, 1874-08-23
The. Descent from Folio to
G4-mo.
Rage for Old Editions and Large
Paper Copies. i.
RiEo and Fall Of Blue and Gold
Editions.
The Practice Of 'f Extending" Bcoks---
A'Vord About Bindings. y


1t may soem strange to some to be told tba
there is and always has been, fashion il
books but such is the caEe,-a fashion as pro
= nonnced in sono respects as any imposed b.
Partisan rules In oldcn time. and within th
first twenty-five years after printing WIS in
vented, no books. OF very few, wero printed il
} anything. but
FOLIO SIZE:
pondarous tones which required table to boar
= their weight, but which now aro consigned t
, the bottom shelves Of libraries, to dampnesl
aud 1ats. The size OF the fo!los gradually de-
creased, and before A. D. 1475 gave place in
large measure to
| QUARTo5,
| which in turn were compelled in fow years tt
resign in favor Of octsvos and old-fashionel
duodecimos.
From this time tho change was rapid, and, as
tho number OF printers and booEbinders in.
creased, new forms and sizes we're invented,
uLtl at tho present day bookbuyer is bewiider-
/ ed by large and small folios. elephant folios,
roFal folos, largo and small oatavos, royal
octayos, imperial, folio-cap, deny, and square
| octavos, books in 1Cmo, squire 1Crno 18mo,
21mo. 32mo. 4Smo, and G4mo. The good old
uama OF
| DCoDEC1Ho
seems unfortunately to ba almost lost Un-
/ fortunately, for it denoted aize nearly uniform
which il now replaced by the ambiguous tarm Of
octave.
This word
has lately been subjected to severe usage, ana is
the cause Of much dissatisfaction and confusion,
including, as it does, books ranging in size from
| Valpoys Pictorial Shakespeare, in foiio-cap
| octa7o volume, about So inches high,
nearly the size Of the old 1Grno., up to Adler's
| Unabridged Dictionary in royal octave, nearly
| 10]9 inches in height. OF coursc, some dlstlnc-
ton is ,nade by such limiting terms as *delny,"
| but these arc not sufficient. as eau be easily
! shown By comparing the catalogues Of different
| booksellers. where tho edition Of work
| will be designated by different terms ia regard
| to Sizes Eut fashion never is, and probably
mover waa. iateaded to bo regarded as synon-
ymous with either convenience or reason.
Nor is fashion in books confined alone to their
size. 4 lex year. ago tho only correct thing
was to have . book
''CScUr''
and. though very stylish for time, its day is
ever. aud books OF this kiud are now chiefly
valuable to collector who is never guilty Of
reading l.s onn library, but desires to have his
books looks in I'll the best shape III no pecnqaE
is oal; provocative of ''cuss-wortls,"
especially if il is deslred to hastily turn the
leaves III search of passage. This fashion for
rs,c;ls books, though only revival Of IN old
mode, still keeps the even tenor of its WY
among blbliomani1cs and secondhand book-
sellers, aud often causes volume, especially ii
printed fifty or seyculy-tve Years ago. to lie un-
reasonably advanced in price, many needy
book lover has had occasion to know.
Another bygone fashion Was that for tho
"'DLuE AID GOLD
editions. This was au excellent style, and was
we'll entit1cd to a louger life. Ono of the most
sensible styles that ever was invented, IL that in
vogue to e large extent at the present dsy,
It does not matter so much that the side and
bottom edges Of tho le.yes OF q volume arc ir-
where the fringe instinctivsly cstches
the leaf to turn it. And no5
only this, bnt it aids in material degree in
keeping the book clean, tho dust is not go npt
to penetrate and eau be the more easily brushed
Leaving NOW tho external characteristics Of 3
volume as affected BY The fashion, We conas to
the difference iu
THE SUBJECT NATTER.
English dramatists. America has joined
eagerly III tins pursuit, which once
Belonged peculiarly to England, aud
her competition has aided largely
in raising the prices OF old editions OF the earlier
laus aulouut, entirely ut variance With their real
WORTH lhia las necessitated as partial sub
siituto large number of rcp,iuts, but those
whose purses are deep, or tastes fastidous,
spurn auything but tao original editions, d.
OF human nature-tho old
editions may be printed IN q Grabbed tyro. On
exccrable paper, and e1abeilisbed With woou-cuts
that would shame tyro III wood-engr2ying at
the prescut day.
Much, however, may DO said in favor Of this
passion for
OLD EDITIONS.
Not only doe5 the possessor Of first folio
Shakespeare feel the pleasute of having what only
a small portion o., the world enjoys; not ouly is
he elevated INTO tl1e number vi tho Eelect few,
but he eau learn something not taught by read
ing BOOKS. OF tho character Of the time III which
they were first printed, and oven Of the peOplo
Of tha. tituc.
Still another Of the ancient styles was tia: OF
oAUFEEfSG THE EDGES OF TIE LEAvEA,
or marking them with different patterns, or some
little volume containing Boccacc1os "Labyr1nt1
Of Love" and an Italian Translation OF ApuIoiEs' |
''Goldon Ass." Il IL about tho size of the modern
1Gmo. volume, though called 8 duolecimo. ct
nearly 4Oo p3ges. aud printed entirely in ltnlc
types. The date is 1850, and the book came from
tna press Of the ~eu-kuown G1olito dc Ferrari, IN
Venice. 1nstead OF numbering tho pages only.
the leaves AGO numbered Tie binding
IS old flexible vcllun attached to the
book BY ycilum strips sewed through the cover.
Thongs OF tho game material formed in loGp |
10 duty as clasps, and rbe loops fastoucd
over buttons or knors Of velum soved into the
covers. The edges OF the leaves, once gilt, bit
low dull, ye!iowish brown, are covered with
some notwithstanding figures, surrounded by q
inc narrow border. tho whole being stamped |
nto tho paper. Scores Of pages together ago
printed without . siugle break or paragraph,
and the lines, with small and Insignificant capi-
:als. aud very narrow spacing, look like some
gigantic word stretching without al eud. Like
hz famous Gleok word in one Of Aristophaaes es'
which is propounded to verdant FRESH
men q test OF their proficiency in that Ian
;uage. This ehibbo!orh, which denoted :
ola podrida OF fel, flesh, aud
owl, must have been more in oonso- ,
aauco with the doce-fernlente character
II the ancient Greek, than with this busy, eacr- :
,etic constitution of the American of the present
ime. Imagine man stepping iuto q Restaurant
,ow, and calling the as,onished waiter for
uch dish, the pronunciation OF the name Of
vhich would occupy time enough. speaking after
~ t. sE