Pre-Victorian British Typography and Printers' Manuals

Near-contemporaries, William Caslon the type-founder, and John Baskerville the printer, stand as two of the great figures in eighteenth-century British printing. This well-illustrated set includes an early memoir of Baskerville, an account of Caslon and his firm, and both figures appear in Reed's important work. A most famous book is Moxon's Mechanick Exercises which covers the full range of the technicalities of printing practice, including compositor, corrector, pressman and warehouseman, as well as including the first detailed explanation of the art of type-founding. Smith's most famous Grammar was in part based on Moxon but itself became the model of numerous subsequent grammars. Hansard's great history encompasses paper and typefounding, as well as printing, presses, and printing ink. It 'is admirably produced, and is a model of what a technical treatise should be' (Bigmore & Wyman). Savage's monumental Dictionary brings the history and art of printing up to the beginning of the Victorian era. Finally, more than a curiosity, Roberts's interesting early account of the neglected history of the printer's marks gives a unique illustrated picture of the trade itself. The history and techniques of British book illustration for the same era is to be covered in an eight-volume companion set to be published in November 1998. Faculties that may benefit from these sets include those interested in printing, fine art, design, commerce and technology, business organization, and social history. —Important works containing information on the grammar and art of printing —Valuable illustrated documentation on aspects and nature of the British book trade —Good insights into the management and costs of pre-Victorian businesses