Still more recently, Mr. Horace Hart has been fortunate enough to discover part of the actual type in its original cases. It is interesting to note that these types, which are of rather a soft metal, are cast to the Oxford Learned-Side “height-to-paper.”
[557] Paradise Lost, etc., Paradise Regain’d, etc. Birmingham, 1758. 2 vols., 4to. The work was also published in the same year in 8vo, and again in 4to in 1759. The 4to edition of 1758 appears to be overlooked by some bibliographers, Hansard, among others, who refers in the extract here given to the reprint of 1759.
[558] Typographia, p. 310. It is worthy of note that the very high gloss on the paper which characterised most of Baskerville’s later works, is not always observable either in the Virgil of 1757, or the Milton of 1758.
[559] Catalogue de la Bibliothéque d’um Amateur, i, 310. After noticing the folio specimen following, he says: “Un autre essai de Baskerville, sur une plus petite feuille, contient seulment quatre caractères romains et deux en italique . . . Outre cette épreuve de grand essai, j’ai l’un et l’autre réunis à la fin de son Virgile in 4.” The only example we have met with is that bound up with Lord Spencer’s beautiful copy of the Virgil in the Althorp Library.
[560] Writing to Mr. R. Richardson of Durham on Oct. 29, 1758, Dr. Bedford says: “By Baskerville’s specimen of his types, you will perceive how much the elegance of them is owing to his paper, which he makes himself, as well as the types and ink also; and I was informed whenever they came to be used by common pressmen and with common materials they will lose of their beauty considerably. Hence, perhaps, this specimen may become very curious (when he is no more, and the types cannot be set off in the same perfection), and a great piece of vertû.” (Nichols, Illust. Lit., i, 813).
[561] Amongst which should be particularly singled out the Horace in 12mo printed in 1762, which Dr. Harwood describes as “the most beautiful little book, both in regard to type and paper, I ever beheld.”
[562] The Press, a poem. Published as a Specimen of Typography by John McCreery. Liverpool, 1803, 4to. p. 19.
[563] An interesting notice of Lord Orford’s famous private press at Strawberry Hill, with a Catalogue of the—many of them—finely printed works that issued from it, is given in Lemoine’s Typographical Antiquities, p. 91.
[564] The original of this important letter, with the specimen attached, is in Mr. Timmins’s possession.
[565] The Holy Bible, containing the Old Testament and the New, translated out of the Original Tongues, and with the former translations diligently compared and revised. By His Majesty’s special command. Appointed to be read in Churches. Cambridge: printed by John Baskerville, Printer to the University. 1763. Cum Privilegio. Fol. The prospectus of this work, with a specimen of the type, appeared in 1760. The folio Bible, printed at Birmingham in 1772, is a much inferior performance.