The evening times., 1902-07-14
VIDE CIRCULATION
OF THE BIBLE

( One million Bibles Of all sizes. from
I huge volumes Iuxuriating inside Levant
/ Morocco and yapp covers 10 the slender
India paper Bibles. and tiny booklets
with pages an inch long. are sold every
. year by the oxford University Press.
This IS a great business in itself con
sideriGg The variety Of styles into which
the book Of books is bound. and the
+ high excellence Of the work. And the
/ business. Is not confined to England The
oxford Bible IS sold wherever two or
three are gathered together who speak
/ the English tongue. The expectation to
/ America was 50 large several years ago.
even before the press had its own
/ branch II New York that the duty paid
on Bibles amounted TO $4,000 q year,
says the London Mail"
Why. it may he asked. should the Ok
ford University Press, together with the
Kings printers-Messrs. Eyre & Spot
, tiswoode-and the Cambridge University
Press enjoy a monopoly Of printing the
book which cannot be produced too
cheaply nor circulated too wideIy2 The
monopoly dates from 1882. and its OBJ
jects are TO prevent bad printing and
perversion Of the text; and. as matter
Of course, the Bible is not only the best
printed, but also the cheapest printed.
book in the world. The Oxford Bible is /
regarded as the standard Of perfection
in countries where the perpetual copy
right does not run Il is, perhaps. the
only book which costs more to read"
than TO set. Il is read" twenty times.
anyone discovering an error after that
is well worthy the guinea which the
press offers.
The oxford University Press is unique
in more than ono respect. It is . na-
tioual institution belonging 10 EBgIand's
great center of learning and controlled
by learned professors nominated by con
vocation The press is the oldest print |
ing establishment IN the country.
It may have equals as printer. but
II IS pEe-eminent as a paper mznufac-
turer. It's Oxford India paper has never
been matched, although it has often
seen Initiated It occupies the same po-
sition as q binder No firm can produce
more artistic OF beautiful bindings than
are executed by its artistic craftsmen.
It uses the skins Of over 100000 animals
in binding every year and over 100000
sheets Of gold
There is no printing press in the
country with such an inezhaustible
treasure Of type; type of all kinds. in
all languages. One Of the Oldest types
was presented in 1866. by Bishop Fell.
the hero Of the welI-known coupIet, 7
DO not love thee. DR.. Fell" etc. and.
strange TO say, when. recently. the press
wanted q beautiful. cIear-cut type for
printing the Thanksgiving service on
King Edwards accession day, il went 10
Dr. Fell's original stock.
It's India paper. so called because its
first sample came from India, is Of
texture and toughness which wear and
tear do not destroy. Books printed on T
this paper get into a third Of the space /
which they would occupy on any other +
paper. a volume Of 500 pages viii not
weigh four ounces nor measure more +
than 4x2 inches AID half an inch thick 7
The edition Of Dickens now being issued .
viii take up 10 inches on a shelf. instead
Of -. in the present standard edition /.
and weighs 10 pounds, instead OF 90 /
pounds.
The greatest publishing feat on rec /
ord was carried out By the press IN is /
suing the revised version Of the New
Testament in 1881. when upward OF
1,0oo,g copies were issued on a single
day.
The profits Of the press are handed
over TO the university every var. but the
accumulation Of profits is not its main
object Il deliberately publishes many
books at less for the benefit Of schoI- /
ars and the advancement OF learning. It
publishes q large number Of classical
works in beautiful style It's modern
catb0ucity is noteworthy. as It is now
printing devotional works for Jews. .
Catholics. AID Presbyterians.
The Oxford TeiTsrsity Press is one OF /
those Institutions which would have 10
be created = il did not exist. if for no
other rea-on than to set modei OF
printing, pa2--- making. and binding