New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-25

culture at Athens had just broke. In readinS
ancient history, one does well TO consider THESE
little things. They change the whole aspect Vi
the narrative "The question" says Dr. Ihomp-
son naturally arises, to what remote period are
we TO assign the first stage OF Greek writing,
mot in a primitive condition. but so far developed
as to be practical means OF intercourse. liere
has hitherto rather been tendency to regard Tie
earliest existing Greek inscriptions as the irst PAIN
full efforts of unskiled hands. But IT IS lar more
natural to suppose that almost simultaneously
with the adoption of an alphabet. the keel-
wittcd Greek trader must have prohted py 'no
example of Egyptian and Phoenlclan ana nav
soon learnt how to express himself IN wri'i"s.
That is equivalent TO saying that NJ least 4'ooo
years ago-a late date for the Egyptian ihscIip
ton in honor of King Sent already rclerreh u
not only Ervptians. but Phoenicians and Greeks,
NAV have used writing for the purposes OF trade
That was at least 500 years before Moses, ana
con vaor. before the earliest date cOnjecturer
for Homer n
IT, would be impossible here to follow W.
Tbomnsor into all the details Of his systematic
work Necessarily che volume abOunds IN UreeN
and Latin quotations required to substantate a'
first hand the statements which the author MAKES
IJe discusses the history of the Greek ana La'lh
alnha bets the materials used for writing-lea'es'
bark Clay and pottery, stone surfaces ic""'
bronze wood, wax tablets. papyrus, skins, parch-
ment and paper; the stylus, pen and other "ri'ins
indictments: the roll, the codeX and later lorhi'
Of books: methods Of the measurement oil writiha
and payment OF scrIbes the antiquity OF s"o',
hand contractions and abbrcvlatlohs. men iV'-
lows a history of Greek photography from inc
earliest times down TO the Middle Ages, ana vi
LATIN photography and its branches in the VIII
inc Of Iombards Visgoths, MerOvinglans' lris'l
and English, in the medieval literary hand' an"
in the official writing of various European chan-
ceries. The narrative is illustrated with I'c-
SMILES of writing characteristic OF each age anu
with tables Of the alphabet in various ior"'s.
Mr. MADAM seems to have had access " ~
Tbompsons work before it passed through the
press There is only one important pom. ai'"u'"
IN nv both in which they differ. DIR. Thompson
accents without remark the distinction between
cotton and linen paper in the early Middle Ages
AR MADAM however, emphaticaly contradicts the
received opinion 1t has been popular De-
lief. saws he. found in every book till 1885
now entirely disprovcd, but probably destined TO
die hard. that the common yellownh thick paper
with rough ib-ous edge, found especially IN GrecR
manuscripts till the fifteenth century, was paper
Of quite another sort, and made OF cottOn-charIa
somsyx being usually CaIyn silk eus srs
used OF any me nDrc sucii no Co''e" nv
scone has at last conclusvely shown that these
two papers are simply two different kinds OF or
dinary linen-rag paper" Mr.. MADAM treats IN
succession the materials Of writing. the forms oi
hooks the history of writing the tricks and blum
ders of scribes, llumnations, libraries famous
manuscripts, and literary forseries, the mos. eN
traordinary of which-those OF Cohs,ahtinc ~
monides Shapiro and Vrain- Lucas-bclOng TO the
presft century aud concludes with practical in
structions as to the treatment and cataiognln9
and nriyatc records The hand made paper and
good c type are attractive in these Books About
Books The plates in this volume are rcproiuc-
tons in collotypc" or otherwise Of Examinations
and the like In many respects the book Is the
most interesting of the series to which it belongs