Note 138 — XIV

The fac-simile given by Holtrop in his Monuments typographiques presents the following measurements, in American inches: In the Latin edition, described in this book as the first, 25 lines measure 5 1 ⁄ 2 inches. In the Dutch edition, here described as the third, 27 lines measure 5 1 ⁄ 2 inches. In the Dutch edition, here described as the fourth, 26 lines measure 5 1 ⁄ 2 inches. As we find no indication of the use of leads or thin blanks to increase the distance between lines, it would seem that the types of the three editions were cast in different moulds. Sotheby’s fac-similes, which seem to have been made with equal care, do not exactly agree with those taken from Holtrop’s book. There are, no doubt, differences of size, not only in the fac-similes, but in the original copies of the book. Allowance must be also made for the unequal shrinkage on different leaves of the very thick paper, which may have been unequally dampened, and unequally extended before printing.