Wichita eagle., 1886-11-02
@ai11& eagle
AN OLD BOOK WORM.
WHAT He FINDS IN A BOOK BE-
SIDE THE LETTER PRESS.

itures to illustrate Modern Literature
What New York Publishers Pay 70,
Engravings and Printing.
He was such a queer-loohing old gentleman
that the writer paused in his walk to examine
him more closely. He was standing in the
doorway of one Of those diInly lighted book
stores which line Nassau street, between Full
ton and Ann, eagerly scanning the pages of O
hoary volume through his old-faShioned gold
specfacles. his wide-awake straw hat had
driftcd back to the apex of his crown, and
had anchored itself permanently among the
struggling strands of snowy hair which
caressed the frayed collar of his alpaca coat
His white waistcoat was unbuttoned and the
ends of the black silk handkerchief which
served him in lieu of necltie bristled de.
family
Il have Just made an astounding discovery,
sir" remarked the old gentleman "Have the
kindness 10 look at this book and tell me what
you think of it"
l. was one Of q set Of four volumes of the
works Of Pliny the Younger, published in
Strashourg in 1919. The type was good and
the book was in fair condition. The binding
was veIlum, and four tiny strings OF sheepskin
hung from the corners, in order that the
reader might tie the volume up securely when
he was done with it. Thousands OF just such
books may be seen any day exposed for sale
on the quays at Paris They are the out
scourings of the early French and German
printing houses, and can be purchased for a
few francs The writer did not see anything
extraordinary about the book, and he said so
frankly.
BESIDE THE LETTER PRESS.
Then the old gentleman chuckled. There
is something in book beside the letter press,
the printers name and the date he said
":Sec here" and with that he gingerly lifted
I'D the edge of the vellum binding and ex-
posed the fragments Of two or three sentences
inscribed upon it in black letter, with here
and there an illuminated capital rich in ara
besque and gliding.
That" declared the CID gentleman, with
an air Of triumph, after surveying the grabbed
scrawl critically for Il few moments, was
originally misSal Transcribed with laborious
care by some Twelfth century monk in the
seclusion of the scriptorium of medieva!
cloister. The old fellow probably took four
or five years to complete it.
II tell YOU there was some chance of Il man
writing bool; that was fiji to read when he
knew beforehand that it would take four or
five months to complete every single copy
that was exposed for sale
"There have been great changes in the pub
fishing business since [ gave it up" he re-
marked with q quavcr i'll bis voice, changes,
to my mind, for the batter One of my chief
objections 10 printing used to be that it did
away with all that was bcautiful in books.
what can compare In beauty with the Tenth
century missal: The gospels inscribed i'll sill
yer and gold letters on purple vellum; every
capital flower garden, and the very margin
glorious with parti-colored figures of men,
birds, beasts and fishes. Still, this objection
Of mine is slowly melting away You see, in
my day the books we printed never had any
illustrations to speak of. \ few wood cuts,
perhaps, and more rarely steel line engrav-
ing, and that WAS all"
CHANGE II BOoKHAKISG.
The Old gentleman was right: thirty wears
has wrought a marvellous change in book
making. PhotoSravure and the wonderful
Ives process, by which fac-simile plate is
produced directly from the object, have come
TO the publishers aid. Etching has taken the
place OF the old steel limo engraving to q GER
tain extent, and probably there are not one
tenth as many steel engravings produced an
nualsy now as there were ten years ago. Only
last raer an art critic wrote that the people
who prefer line engravings TO etchings are
the same people who prefer white marble
mantelS and horsehGir furniture to carved
oak and velvet plush. Fifty processes exist
to-day where there were but one or two be-
fore, and if their development equals their
promise the book of the future will indeed be
marvellous production.
One would naturally suppose that the in
creased facilities afforded by these multitude
nous processes would minimize tho cost Of
preparing book for the market: but such is
not the case Each publisher vics with his
competitors in making the work upon which
he is for the moment engaged as elaborate as
possible. Where formerly a few simple wood
cuts were deemed all that were necessary re
now presents the reader with half a do-ea
ctchingS OF crgIavings, and thus he is called
upon TO cXpcnd an almost incredible sum be-
fore any return IS obtained. George p. Put
nam, tie father Of the present publisher is
sued an artists editioniof Washington Irving's
Sketch Book" in 1861 1t contained IS! Illus
tratioHs, all wood cuts. and Mr.. Putnam paid
out 81, 900 before he got back one cent. In
those days this was considered Il fabulous sum
to invest il one work, and the number of en-
cravings contained within the covers of the
sketch book we're the wonder and admiration
of the other boobnallerS.
The labor OF preparing these volumes for
publication extended over two entire years
II was begun in the latter part of 1864, and
the first copies were not issued from the press
until 1867. This work pales into insignif-
canoe before the princely fortunes invested
each year il new books by the publisiers of
to-day.-New York Star.