Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-11
AN OLD-TiME PRINTER
His Office, Tools and Books Seen in the
Plantin Museum. a-
One of the Places of Interest In the
City of Antwerp-Three Hum
dred Years Ago.
Special Correspondence of The Evening" Star.


Every stranger visiting Antwerp turns
into the short and narrow street Vendredi
to see the unique museum. the Plantin. If
he does not, he has failed to enjoy one Of
the treasures of the city, and one which he
cannot enjoy IN any other place. If the city
council had had their choice, 1t is more than
likely that another locality would have been
chosen, hut as the building itself is as in
teresting its contents, when the latter
were purchased in 1876 the former was ac-
quired also.
The building was first occupied by Chris
TOPPER Plantin in 1916 as a printing Office
He at once adopted a high standard of ex-
cellence, secured the best attainable ma
terial and workmen, and soon achieved an
enviable reputation. He was more than a
printer or publisher. Not having a wealth
Of proffered manuscript, 1t was necessary
for him to become editor as well and issue
Latin and Greek texts with his own annota-
tiers. AS his business increased, he was
obliged TO call in scholars to assist in this
branch, who, in addition to prepa ring manu-
script. were employed as proof readers.
Even when the book of an author living at
a distance from Antwerp was under way,
the delay in sending proof and waiting for
its return required the proof to be read at
the office. Thus it is that scholarly men
were Eeeded for this important task, and in
the list of names which one sees in the
'correctors room" can be found Theodore
Pollman and Corneille kiel the former cele-
DRAFTED as classical student and annotator,
while the latter is famous as one of the au-
thOrs of Thesanis Theutonicae Linguae.
II seems though Plautin had been
blessed with a species of foresight and saw
how each present would become a past and
that the objects common one day would be
historical souvenirs a century later, for he
preserved specimens of all his work and
samples Of his tools, materials and ap-
planes. In the room just referred to are
several proof sheets with the readers mar
ginal corrections. 1t is curious to note that
many OF the characters now in use were
employed three centuries ago. One of the
sheets from Book of Days." in Latin.
has correction telling the typesetter that
Virgin Mary should be virgin Mary. When
one remembers that Plantin, at about this
time, was obliged TO flee from Antwerp to
escape the punishment following a charge
of hereSy, one realizes that according to
the strict and rigorous standard of the
times. the charges were well founded
However, his superior workmanship Sc
cured for him the favor of Philip II. his
cardinal and his secretary, and while
printing for royalty was not profitable, it
threw INTO his hands some important tasks.
Among these was the famous Bible in five
lancuages-a marvellous work from the
standpoint Of mechanical execution, as well
as scholarship. He became, by royal APP
Fointment. the printer of all rituals and
-
Spanish dependencies.
Some of the Treasures.
Naturally such a large amount of work
required a large force, and since workmen,
and especially apprentices. were regarded
as members of their employers family. the
house was repeatedly enlarged. The room
built for the family chapel now serves id
mirably as a library, while other rooms
n-i,, ria, f0x-
treasures. Among these treasures one can
find original drawings intended to serve as
illustrations, head lines or initial letters;
the blocks of wood cut as to reproduce
these pictures and the pictures themselves
in proof and in the finished book. Also
manuscripts which furnished the text of
many of the printed books, as well as a
large collection of Illuminated manuscripts.
which have been gathered together by Plan
tin and his successors; type OF all kinds
and languages, matrices in which the type
was cast, galleys, printing presses of the
most primitive forms and every article that
a printer of a past century would need.
The great care and taste exercised by
Plantin was handed down as q most pre-
cious legacy to his sOn-in-law, who main
tanned the same high standard. as did each
Of the ten successOrs-the last Of whom
sold the house and its contents to the city
of Antwerp for S24O,OOO. For a few years
before it's acquisition by the city and more
pronouncedly since then the purpose to
equip complete museum of everything
pertaining TO the printers art has been
kept steadily in view However, 1t should
be said that the scope is restricted to the
early history Of printing rather than its
development.
In one of the rooms Is a collection of por-
traits of various members of the Plantin
family, their friends and scholars whose
" orks had been published by this establish
ment, together with a few pictures such as
a man of refinement might possess. Many
of nQint66 RnhanS-
who also furnished a large number Of de-
signs for frontispieces. likewise exhibited
here The learned custodian OF the mu-
scum declares that 1t would have been i'm
possible for Rubens to paint all the pictures
that bear his name and suggests that very
many were commenced by his pupils. while
he merely gave the finishing touches and
added his name.
Another room contains at least one copy
of each of the LOO books painted by
Plantin himself, and copies of all books
which subsequently came from his estab-
lishment. The first book published in
1853 was La Institutions oil Una Faniculla
Nata Nobilmente' instruction of a girl of
noble BIRTH. By strange coincidence
Plantin was blessed with daughters only.
and his immediate successor, his son-in-la
was similarly blessed.
The sales room is preserved intact and
its appointments are approximately the
same as when the first master presided
there. On the shelves are arranged the
DOCKS OUeTeu Sdle-CnleIly prayer DOCKS,
missals and liturgical books. Before the
desk is the uncomfortable chair which the
cashier occupied, and near at hand are the
scales with which the coin was tested be-
fore acceptation. The photographic aids
are limited to Index expurgatons," price
list of books of the four principal publishers
of the sixteenth century. and calendar
Some Famous Books.
An interesting feature of the price list
of the books offered for sale is the fact
that the prices were fixed by the magis-
trate of Antwerp and fine of % forms
was imposed each time a lower price was
accepted or a higher price demanded.
A copy of Gutenberg's Bible. the first
book ever printed from movable type, is
the center of attraction in another ROOM
while the books from the press of the
ElZeviers, the EStieunes and Manuce would
excite the envy of every one interested in
the art of printing, and the numerous first
editions of famous books would enrich any
library.
In the room of privileges are a number
of interesting documents from various SOW
ereigns. Many are what we would call
copyrights, giving to the holder the exclu-
sive right to print and to sell such and
such a book. Unfortunately, the relations
between different countries were not such
as TO make International copyright possi-
BILE, consequently il reuuire1 three SeDa "a "a