Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-11-29
THE CAMBRIDGE PRESS. 163S-,puc

A handsome and interesting book was
published about a year ago by Dodd,
Mead and Company of New York. It's
full title is: THE Story Of the First
Printing Press in the United States
The Cambridge Press i63S-1692-A History
of the First Printing Press established
in English America; together with
photographed list of the issues of the
press, by Robert F. Rodon; New York,
Dodd, Mead and company, MCMV." The
publishers say of it:
I'm Mr.. Roden's monograph we have for
the first time an adequate connected his
tory of the first American printing
press, from the time it was established
at Cambridge in lG3S, with stephen Daye,
proto-typograph of English America,
down to the extinction Of the press in
1852"
This Cambridge is the Massachusetts
town of that name. BY Press in the
title is meant not printing machine but
IA printing office. and the "extincton Of
the press" as explained in the volume,
in 1852, when Cambridge, which for
thirty-seven years was the only town
in English America which contained a
printing press, was no longer our chief
home of typography, slumbering typo
graphically until the American Revolu-
ton"
This book has especial interest for
scholarly Vermonters, FROM the fairly
well established fact that the old print
of the Cambridge Press were printed is
still in existence, being preserved in the
rooms of the Vermont Historical society
in the State House at Montpelier. This
old hand press has been rightly called
1.-THE most interesting relic now existing
connected with the art ur printing upon
this continent" and the possession of +,
lends n certain distinction among typo
graphers and booklovers, to the His.or.
ical Society of our State, and to the
State of Vermont itself.
The history of this Old press, known
as the "Daye Press because it was
used by Stephen Daye the first American
printer. is taken in part by Mr.. Roder
from the interesting article by Genera
Rush c. Hawkins of New York, printed
in the Literary Collector" a magazln,
of Booklore, In its issue of December
1903, While virtually accepting Gen
Hawklns's conclusion that the press a
Montpelier is the old Daye press, Mr.
Roden seems disposed in the COURSE o
his remarks upon the subject to throw
some doubt on that conclusion. lie say
that for nine years there were TIVE
presses, both sent over from England
used in the Cambridge printing offic
from 1865 to 1914. In the latter year on,
Of them was sold to the first Boston
Y printer. John Foster, and removed t.
Boston. Mr.. Roden thinks that as Gen
Hawkins does not mention the secon,
press he must have forgotten or beel
ignorant of its existence. But Genera
Hawkins is not in the habit of tellin
all he knows about books and presse
in any one or two articles. He mus
have had in his possession and probabl
on his table when he prepared his &C
count of the Daye press the address dc
livered before the Vermont Historical
society in 1894, by that veteran typo
grapher and photographer, Henry c
Houghton OF the Riverside Press (wh
used to set type sixty odd years ago 4
{ the office Of this paper in which. as Il
y Thomas's history Of Printing, tho fact O
; the existence of two presses in the Cam
bridge office is mentioned. There wer
no doubt two hand presses, of simiia