New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-17
A Earliest Developments of the
Printers ART in america.


1928 an English dissenting minis
% 'h0 Iosonh Glover, left mis- home in Surrey
if, ~ "u.a in The John of London for this
$40 ue brought with him printing press
CUM 81 he shipped to America. On the way
tSs =" .teI1 sick of feaver and dyed" but he
Ssei -s,rted from England with q printer
80 nave, and three pressmen. and these
s0p under the direction of Glovers
s1v ss. III the press az Cambridge. They
f'OO ENGAGED in typographical enterprises
nod been anticipated nowhere else on THIS
NA' a che world save in Mexico, where Juan
h -. had erected Spanish press century
PsOiO' The history of our typographical be-
sI-,.rs IS pleasantly told by Mr.. Robert +.
El.IA a. "The Cambridge Press, 1ooo-1692
80 Mead & Company, iuxuriously fnaue
Wv. ,,,,r,A Issued in a limited edition, as part
l.'' ,.-ses on Famous Presses" Some OF his
Gre are necessarily dry in their bald enumera-
pas :. b,hliographical Details but on the other
uOH ~ Roden has been able 10 introduce ma
HSn- -,,,ch makes highly interesting reading
one thing, he does something 10 reproduce
.tr,osnhere in which the early American
Ns-.srs did their work. It was a curious at
P-..-s AZ once favorable TO the making OF
"a more or less severe where their pro-
-. mas concerned Cotton Mather could
.-cfrN
- his library as Eye Darling Of my Lit
- T,,ovnents." but the printer, nevertheless
ear from being generally Indispensable
=. =. often had a hard time There is, Tor
=. the sad case of Marmaduke Johnson
=. -.,-5nted 4 fantasticaI English work, "The
-. % pines" without a license, conveniently
-. that the fine imposed for such an
,-s.,,,,or of The order Of the General Court
--,,,rtAs 70 80, He was hailed before the Coun-
"a but he won the remission Of the hne by d
s..,ton in which. after acknowledging his
s...bnsss & inadvertency," he explained why
;. rad done the fearful deed. Thus ne pleaoeo
With the authorities:
s. nav q n1ease this honoured Council. yoT
ps,itonr having in that act no intent or oeSsh ~
ccatemn AuthoEity or TO VeL ee OF as NAV appear
- his sfHxing his Name 10 the said FaInpIHetC
sai ory he1eb for his necessary subsistence; his
cEIng in this Country being very chargeaoaTi 0
his losse by printing frequent etc. e'0'
IT'S true that Johnson appears to have been a
,srson of rather modifying character, whose
troubles were no doubt largely of his own max
ng; but It is also plain from Mr.. Roden's book
,hst the early American printers were not over
vhelrned with commissions, and that such pros
psrity as they ultimately enjoyed was of slow
growth. Stephen Daye, by the way, was not
skilled typogrepher. Mr. Roden says that he
vas locksmith by trade, and that it was IN
that capacity that he entered into his contract
with Glover. But the management Of the press
over which he was left 10 preside by his patrons
death was probably not a deeply esoteric mys-
tery, If We may Judge from the press now in the
possession Of the Vermont Historical Society of
Montpelier. which is believed to be the one used
by Daye. A Photographic reproduction Of 1t
serves as the frontispiece of Mr.. Roden's vol
ums It Beens a fairly primitive affair. The
first thing printed on it was The Freeulan's
Oath" q document which only partly covered a
single small sheet Of paper. This was followed
by the "Alnlanaclt" compiled by noted mar
liner Of the sixteenth century, Captain William
PIERCE and then came The Bay Psalm Book"
the ten surviving copies of which Mr.. Roden
describes with the care BETTING such important
items In American photographed history. Col
lectors are, Of course, mere than keen IN the
pursuit Of these rarities, and some Of the most
interesting passages IN this monograph relate
10 The wanderings of certain Of our old books,
and to the prices paid for them. Speaking for
example. Of Eliot's famous Indian Bible, for the
printing Of which he contrived to have a press
sent over from London IN 1859 the author says:
Ihe second highest auction price for the book Is
~ given IN London, IN July. 1902, for another of
Ie presentation copies The latter is not merely q
ZOE OF rarity and value but book with history
taa PTovenance of distinction, ennobled and dig
MMaed by long line of Hlustrious possessors as a
sS.ssl,Agelshea ancestry adOrns a family. We know
le OF Its early history but IN the late sos IL was
soI9 as a duplicate by the Bodleian Library Of OK
&c. Henry Stevens, of Vermont, then of London.
ttI1ush whose hands passed many Cambridge
1nUoAs, secured u. and in 1861 sold II to James 7
11sacs, OF New-Iork City, for hundred guineas.
az bTuce library sold at auction in 1865 and
4s bloIe was purchased for $1,1S0 by John A Rice
Under bidder at Sl.127 50 At the Rice sale in 1870
t-s Oook was sold for Sl,050. and passed into the
ttssus OF William NenZtes, Of New-York City, who
..dq rehound IN brown morocco by Francis Bed
114o most famous Of English binders. In 1876 the
Asnzles library sold in New-York and tins
p..e became the property Of Joseph J. Cooke, of
i ~ o. New York City was the next owner, pay
ING azSe for It at the Cooke sale of 1888 Eight
f.s!s later Mr. Ives sold his magnificent book col
.eCI1on ana this highly treasured American Bible
[ealzed 1850. The next owner was Clarence g.
+Dssaehts Of Philadelphia. who soon sold 1t again
fg,Seosss!!. u uel became q notable part OF Mr.
nc army tiardwcke Kal bfeisch-Lefferts copy,
Esse9 INTO the hands of the purchaser Of the LET
~ noTaIy. Consigned TO London for sale at auc
We u lsE Il TesOd, as we have noted for E3T0
sao passed Immediately into the possession of new
1se5ican owner after having been the feature of
q, 81 great native Libraries. The complete story OF
Ss. 49, ehd AaTmaduke Johnson in Cambridge, two
s.aorsa and forty-two years ago would read al
Uos' Ike fairy tale.
scattered through this book there are well
mace faosinailes Of title pages produced by the
airy Printers, and Mr.. Roden also gives a valu-
s'e autographed list Of the issues OF the
cambridge Press. In other words, he has made