Printers' Marks: A Chapter in the History of TypographyRoberts, W. (William)
History
Printers' Marks: A Chapter in the History of Typography
Roberts, W. (William)
Printers' marks
So far as regards the French cities and towns, we have only space to
refer briefly to a few of the more important. After Paris and Lyons,
Toulouse was one of the earliest places in France in which
a printing-press was set up. Although not the first, Jacques Colomies
was one of the first, as he was one of the most prolific of the early
printers of Toulouse, working from 1530 to 1572. Printing was
established at Caen in 1480; but Pierre Chandelier, whose punning Mark
we give, did not start work until eighty years after its first
introduction. A punning device (p. 7), also is that of Jehan Lecoq, who
was printing at Troyes from about 1509 to 1530. The only Rouen printer
to whom we shall refer is Martin Morin, who appears to have been at work
here as a printer from about 1484 to 1518, and of his Marks we give one
example; another is formed of a large initial M, decorated with a
variety of grotesque heads, with the surname Morin on the two central
strokes of the letter.
[Illustration: M. MORIN.
M M
IMPRIME A ROVEN DEVANT SAINCT LO]
[Illustration: PIERRE LE CHANDELIER.
LVCERNIS ACCENSIS FIDELITER MINISTRO.]
[Decoration]
PRINTERS’ MARKS OF GERMANY AND SWITZERLAND.
[Illustration: JACOBI THANNER.
i t]
Although the early history of the Printer’s Mark in Germany is neither
extensive in variety nor startling in surprises, there are still very
many features of general interest. And if the Printer’s Mark, as we have
already seen, had its origin in Mainz, its development is certainly due
to the Strassburg craftsmen. As no other city in Germany can show such a
varied collection of beautiful Marks, examples of the Strasburg printers
will preponderate in this chapter. It is now generally accepted that the
art of printing was carried on in Strassburg (Argentina, Argent-oratum),
either in 1459 or 1460, by Johan Mentelin, who appears to have continued
in the business until 1476; and about six years after he had started,
Heinrich Eggestein commenced, and continued until about 1478. Accepting
the arrangement of Herr Paul Heitz and Dr. Karl August Barack in their
very elaborate “Elsässische Büchermarken bis Anfang des 18.
Jahrhunderts,” the first Strasburg printer to use a Mark was Johann
Grüninger, who, after working at Basel for a year or two, took up his
residence in Strassburg at the end of 1482. One of his first Marks
appeared in Brant’s “Narrenschiff,” 1494, and of this our example is an
elaboration. By the year 1525 he employed no less than five distinct
examples, the last of which, in Ptolemæus, “Geographicæ Enarrationes,”
1525, differs completely from all the others, the single letter G
occupying the centre of the masonic compass and rule. Grüninger, it may
be noted, was the printer of “Cosmographie Introductio,” 1509; the
second edition of the famous book in which the name America was proposed
and used for the first time. He is further noted for the number of
misprints which occur in the books issued by him. The last book which
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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