO DAY
4. LETTER FOUNDING AS AN ENGLISH MECHANICAL TRADE
5. THE STATE CONTROL OF ENGLISH LETTER-FOUNDING
6. THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY FOUNDRY
“I do not love thee, Doctor Fell,
The reason why, I cannot tell;
But this alone I know full well,
I do not love thee, Doctor Fell.”
7. THE STAR CHAMBER FOUNDERS, AND THE LONDON POLYGLOT
(24) Thomas Wright (1635).
(26) Arthur Nichols (1637).
(31) Alexander Fifield (1642).
(42) Nicholas Nichols (1653).
(61) James Grover (1672).
(63) Thomas Grover (1674).
(64) Joseph Leigh (Lee?) (1675).
(66) Godfrey Head (1677).
(67) Thos. Goring (1678).
(69) Robert Andrews (1680).
1516. Psalter in Hebrew, Arabic, Chaldee, Greek and Latin, published by Porrus at Genoa.
1518. Psalter in Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Ethiopic, published by Potken at Cologne.
1546. Pentateuch in Hebrew, Chaldee, Persian and Arabic, published at Constantinople (but all in Hebrew type).
1547. Pentateuch in Hebrew, Spanish and modern Greek, published at Constantinople.
1586. Bible in Hebrew, Greek and Latin (two versions), published at Heidelberg.
1596. Bible in Greek, Latin and German, published by Wolder at Hamburg.
1599. Bible (portions) in Hebrew, Chaldee, Greek, Latin, German, Sclavonic, etc., published by Hutterus at Nuremberg.
8. JOSEPH MOXON
Vol. I (14 numbers). The Smiths, the Joyners, the Carpenters, and the Turner’s Trades. 1677–80.
Vol. II (24 numbers). Applied to the Art of Printing, 1683–6. (Dedicated to Dr. Fell, Bishop of Oxford.)
9. THE LATER FOUNDERS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
10. THOMAS AND JOHN JAMES, 1710
11. WILLIAM CASLON, 1720
“They endeavour, by every method to withdraw, from this Foundry, that which they silently acknowledge is its indisputable Right: Which is conspicuous by their very Address to the Public, wherein they promise (in Order to induce Attention and Encouragement) that they will use their utmost Endeavours to IMITATE the Productions of this Foundry; which assertion, on inspection, will be found impracticable, as the Imperfections cannot correspond in size.
“The Proprietor of this Foundry, ever desirous of retaining the decisive Superiority in his Favour, and full of the sincerest Gratitude for the distinguished Honour, by every Work of Reputation being printed from the elegant Types of the Chiswell Street Manufactory, hopes, by every Improvement, to retain and merit a Continuance of their established Approbation, which, in all Quarters of the Globe, has given it so acknowledged an Ascendency over that of his Opponents.”
The address prefixed to the 1785 Specimen Book of the Worship Street Foundry had evidently been the inspiration of this tirade, which in turn evoked a spirited reply from the Frys in the following year. See post, chap. xv.
12. ALEXANDER WILSON, 1742
13. JOHN BASKERVILLE, 1752
“PUNCHIONS of the Great Primer Greek—a large proportion of the fount, but not the whole.
“MATRICES of the same.
“PUNCHIONS of the Two-line Great Primer, with Initial Letters. Complete.
“MATRICES of the same, also complete.
“PUNCHIONS of one set of Figures, supplied with the above.
“MATRICES of the same.”
Still more recently, Mr. Horace Hart has been fortunate enough to discover part of the actual type in its original cases. It is interesting to note that these types, which are of rather a soft metal, are cast to the Oxford Learned-Side “height-to-paper.”
14. THOMAS COTTRELL, 1757
“I remain, your obedient Servant, ROBERT THORNE.”
“Barbican, 1803.
Roman and Italic.― 5-line (3), 4-line (3), Canon (4), 2-line Double Pica (3), 2-line Great Primer (4), 2-line English (4), 2-line Pica (1), Double Pica (4), Great Primer (4), English (5), Pica (6), Small Pica (3), Long Primer (6), Bourgeois (3), Brevier (5), Minion (1), Nonpareil Roman (2), Pearl (1)
Black (plain or open).― 5-line (5), 4-line (2), Canon (2), 2-line Great Primer (5), 2-line English (2), Double Pica (2), Great Primer (2), English (1), Pica (1), Small Pica (1), Long Primer (2), Bourgeois (1).
Shaded.― 5-line to Brevier (21).
Flowers.― All bodies (15).
Ornamented.― Canon to 2-line Bourgeois (6).
Egyptian.― 2-line Great Primerto Brevier (6).
Script.― 2-line Pica, Double Pica, Great Primer.
Engrossing.― 2-line English.
German.― English.
Two-line Letters, Signs, etc., etc.
Sanspareil Founts.― 14-line to 4-line (24).
15. JOSEPH AND EDMUND FRY, 1764
The Same, in 5 vols., 8vo:—Vols. 1, 2, 3, 1774; Vol. 4, 1776; Vol. 5 (Apocrypha) 1775.
The Same, 4 vols., 1777. 8vo.
16. JOSEPH JACKSON, 1763
17. WILLIAM MARTIN, 1790
18. VINCENT FIGGINS, 1792
19. MINOR FOUNDERS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
“To those of the Trade who have not hitherto used the Types of the British Foundry, it may be necessary to observe, that they are composed of the very best Metal, and that they are justified to paper and body agreeable to the usual standard.
“As the Establishment of this Foundry comprises eminent engravers on wood and brass, orders in either of these branches will be executed in the best stile of the Art. February, 1797.”
A first part of the specimen appears to have been issued in 1796, and the whole book in 1797.
20. WILLIAM MILLER, 1809
21. THE MINOR FOUNDERS, 1800–1830
