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Typo: A Monthly Newspaper and Literary Review, Volume 5

Trade Exchanges

page 159

Trade Exchanges.

Lithographers have not hitherto been very largely represented in the trade press — possibly because most of them are also letterpress printers, and the printers' trade organs as a rule lay themselves out to cover the whole field. But the division-line is becoming more marked, and now three new special lithographic organs, each excellent in its way, are among our exchanges. First is the Philadelphia Lithographers' Journal, published by Mr W. M. Patton, the publisher and proprietor of Paper and Press, of which it is an offshoot. It is, we need scarcely say, full of interesting matter and beautiful illustrations, and superbly printed.— Next we have The Lithographer, Artist and Engraver, and Magazine of the Graphic Arts, successor to the London Printing Times. In appearance it is an improvement upon its predecessor; it has pretty and striking departmental headings; and the name of its editor, Mr W. D. Richmond, author of « The Grammar of Lithography, » is a sufficient guarantee of its technical excellence.—Last, though not least, is the British Lithographer, printed and published by Raithby & Lawrence, and edited by Mr Robert Hilton and Mr Charles Harrup. It contains 52 pages, is thoroughly practical in its contents, and we need scarcely say is superbly printed. It contains but one specimen of lithographic work, a beautiful mediæval French design, lithographed by Messrs A. Buncher & Co., Birmingham. We wish all our new contemporaries every success, each in its own special sphere.

The Ink Fiend, Chicago, has been purchased by Messrs Root & Turner. In the issue for October is begun « The Printer's Lexicon, » by the well-known printer, Henry R. Boss, who has been engaged for more than twenty years in its compilation. It promises to be both interesting and useful. The definitions are brief, and illustrations are introduced. The first instalment, of four pages, extends from A to Article.

L'Intermédiare for July contains a learned and valuable article on epigraphic composition, by Mons. E. Liénard, printer, Angers. With the same number is issued a folding supplement containing a large design—elaborate border, corners, and centre ornament—the most wonderful piece of rule mitering we have yet seen. It is designed and composed by M. Victor Breton. In the centre is an essay on the subject of rule-mitering, illustrated with a number of diagrams, all of which, as well as a coat of arms forming a keystone to the border, are wrought in brass rule.

« Peter Schœffer as a Pressman » is the title of an article by Mr F. S. Burrell in the American Pressman After discussing the method by which the colored initials were printed in the Psalter of 1457, Mr. Burrell says: « It would seem that Peter Schœffer is entitled to more credit as one of the inventors of our art than is generally accorded to him. It was Peter Schœffer who first attached an imprint to his work, who printed the first book with a date, who made the first use of catch-words, from which he soon evolved the first signatures [Mr B. has evidently not read Mr Blades's monograph on signatures], who printed the first book in a Roman-faced letter, who printed the first book ever leaded, who first introduced folios. With all these improvements to his credit, we wonder why it did not occur to him to print an engraving, or at least a description of the press he used. » The writer has made a mistake in measuring Schœffer by present standards. To have made known his mysteries, or any part of them, to the world, would have been, in Peter's case, looked upon as showing a condition of mind little short of lunacy.

Paper and Press has « assimilated » another trade paper, having purchased the old-established Printer's Circular, of Philadelphia.

The American Art Printer for August is the opening number of the fifth volume. Among other interesting matter, it contains a biography, with excellent portrait, of Mr Richard Ennis, editor of the St. Louis Stationer, a gentleman with whom Typo once had some discussion on the ethics of copyright. We learn that he has been in business in St. Louis since 1859. We quote the following interesting passage: « The laws of the Cherokee nation in English and Cherokee, have been the most remarkable work done by his house. In addition to having to invent some of the characters and accents, the matrix had to be especially cut and the type made by selected workmen. It was a very large contract, involving the expenditure of over ten thousand dollars, and no other printer, either in Chicago or St. Louis, had the nerve to undertake the work. Native Indians and interpreters were brought from the Cherokee nation to set type and read proofs. During the execution of the work, the office was converted into a small Indian camp, besides taxing the patience and intellectual capacity of the establishment, The matrices have since been sold to parties in the Indian territory, and now it is an easy matter to print either books or newspapers in the Cherokee language. A copy of the book was on exhibition at the Centennial in Philadelphia, and attracted marked attention; specimens of it have been solicited by the gatherers of printing curios in this and other countries. »

A noticeable exchange is the Allgemeiner Anzeiger für Druckereien, published weekly by Klimsch & Co., Frankfurt-a-M., and now in its eighteenth year. It has a circulation of nearly 13,000, is sent free, not only to every German printing office, but to all the known offices on the continent, and no other trade paper is so crowded with advertisements. They are not confined to trade announcements, as matrimonial advertisements have been known to appear. The amount of reading matter is not great, but as it deals chiefly with improvements in machinery and new patents, is of permanent value.

A very pretty business card in sepia, green, and gold, comes to us in the Stockholm Tidning för Boktryckarkonst. It is issued by Messrs Gustav Carlsson & Co., the publishers.

Press and Paper shows the marvellous development of typography in Japan. We note an improvement, the headings of the articles being given in English. We would suggest that number and date should also be given, as at present we cannot be sure of the sequence of our numbers. The one just to hand contains some genuine Japanese borders, for one and more colors—and very pretty they are—from the Tokyo Tsukiji typefoundry. It has a steelplate portrait of Mr. R. Tokuno, the late Director of Insetsu Kioku, with a biography in beautifully minute Japanese characters; some good process-blocks, and capital specimens of rulework by native artists—one, a rear view of a bare-legged native in the rain, carrying a large umbrella. The oblique lines representing the rain are put in by a second working, in tint. On one page we find a scheme of the Russian Alphabet, ordinary text, italic, and script, with descriptive matter in Japanese. Specimens are shown of Japanese type on small pica, and Corean on English: and from an advertisement in French, we gather that all varieties of Chinese and Japanese characters are produced at the foundry.

The Typographical Circular contains a long and suggestive article on co-operation and profit-sharing. It contains the following anecdote: When Mr Marshall, of Leeds, showed Robert Owen over his mills there, he said, « This army of working people, if they chose to be careful in the use of the material entrusted to them, might save me £4000 a year. » « Then, » remarked Mr. Owen, « ؟why not give them £2000, and they will do it? and you would gain £2000 by the arrangement. » « This, » remarks the writer, « explains the principle and business justification of profit-sharing. »

The Journal für Buchdruckerkunst of 30th July contains an article on the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the typefounding firm, now known as Benjamin Krebs' successors (Poppelbaum and C. Gsottschneider), and gives an excellent portrait of the late Benjamin Krebs.