New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-03
RECOLLECTIONS OF A READER.
BY CHARLES L. CONGDON.
Xxx
A1ypE.F FOUNDERS LIBRARY.

ALDINFs, BODOSIs, EIZEviRs-VARIOC5 CLASSES
OF BooK-HUNIERs-RAPID SPREAD OF TIE ART
| OF PRINTING-THE SMALLEST BOOK EVER PRINTED
| -PRANKLIN's CATO OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF
THE ART OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF
TYPoGRAPHER.
| There is nothing Of which men and women in
general know 30 little as of early printed books;
and this for reasons which not difficult OF con-
lecture. In tho first place, great many of these
| books are III type which very few can read. In
the second place. majority of them are in dead
languages. Thirdly, they are usually either re-
| lgous or classical books which have no modern
| human interest. Those of them which ar not en-
| tircly out OF use have been reprinted in modern
| letter and can be easily read by those who wish
to read them. Thus 1t happens that collection OF
early printed books is not attractive TO mere readers
Again to the ordinary admircr OF brica-lTac. they
are not attractive because they usually ana al
most necessarily in q state OF shabbiness. The dust
OF several centuries has begrmcd their covers. so
that the marvellous and sometimes BEAUTIFULLY
embossed bindings have retained only n rcmns-
ccncc of their original beauty. One OF the brazen
or lcaihcrn clasps is gonc-pcrhaps both. The fine
gliding which made brave n show has become
dim; the milk.white vrlum which DIbdln so loved
has grown yellow. and so has the strong thick
palcr; the bosses and rr-platcs might he re-
polished To advantage in the eyes of good house
krcpcrs: the boards OF veritahle wool are perhaps
split: the velvet has faded, the silver las -rowh
black and where gems once were. are now Only
cycl,ss sockets No matter how well kept book
is il it he very old ii betray, its antquty y the
art Of Lin.iug advanced. much more was made OF
yclluin leather parchment. and the frippcry OF the
art If may without irrcycrncc call 1t 80, diSap-
p,arcd- the rsc of cnancls Of precious metals and
cf gems. The bndin - executed for Gr"iwr placed
the French school at hc head u the craft @. binders
rs ar 3 a, tie times Of lrancisI J. Gro'icf per
han, t'lc rca cr knows dill not himself bind. for hr
was military man AMI Gentleman. hut H. cin-
ploycd wor,mcn who alor'd acroriiu" 70 his IDEAS
Of TASTE ana bcau,y: ana 80 d the iaif and famous
Diana Of Poticr>. saw many OF thcsr lovely
bindings IN thr British Mn ou,@ and ia the iioil"nn
at Oxford. hut they were all under .ll-s -' that
can say no more than trHt'n r'i-l i'll not handle
them In The Museum also were TIE hoehS o.
George Ill. who W., very ia-tidl"us IN bindings
II was, think the hIadsomc> cole, tioh II printed
boo;s which my cycscNer hchcid. ar different Is
4 library devoted To- Typographical autiIu tlc, Ike
that Of Mr.. David ". Bruce. OF Ncv-lcfk. ~ witch
| recently spent d1y. and in VIII, u ! could p.'.iS
anly and prolil.ihly spend many. Mr. lirncr oil
L., ton /, almost Exclusively onr OF books ilustra
tive OF the nNcuton aud progress II printing, in
which. as tho heal OF on" Of the oldest typr-,"und
ing houses IN the country. he naturally i mu,h IN
tcrrtted.
The strty ui such collection j. - mater idI not a
HLr,rv study. Ia TN, respect those who .ay that
lbiiocraphcr> do not read their own books arr
rlvhf They do not tar ~ am aware. n hilllo,-
raplrr~. pretend to read them. 1t IS not 4 qu.s-
tun Of rca'lug ut ALT /, rather che % inanulac
turc Of IN crcccdinply intcrciting and, may say
las mating sort. Iihli"gmphy primarily deals
with printers. dates. places Of puhcatlon, letter.
the STORY al particular copies o. editions. hindneN
mot with improvements IN printing machinery
hut wuh their results. IL i, not for the hlbliog
raphcr TO Tx the correctness of book, but ITS
authenticity. The other work IS ioI critic
photographers compile catalogues. aud lie who
males that rarcst thing il the TDrd, good rata
I,guc is entitled 30 the thank, If all book oycrs
present OF to c"n". He - the assistant. often
appreciated. Of men who write or who think be
makes broad scholarship possible; he provides the
means hy which others win fame and fortunc, and.
regarded merely ID al antiquarian. he preserve,
that which is of positive value. quite IS prohtahly
as il lac gathered coins pottery old armor or old
bcd,teals. The historian knows his obligations 10
him. thOush tl = may not he confessed; aud ~ one
who saves data which might otherwise he de-
s,roycd he may bc paidoncd any ecccntricty and
SHARED that hint of madness which the ignorant
and the thOughtlcSs 80 fond Of ilinglng At his
honorable and useful enthusiasm. Considering
what tie art OF printing has accompI shed, those
who study the history Of IT'S inventions and pro-
grcss study the progress OF the human mind. the
advance Of civilization. and the incNpr ssblc
difference between the fifth century and the nine
tenth. between block hook ard the cheap yet
elegant volume which gives TO the poorest pur-
chaser the resources and the methods OF intellectual
cultivation.
Somebody lately wrote little copy OF verses
about book hunters IN which. according TO the pop
ular notion OF photography, they were represented
IA continually upon the alert for Aldncs HodOni'.
Ellcvirs." Il II rather curious grouping. BodonI
was beautiful Italian printer. who died at Padua
in 1913. His boOks very fine especially. be-
lirvc his Greek books but they not in the usual
sense old. When man lor womanl talks about
Adus. which Aldus is mcanti Aldus the Elder,
Paul. or Aldus the Younget' Many OF the booNs
printed by the elder Aldus are far from rarc-thcrc
are n great many bearing his imprint OF doubtful
outhenticity The Adno editions OF three different
imprints IT ach from 1890 to 1897. Allus Manu-
thus printed his Virgil IN 1901 and 1t is in the type
called by tho Italians Corsir running. lowing and
which We call Halic 1t Is said to have been an
imitation OF the handwriting Of Pctrarch. The
second book printed IN this letter by Adus Is the
Stains 500 of which Mr.. Bruce has n beautiful
copy All the photographers mark tins edition rs
8" very rare lit is an Allus worth having ii not
the first il is at least the second book from that
renowned press in that letter But the printers Of
LYONS and Florence had already begun to counter
Grit Alduss books, and t. steal his imprint and
MARIA dolphin cocd about the shank OF m
anchor. with the syllabes Al and Dus on the
si,.s Of il. or the Ellcyirs everybody has heard
and almost every body can talk. most people being
under the impression that there was but one.
whereas there was a number OF them printing from
1892 down TO 1872. LOUIS, the founder OF tho
fnil, wns tho fnther OF five sons. and pL blished