Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-04-09

should reclaim II, II ever able, with like
sum.
After coming into possession of this
well-preserved tome looked into the Bio
graphic Uniyersele. and found this
notice OF tho old printer. which. freely
| translated. runs thus: 1--WE owe to John
| Of Amerback the invention OF the round
| type, which he substituted for the Italian
and Gothic. as they were really more or
| less agreeable 10 the sight. He issued in
| 1906 the first edition of st. Augustine Il. e.
| the larger works, which, If / remem-
| Der Alright, were in twelve volumes folio.
| that he had himself revised and corrected.
| The type which he used Is still called the
| ST. Augustine type.
HE had continued the same work in
| ST. Jerome, but his death taking place
| in 1915. did not permit him to publish
| IT, He Left this 10 the care of his chill
dren who fulfilled his intentions"
My copy is evidently one Of the earliest
books issued from the press Of John Of
Amerback, who has illustrated its text
with copious CLOSES. Pen marks, or run
ming comments, here and there occur on
the ample margins of the leaves In Por-
son-like characters Of black and red ink.
! Every chapter has been conned by an
old reader, whose notes show him to have
been a ripe scholar and an ardent theolo-
gian. The old binding which was pro-
baby Of vellum with brass clasps, has
given way to one of polished calf,
tricked off with gilt backs and sides.
The leaves. originally OF great breadth
on their margins, have been curtailed on
the outer edges by a neat shave of the
scissors. The margin at top measures l
inch, at bottom 2, and on the side ga TO
2l-2 inches The leaves are probably of
linen, in imitation Of the Vellum of the
scrbes. and run u inches long by Z broad
They are not numbered, but an accurate
count gives $50 IL leaves of printed mat
ter. or 7O1 pages. The work is in two Sec
tons, with two corresponding tables, or
indexes. The first section contains fifteen
books, the second twenty-five books.
There are no CLOSES to the former. which
appear plentifully in the latter An ex-
planatory table accompanies each Of the
thirty-seyen books, and running tables,
or heads are affixed in similar type and
form to both books and chapters. The
text, like all the earliest books, is Latin,
printed in double columns of a type
larger than that Of the gloss, and smaller
than that OF the heads Of books and chap
ters. The three forms in size answer re-
spectively to columbian, pica and long
primer. There is an imprint, or colophon,
at the end Of the text Of each OF the two
The imprint of the first section being OF
the largest Of the three forms above men,
toned, reads as follows, in a free trans
lation: "The end OF Aurelius Augustine's
book Of the Trinity. In the year of our
Lord 1850" The imprint of the second
section, also translated, reads: This
work sets forth the divine art OF John Of
Amerback, reader Of the laws of the
city. The CLOSES or other marginal Illus
trations of the text are his work, the
honor belongs to the city OF Basic. In the
year OF the parturition of the blessed Vir-
gin, eghty-nine above LOO and in the
ides Of February"
A novice in the black letter might natu.
rally mistake in a fifteenth-century book
the gloss for the text particularly II he
knew no Latin. These CLOSES are little
narrow windows, as IL were, through
which you look in upon the interior and
body OF the work. Sometimes they
are helps TO right understand
ing Of an author, who otherwise
might be caviaTe to the general.
The book in question is not necessarily
rare because it is old-so old as 10 have
been in existence before the discovery OF
America by Columbus. There are many
books tOlerabiy-we preserved o. coeyai
dates with mine. that are priced by deal
ers at low figures-indeed, at much lower
figures than those they pricemark In
their catalogues Of new books. The book
fancier has his season Of craze as well
as the land-boomer. He will pay for
first edition Of Lamb, Shelley, or Poe as
much as would buy hundred ordinary
fifteenth-Century books Let him but spy
an imprint Of Benjamin Franklin or
Peter Zenger on clean, tidy volume,
which work without such imprint is
,,-fn sir
of money that would buy several dozens
of neglected ElZevirs.
/, For the information Of those who waste
no time In photographed studies, may
remark that the date Of the first printed
books, according TO the best authorities.
has not been ascertalned, but is supposed
nv some TO be as early as one Laurentius
in 1882 who used or invented the block
types. Books printed by movable or metal
types with tn name OF Gutenberg
their first accredited inventor. occur with
out date, but are thought from internal
evidence TO have been issued as early as
14,o Collateral evidence. indeed ac-
cording TO Dibdin, would so 10 establish
tho indisputable fact that the Mazarin
Rible (so-called because it was found IN
the Cardinals library, the known
earliest edition OF the sacred text,
though without printed date was
published in 1856, or earlier 1t was
coutended by some that IT had been print
ed In l4i0. and by others in 1850; but GER
tain II is that the Mazarin Bible lis not
ouly the first edition of the sacred text
in any language, but that II Is the very
first book printed with metal types. 1t
exhibits a masterpiece of art and a mira
Gle in its way, showing that the Infancy
AID maturity of the art or printing
were almost simultaneous" When the
secret of Gutenberg and Faust--his
banker partner-got out, presses were set
up in several capitals OF Europe, those
of italy being first in succession and
ers, In the art of stamping and improving
the black letter. England came later. In
the last quarter of the fifteenth century.
with william Caxton. its first printer
ord nnblisher. A book with the Caxton
imnrint is OF rare occurrence In the
anetlon-rooms, or elsewhere. One such
is worth more than Its weight In goio'
The earliest books were printed In Latin
and are. therefore. more numerous, ana
as rule less precious to the book faneier
I'LL WNE.L