The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-25
stitlon as, II, ;horc days, were suspecte,
OF being inccromancers."
The Great caxton.

Caxton, the Father OF the English print
Ing press. His first work in old Gothic
type. was tho Game of Chess" after
which followed other works now seldom
II ever seen ut an auction sale. A long
step to America, and long interval
elapsed before the printer and his press
appeared upon New England ground.
Under wiser counsels than those prevail
Ing century later In Virginia, the
Yankee press though censored. had print
ed. n literature which embraces the maine.
Of Anne Bradstrcct. It's first poet, and
those OF Cotton Mather, n quaint though
learned theologian, and OF Jonathan Ed
wards. the first metaphysician OF the
new world.
Virginia had lain. as 1t were. sleep
ing giant till the Revolution came, and
Thomas Jefferson. Sir William Berkcley's
answer to the enquiries OF the lords OF
the committee of the colonies. 1G71. though
often quoted, will bear repesEion:
II thank God we have not FREQ schools,
nor printing; and hope We shall not
have these hundred years. For learning
has brought disobedience. and heresy, and
sects into the world; and printing has
dlvuiged them and lbels against the gov
eminent. God keep us from BOTH
Dillingham;. who came to be governor
after Berkeley. was ordered expressly.
we are told, ito allow no person to use
a printing press on any occasion what
soever.' Notwithstanding this prohibit
ton, the strictest search into the statutes
by the lawyers led to no discovery Of an
affirmative act by the colonial legislature.
Yet the influence OF the governors was
sufficient to restrain the liberty of tho
Virginia press. Thomas Jefferson has THIS
TO say of the matter In one of his pub
lished letters: II do not know that the
publication OF newspapers was ever pro-
hibited In Virginia. Until the beginning
of our revolutionary disputes. we had
but one press. and that having the whole
business of the government. and no COM
petitor for public favor nothing disagree
able TO the government could be got into
IT. We procured Rind to come from Mary
land to publish free paper"
From the foregoing passages will be
observed the influences which bore pre-
ven.ively upon the development of our
colonial literature.
William Parks was our first printer
we find him at Williamsburg in 1886;
printer to the government and publisher
of the Gazette, the first newspaper then
of Virginia. His name occurs in several
works as their printer, notably William
Stith, History of Virginia. l147, and THE
Merchants Magazine, or Factors Guide
D
Williamsburg. Printed by William Parks.
iI43. No other copy OF this work oc-
ours in any public or private catalogue
have ever seen. AS an early specimen
Of the topographic art of our infant press
present 1t to the consideration and re-
spect OF all printers, as well as all biblio-
maniacs. 1t is an unique folio. bound in
stout tcat'ler. in as good condition, as
to It's binding and text, as when it
first issued from the press. It's
outside measurement gives 73-4 inches
long by 8 is Inches wide. Inclusive of
title, preface. and indexed contents it
numbers 2T pages. The text of the body
OF the work is agate or English ruby.
printed In two oblong columns, for the
most part. with blank spaces between
them. after the manner of early Eng
lish books The register Is perfect Parks
died in LEO on his way back to England.
William Humber, one of his appren-
tees. appears next in time to PARIS. He
was born In the Colony. and became
printer to the Burgesses He also pub
lished n newspaper before his death in
1I6l. In connection with the Williams
burg press occur the names successfully
of Royle. Alexander, Purdie and Purdie
and Dixon. The latter named, came to
Richmond upon the breaking out of the
Old-Time Printers.
war and died here in 1871.
His imprint is on many document
/ have seen, as printer for the new
government. His work will bear COM
parison with the best OF its kind in Vir-
ginia. The names OF Rind & Purdie
should be mentioned as publishers and
contributors OF the two williamsburg
Gazettes, n complete copy OF which is
not In our Capitol library. Rind died in
1873.
Though the earliest Virginia imprint
known goes no further back than 1929.
i have reason to believe that an earlier
date may be assigned to certain publica-
lions which We're suppressed by some
one OF the SUCCESSORS Of Governor Berke-
ley. This point shall reserve for dis
cussion in some following paper to this.
1t is much to be wished that some one
better qualified than myself by
thorough searching of our annals, should
write q history Of the printers and pub
fishers OF Virginia. I have made a list
in due order OF time of such of them
as appear by name In various publica-
tons OF the Richmond press-but as that
list embraces only portion of the whole
number worthy OF note, shall select
from it n few names of persons known
by me personally or by the record
H. Pace was printer and publisher
In 1900, whose shop or office was sltu-
ated back OF the old Court House, on
Twenty-second Street. between Main
and Cary. OF him and his work know
little, except his Repository. Doubtless
there were others Of earlier date who
had followed the steps of the govern
jment from Williamsburg to Richmond.
A close research may discover them.
Samuel Pleasants's lmprints 60 back
to the last quarter Of the eighteenth
century. but how far I am unable to
say. He brought out in 1898 the work,
now rarely seen. Of William Munford,
poems, etc. This writer was the father
of the author of the 1.-TWO Parsons" and
certain other sons and daughters OF mark
In our annals. He himself has left
translation Of the Illad of Homer, which
scholars knowing Greek pronounce to
be one of the best English versions ex-
stant. From the press of Samuel Pleas
ants also came to light tho first edition
OF the British Spy" of William Writ,
of Sentemher 1903 and of the first coll