Pre-Victorian British Typography and Printers' Manuals

Near-contemporaries William Caslon, the type-founder and John Baskerville, the printer, stand as two of the great figures in 18th-century British printing. This set of eight volumes includes an early memoir of Baskerville, and an account of Caslon and his firm, and both figures appear in Reed's work. Another text in the set is Moxon's "Mechanick Exercises" which covers the full range of the technicalities of printing practice, including compositor, corrector, pressman and warehouseman, as well as including a detailed explanation of type-founding. Smith's "Grammar" was in part based on Moxon but itself became a model for many subsequent grammars. Hansard's history encompasses paper and typefounding, as well as printing, presses, and printing ink. Savage's "Dictionary" brings history and printing up to the beginning of the Victorian era. Finally, Robert's early account of the history of the printer's marks offers a picture of the trade itself.