The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-08-23

We sit down 70 treat Of the topic At sae bea OF
this criticize Nth .ecuiiar pleasure. ain % we ave
some tbiIe TO say That will DO highly h'l,rsbie &,
Boston. and to the oble band Of mes wuo conduct
T. 10 NEST impos tat branch Of business business
that. informu & a1d iDluea iug tue mind OF u coun
ty like ours, Is perhaps uoequailtd.
boston. II we may here include uoder this name
CaDbri &c. il literally the home Of printing la Aue
Iics- Here this bless art ew and H,urisoed for
more than 70 y years before was int reduced toto
any other colony on these shores. Indeed, though
the colony OF Virginia was settled befo th we Of
Ply mouth and Massac busetts the press was not in
toduced there uLtil about tue year 1877 or nearly
Century after il began to ehed It's iig t Ct Cam
bridge.
TIE first prees in America rose " tn its frst col.
lege 1t Cambridge. IN 1888, sud as that remained
Toe only college for half century, SO there was
printing press In auy other art Of the country for
about the came period.
1t Is nCtce able fact, that the chief fundsrs of
the fist American college and fret press we're dis
OF the cue, We have ard muc |; Of Rv. Jesse Clio
yer, who gave us the press, we have heard less.
1his Ii strange siace he 6ied on h,s passage TO
America, In 1888, ia the very vessel that ought
over The print,Dg'pHess, that has been followed By
such pr' d;eious ,esults ia this country. Though
Mr. & over old not see the work his little press &C
conpisbed, sec thr VII Into this proi6 SOIL yet
the work bias gone until it has lowered to heaven
monument over his remains that were committed 10
the sea, they may and will revere his memory.
Next TO Mr.. Glover, In connection with the pub
hshing business, we ought to honor Step .eu Daye,
Who first printed in this country, aud whom nc
Glover himself engaged to come to New Eugland 70
couonct lis pnss Though the ,ress was erected
ct Canbsidg. 1858, he oiG not begin business till
early tie following year. The first work issued
ifo that little isolated press, here In the wilder
ness, as our leaders know was the Feentan's 18th.
How significant the title, and how important tee
work f,r these who were anew 10 make the expert
ms ut o. free government
We pass now TO BostCn proper And here we
must henoz john Foster as the latter of the Boston
press. II ap ears that Cambridge for about forty
Yeas had mono polized the publis ing business,
end then gave Foster license, according tn tue
custom OF the times, for the press was not then
free, to set up press on this side Of the Charles
1876 ard two ytars after book called "Eliot's
Hsfmcry Of the Gospels" a work, no doubt, print
cd to ao Eliot, the apostle of the Indians in his
mit sonaTy lsbors among the red men Of the forest
L was. then, forty.6ve years from the foundation
OF Boston that printing establishment was opcnei
ard the first issue of the Boston press was sent
forth to the world. Net two centuries have rolled
away since this memorable event IN our history and
how great results from this small beginning we
sh ell soon zee.
The frrt Boston bookseller and publisher was no
mean Parsonage. Foster was born in Dorchester
and graduated 1t Harvard College in 1867, with Six
olhcrs, thee OF whom bore the name Of Hobart
He was quite an astronomer, and aIculate1 as well
r
but few yea,s, he died in his native town. at the
eally age Of thirty-thIee years. Ills grave stoac
bears Latin inscription. in accordance with pre-
yalent custom Of those times. which We find Eng
hshed in Thomas History of Printing, thus
Thou Foster who on earth didst study tho heavenly
bodies. row ascend above tho armament and the
highest heaven. Go survey and inabt this divine
gion TO its possession am admitted through the grace
OF Jcaus al 10 pay the debt OF gratitude hold the
most sacrcd obligation.h
We have found the names of six other publishers
and booksellers OF Boston during the latter portion
OF the seme century. J. BroXning is mentioned as
Town House, in tke year 1853. And then We find
John Allen, John Funston an ex-miniser, Nehemiah
Green, who printed several election sermons; Michael
Perry, who was located under the Exchange, aud
beolsMin Harris, whese shop WAS opposite the Old
South Ohur, h. The bookselling and polishing Of
the seventet nth century in tho town OF Boston, was
quite limted. The publications consisted mostly Of
almanacs, psalm books sermons. catechisms, &c.
For the succeeding century we find the Names
through s. G. brakes Material History Of Boston, Of
fort seven booksellers and publishers in this town
How many more there we're We know not. This mum.
BIER seems large for so early period Of our history
Andrew BARCLAY was located "at the sign Of the
gut Bible" which last may only enlghtcn our anti.
qualiaa readers. In 1918 he published On edition
Of Tate and Brady's Psalms, Emo. The shop of
y arf, North End Among other things he pub.
iished d.. c. Ma!hers life Of his father; and in l72s
a sermon on the death Of Dr.. /. Mather. We find j.
blanchard al the sign of the Bible and Grown,
baids Indian Wars, limo, in marlborough street,
tho year the first guns Of The revolution were fired
Mere than twenty years earlier nj. Dennis scli books
uear Scarlet's wDarf.
since he Was printer to his Exceency the Governor
and Council. from lI3s.to "A, he published the In
dian treaty, WiggIoswoIths Lectures Of Hryerd Col
legc, and the plgrims Progress adorned With cuts'
other booksellers were Il. Draper, who published
ianin Etes, who fourished in ls75; Edes 4 Gill,
whose shop was next to the prison on Queen street;
J. Edwards, in Cornhill, H. Eliot, wiosc shon was
in King street (the present State little below III
Town House, nBd John Eliot, who gold books at the
south end OF the town in 1725.
Ore of the large publishers Of that period was s.
Gel1ish, Of Cornhill, Chen Washington stfectl who
published Princes Chronology, Boyleton's Small
Pox, Symmes Memorial Of I.oycweIl's Fight. and
other books. D. Gockin lid business on Marlborough
street, opposite the Old South Church, and Isaiah
Thomas had his store near "AIill Bridge in I17;
At the beginning of The eighteenth century James
Gray, Scotchmsn, was Boston bookseller. AZ
he mad no family when he died, unsuc esslul ef-
fort was made to secure his property for tue Scots
Box that was the foundation OF the present Scots
Charitable Society.
Near the beginning Of the present century, or in
the year ISL when Meesrs. Crocker and brewster
were boys together in the bookstore OF Mr.. Arm
strong, there were, according to their recollection,
eighteen booksellers and patlishe.s In this then
town, as follows
Thomas Andre Andrews 4 Cummings;
Manning X l.orlng; West and Richardson; Munroe
Francis X Parker; West Blake; liver G. Green
leaf; Lincoln and Edmands; Ebenezer Larkin; Jos.
larkin; Caleb Bingham; White & Burditt; Charles
MeteaG: Charles Williams; Thomas Wells; Joseph
GIeenleaf: Samuel I. Armstrong; Wells Il Lilly
Herr we have eighteen booksellers, against one
hundred of every description now, or forty.three
years later, and probably VIC now have O single
store or two that do as much business rs they all
did at that time Thus wonderfully has this branch
of business increased within the half century.
or the twontyninc booksellers alive and in
business IN ISL only three arc believed to survive,
namely:-lemuel Blake, Samuel ii. Parker and
William Wells. The last is at this time teacher of
q private school in Cambridge.
half century ago the business was conducted
On very limited scale compared to the present
The stores we're small affairs, being single front
room or two Of the dwelling houses, mostly small
and OF wood, in which the p'oprietorsrosidcd. Tho
persons employed usually lived in the family Of the
cmf,I0V wus rnrdurtad IN no