The Printed Book: Its History, Illustration and Adornment: From the Days of Gutenberg to the Present TimeBouchot, Henri
History
The Printed Book: Its History, Illustration and Adornment: From the Days of Gutenberg to the Present Time
Bouchot, Henri
Bookbinding -- History; Books; Books -- History; Illustration of books; Printing -- History
The Book and the printers of the second generation--The German
workmen dispersed through Europe--Caxton and the introduction of
printing into England--Nicholas Jenson and his supposed mission to
Mayence--The first printing in Paris; William Fichet and John
Heinlein--The first French printers; their installation at the
Sorbonne and their publications--The movement in France--The
illustration of the Book commenced in Italy--The Book in Italy;
engraving in relief and metal plates--The Book in Germany: Cologne,
Nuremberg, Basle--The Book in the Low Countries--French schools of
ornament of the Book; Books of Hours; booksellers at the end of the
fifteenth century--Literary taste in titles in France at the end of
the fifteenth century--Printers and booksellers' marks--The
appearance of the portrait in the Book--Progress in England--Caxton
and his followers.
Considering the influence of printing on the book trade of the fifteenth
century, as referred to in the preceding pages, the dealers in
manuscripts were not disposed to give way at the first blow. An entire
class of workmen would find themselves from day to day without
employment if the new art succeeded; these were the copyists, miserable
scribes, who for meagre remuneration frequented the shops of the
merchants, where they transcribed manuscripts by the year. Before
printing the publication of books was so effected, and the booksellers
were rather intermediaries between the copyist and the buyer, than
direct dealers having shops and fittings complete. It is evident that
they would not provide themselves with these costly books long in
advance without being sure of disposing of them.
Small as was the remuneration of the writers, it was much to them; and
they were naturally the first to protest against the new invention. At
the same time, their opposition and that of the booksellers was soon
overcome, swamped, and choked by the growing crowd of printers. Then, as
always happens in similar cases, in place of fighting against the
current, most of the former workers in manuscript followed it. The
writers designed letters for engraving in wood, the booksellers sold the
printed works, and some of the illuminators engraved in relief or cast
their _histoyres_. For a long time these last continued to decorate
books with the ornamental drawings with which they had adorned the
manuscripts, and so contributed to form the fine school of illustrators
who carried their art to so high a point from the end of the fifteenth
century.
[Illustration: Fig. 8.--Imprint of Arnold Ther Hoernen, printer, of
Mayence.]
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