New-York tribune., 1871-07-31


est of publishers Of books is used to greater
extent by merchants and manufacturers as an ala 10
| business. Advertising has been known and prac-
! ticed for centuries, but 10 s constantly orachi's
out in new directions. There Is much pInt'd WON
fr which nc,yspapcrs are unequal. There are manu-
facturere who require hundreds of pages soc'i'"''
of ouarto and folio size for an illustrated eNnlpoh
| of tbeir wares Books like these, when very eNpeh
sive are sometimes sold; when inexpensive are
oi,en away TO customers. To fairly represent manu-
focturos by the illustration of engraving 1t IL of the
| first importance that paper type engraving, ana
| press-work shall be of the best. Many manliac-
turers have no travelling salesmen but rely ior GUS
tom entirely on the effect produced by their illus
| trated and priced catalogues. They hnd 1t wise
| economy to publish book so full, so neat. and 80
valuable that il is the interest OF the buyer TO pre-
serve and consult il. The Typography of their books
is rarely below medocrity; that of type-founders,
press builders jewelers., carriage-makers, silver
smiths, and Others is often exquisite Many years
ago the printing of type-fOundegs specimenbook,
reputed TO have cost $500, was considered prod
gality of expenditure, but it has been equalcd re-
| peaedly since.
The most noticeable work Of this class is the Illus
| trated Catalogue of Mallory, Wheeler d Co. of New
Hayeu-a royal folio deaf II by IS inches) of some
900 pages As specimen of Typography it is unique.
1t is intended to represent with minute accuracy all
the manufactures of the firm for which il is made.
The iTOn steel, nickel, brass, copper, bellmetal
| lacQuered and japanned work, silver plate,
and porcelain, that enter into the combination OF
locks. handles, escutcheons, etc., are set forth IN
their proper colors Only practical printers and not
all of them, have clear notion of the labor SKILL
| and taste that such "a work demands. Every color
must be printed separately and some pages have re-
| auired nine distinct impressions Every color must
faithfully represent the material of the lock; but
| printingnks cannot give the glitter of metal;
! bronzes must be used and compounded with the
greatest nicely, to produce the proper effect The
! colors cannot be blended like those in cmomo-
lithograph; each must have hard, precise outline
but the variation of any color from its proper place
by even the ifieh of an inch would spoil the work
| The conditions have been admirably observed the
color and the register are faultess.
The book glows with fiat and bright color, but
the type-work is in the best possible taste ms sup
! port to the illustrations. If any reader of this
article infers from this that the book is gigantic
| experiment in those typographical gymnastics III
which some of printers delight-t0arS de force In
which the martyred type writhe i'll endless conyou-
tions and agonzed contortions around the glare OF
! gold, carnine and utramarine inks-let him be I'M
deceived. Bonsley's folio Bible is not more severe
! in its simplicity of arrangement; Baskerville him.
self would have given praise to the pure, graceful
designed expressly for the work. From title page to
| inis there is not letter Of iialc not line of
| black-letter or ornamental type. So rigidly en-
forced is this plainncss, that reader whose taste
has been formed on other models might think that
! many pages were really bald. But the beauty Of
the type and the presswork Telcems it from this
fault. Every letter presents clean, graceful out
line and always in 4 uniform tone of bright, glossy
black color.
The plate paper used for the work is of the palest
cram COLOR the faintest suggestion of a tintnOt a
tint but a tone. Thick as a bristol board, but strong
and flexible as paper should be-smooth and pol
ished vet free from that waxy glitter which is the
prevailing fault of om tinted papers-it is model
of color and finish.
1t was intended that the book should be American
throughout To maintain this intention, the leather
| used for binding was made from Yankee cowhide.
1t has been handsomely treated the strong close
grained brilliant crimson cover well deserves the
new name of American russia.
! The work reflects high credit upon all who have
contributed to it. OF these the printer of the book
VIM. c. Hutchngs Of Hartford, Conn, rightfully de-
serves the most honorable mention for the beauty OF
the book is due to his skill and taste. The seymour
Paper Company manufactured the paper (which
weighed about 10 tunsl on which the book is printed
the voodcuts were made by Tarbcll & Sanford
from drawings made by A. 2. Norman; the electro
typlng and cO0TplateS were maze IN MI lutCulhSsS
establishments: and the printing Of the book occu
pied three of r. Hoe & Co.'s new stop-cylinder
presses (which Mr. Hutchings believes to be the best
presses in existence for about year There were
1900 copies printed, aud We gIpde,rsiaGd q, that the
! value OF the work, completed, is abOnt $4,000.
| Ii is a credit to the manufacturer, and a greater
credit 10 the nation Ii is an indication, not only OF
the growing skill of our mechanics, but Of the de-
veopment of artistic tastes in unknown sources. 1t
is suggestive of the typography of the future. Fine
printing will not be exclusively devoted to Greek
and Latin classics and th3 hooks of scholars or Of
literary trihers il will find more extended field in
! beautifving books which represent ausl commend
articles Of common everyday life. The old Greek
ideal Of proprety, that has deeper meaning than is
taught in our schools, viii be realized Venus the
beautiful will he welded, not to Apollo the poet, but
| to Vulcan the mechanic
| IT, in some far distant century, Macaulay's New
Zealander after he shall have concluded his Obserya
tions from the broken arch Of London Bridge shall
York and should grub mp from the vaults of the
Astor Library tattered and wOrn-eaten copy Of
this book he will find it trusty witness as to the
condition of American industry in the &lXth
century. The wealth and enterprise of the manu-
facturer the invention and ingenuity of the makers
Of the locks the artistic tastes Of the printer OF the
book and the general prosperity Of the trade and of
| the country in which it circulated are inferences
that could not be overlooked.