New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-03

forgcrs The device OF the anchor and dolphin ID
probably no safeguard at all. Any imitator could
copy It, Sometimes, however, the dolpbins tail IL
turned the wrong side or there is other slight
difference The prices OF Aldines are not excessive.
except those asked for one or two of the rarest An
extraordinary collection of Aldines was lately
offered IN London in fine condition. some OF them
antique, large paper and original bindings. Tor
$4,000. And 80 much for Aldincs, Bodonis, Elze-
vrsw These are not what collector who knows
his business calls rare books or even old books.
They are tho sugar-plums Of the feast, and not
pieces of resistance.
Here perhaps as well as anywhere may give the
best dcfn iion of various words all used to desis-
nate book hunter. quote from Mr. Burton. who
quotes from the elder DIsrael who quotes from
Jean Joseph Rive: A bblOonoste is one knowing
in title pages and coophons and in editions; the
place and year when printed the presses whence
issued and all the minute OF u book btblio-
orGphe is q descrbcr OF hooks and other literary ar
rangements: a bibiomane is an indiscrminate ac-
cumulator who plumbers faster than he buys, cock
Drained and purse heavy: biol 0phl, the lover OF
books. is the only one in the class who appears TO
read them for his pleasure; bibiiotdphe buries
his books. by keeping them under lock. or framing
them in glass cases" OF all these. | hope my
auy rate not that unCracious creature. perhaps
wen that dog in the maLGer n bibHOidphe
The collection Of Mr. Bruce IS very strong in early
printed books. and especially in those OF the iif
tecnth century. The reader will remember that
Mr. Theodore l.. de Ninnc in his admirable history
of The Invention OF Printing Acknowledges his
indebtedness To this collection" rcplete," lie says,
with AL the books needed, with specimens OK
types. wooA-cuts. AMI curostic> Of typo founding,
which illustrate the growth Of printing from its
infancy. Deprived of Mr.. Hruccs generous assist
ancr. ny wOrS would have been greatly restricted
in IT, o2r and shorn of its best features of Illus
uaiiou.' The library contains excellent specimens
Of Gutenberg, SchaleI. jansen and other early
printers ! make no attempt 10 describe these
books. partly because any description Of them
Nould br uu.ntrrcstng 10 The general reader. The
type resembling the black lcit,r used 10y tran
scrih,rs Is UNI, adablc by mo''n eyes. The initial
letters OF the chapters. some OF them pretty gilt,
woald catch any eyc. aud thr W"oi.cuts are quaint
and utcr.>. NJ. But >u,h books are now only
specimens OF manufacture, ani have no literary
interest They are objects for the sight, and must
b. sen to be- appreciated. |! has been thought
that the arr Of printing spread somewhat slowly
through Europe. However. within twrnty-iour
year, from the invention of Gutenberg in li50
=.
Of cardinal Malarin, " all the good books. however
bulky had been printed two or three times, to say
nothing OF many worthless works which should
have been burned. A very large proportion OF
WORK, issued from the pres, printed in Venice.
Paris came next IN number and then Milan.
Among the many CurlosItics of ancient and mod
ern printing in the collection OF Nh Bruce, may be
mentioned the smallest book ever printed. Its title
/. as follows: Maxmcs ct RctcXions Morales du
Due lie "a RochciOucauld. Paris. DE rlmpremrrie
dc pidot lie Jcunr 1N.7. pp. 9G.' 1t is printed
Jn 4 pc one. half the size Of nonplrcil-thc type IN
which the General Notes. Of TIE Tribune ore
printed The book is one inch by one inch and a
half or nca,ly So or cOursc it l. nearly nlcglblc
end was not intended TO be- read VI. DIdOt merely
meant 10 show what he could do when he cast the
letters for Ills Typographical toy. We have here
also the beautiful editions by Baskerville n75sD OF
the Paradise Lost" and the " Paradise Rcgaincd.
These followed tho Virgil of Baskerville u7jsl.
which was the first book printed upon woven
paper. Without following any particular order,
may next mention The Holy Bible; Containing
the Old and New Tcstamcnts in the Arabic Lam
euacc. Newcastle. upon Tyne. Printed by Sarah
lIodg,on 1Nll.' We have had at least two
female printers in this county. and both were in
Phlladrphia. These were Hannah Aitkin and
Iyda Bailey. Both lourishrd and printed at tho
beginning Of the present century aud both,
think inherited the business from departed hus-
bands Among other interesting books In Slr.
Irucc's library is one well-known TO collectors
" 81 I. Ciceronis Cato Major; or His Discourse OF
Old Age. With Explanatory Notes. Philadelphia:
Printed and sold by Is. FGANKfiN. l1i5. This
Translation was made by "the Honorable and
Learned Mr. Logan" and has an address from
" The Printer to the Reader written by Franklin.
give the following extracts. with the capitals and
italic words Of the original: shall add TO these
few Lines my hearty Wish that this first Transla-
ton of "A Classic III this USiTR World may be fol-
lowed with many others performed with equal
Judgment and Success; aud be happy Omen
that Fhilddelhi may become tho Seat OF the Aneri-
en- MUSES. Philadelphia, February 20, l1l3'
Franklin had no Greek letter. and he therefore
desires "thc reader to excuse the Itaic type used
for some Gr,,e words The volume is beautiful
niece of printing 1t has b,cn called tho first
classic work translated INTO English III Aherlc";
but this believe is 4 mistake
som, interesting specimens of the first books
.tcreotypcd in the United States will be found In
Mr. Bruce's collection. The first book ever printed
by this process in tho United States was executed
bv I WattsA Co.. in 1913 These printers were
Fuglishmen no came here to Introduce stereotyp-
ing This process had really been invented Nv VIII
liam Gcd n goldsmith in Edinburgh. rs carly as
IA His Sallust l7iil was issued, as he SAYS IN
lis imprint not on movable types such rs are |
used. but on tables" Ged prepared
= uiblc for TIE University OF Cambridge; but tho
iealous compositors INITIATED his plates, and the
process was abandoned for many nears About the
of the present century it was revived
Inv Earl Stanhope. Il was permanently introduced
by Messrs d. & G.. Bruce, in 1913. but Watts *
Co. had before that stereotyped the Larger Cate
chisn in June Of that year. Mr.. George Bruce pei
sonaly blamed knowledge ofthe process III Ing
land; aud in 1911 the firm stereotyped the New
Testament at their flee III Slote Lane In the