“Passing through the Nether Bow Port, and keeping to the left, visitors to the Exhibition will come upon the reproduction of an old house in Dickson’s Close, now improved away, and supposed to have been originally the work of Robert Mylne, the builder of the modern portion of Holyrood, and peculiar from its upper storeys and open galleries projecting for several feet beyond the basement—a not uncommon feature of the architecture of olden times. This house, or a near neighbour to it in the same ‘land,’ was at one time the abode of David Allan, the Scottish Hogarth. Above the door is an old-fashioned swinging signboard showing ‘Ye Ballantyne Presse, 1796,’ while the windows are adorned with stained glass. Here Messrs. Ballantyne, Hanson & Co., Paul’s Work, have gathered together a goodly display of the old implements of the ‘prenters,’ ancient Bibles and other books, as well as a number of other curios.
“Prominent among the typographical antiquities is a venerable wooden hand-press, nearly two centuries old, and substantially identical with those used in the early stages of the art. This press is worked by a genial and chatty representative of Caxton, in a neat sixteenth-century costume. He is engaged printing off sundry jobs, using the old-fashioned hand-balls or ‘dabbers’ for putting the ink on the types, a method of inking which came in with the art, and which was superseded by the modern ‘roller’ only about fifty years ago. Within the cases on the counter of this old curiosity shop are to be seen ancient composing-sticks, type moulds, punches, matrices, &c., for casting types. In the cases are also a number of relative curiosities, lent for exhibition by the Oxford University Press, and originally the property of the celebrated Dr. Fell. Among these is a small quarto book, printed in 1700, containing the Lord’s Prayer in upwards of 200 languages. Here also is a parcel of Icelandic type, given to the Oxford Press by Francis Junius about 1677, and some music type of the seventeenth century.
“In one case is a proof-sheet of the ‘Life of Napoleon,’ by Sir Walter Scott, with the author’s corrections. One page of this proof-sheet, which is the property of the Earl of Rosebery, has a characteristic remark by James Ballantyne, the printer, in reference to one of Sir Walter’s footnotes. It was to be expected from the connection the Ballantynes had with Scott that some relics of the author of the Waverley Novels would be shown, and here are to be seen the chair and desk reserved for his use in Paul’s Work when he came to correct his proofs or transact business.
“Around the walls are also to be seen a number of pictures, among these being a copy by Maris of Raeburn’s portrait of Scott; a proof copy of the well-known engraving of Scott and his contemporaries; Caxton in Westminster Abbey; old views of Edinburgh, one of them dated 1579, &c. A remarkably fine etching shows the bookselling shop of Jacob van Liesvelt at Antwerp in the sixteenth century. Liesvelt was condemned and beheaded at Antwerp, because in the annotations of a Bible he had edited and printed, it was said that ‘the salvation of mankind proceeds from Christ alone!’ A number of old playbills also adorn the walls, some of these having portraits framed along with them, such as that of Mackay as Bailie Nicol Jarvie, Mrs. Siddons as Lady Randolph, and Mr. Liston as Dominie Sampson. One old playbill is shown of the Kelso Theatre, printed by Ballantyne at the Border Press, before Scott induced him to remove his printing-office to Paul’s Work, Edinburgh.
“There are here a number of old newspapers—the Kingdom’s Intelligencer, the Perfect Diurnal, the Courant, Caledonian Mercury, &c. One of the Diurnals contains a despatch of General Monk, dated from his headquarters at Dalkeith in August 1654; and a Caledonian Mercury of August 26, 1822, contains a subscription list for the National Monument on Calton Hill, and the menu for the banquet given by the municipality of Edinburgh to George IV. in Parliament House. There is also an early number of the Scotsman, of 1855, shown by way of contrast to the present issues of the journal.
DESK USED BY SIR WALTER SCOTT IN PAUL’S WORK
“To many visitors, however, the interest in the Ballantyne Press exhibits will centre in the fine collection of Ancient Bibles and other books which have been gathered together. The gem of this collection is a copy of the very rare ‘Mentelin’ Bible, printed about 1466—one of the earliest printed by the aid of movable type, in fine condition, with initial letters filled in by the hand, of beautiful design and colouring. The table of contents extends to eighteen pages, and is all in MS. of various colours. Another rare Bible is the Hans Lufft, or first edition of Luther’s Bible in two volumes, printed in 1534. This Bible is in its original binding of wood with brass mountings, and has a great number of woodcuts printed along with the text, which in this copy were afterwards coloured by hand expressly for the Prince Protector. The existence of this Bible was frequently denied by learned men of Germany, owing to its great rarity, caused by the destruction of most copies by the Roman Catholics. John George of Saxony was unable to obtain it for himself, and was obliged to be contented with the sight of one, then supposed to be unique. A copy of this work sold at a very high price at Lord Holland’s sale in 1860. The engravings throughout the work, and especially in the Revelation of St. John, are curious and full of anachronisms—the patriarchs and prophets being clad in the German costume of the sixteenth century. Another Lutheran Bible here is one printed at Nurnberg, in 1720, by Andrea Enolters. This is said to be one of the finest of all the ancient German Bibles, and has, besides a number of beautiful engravings of Biblical scenes, several portraits of well-known German princes. It is also in its original binding with metal ornaments. A copy of the first edition of the Paris printer Robert Stephens’ valuable Greek Testament, in two volumes, published in 1546, may also be seen. A former possessor has enriched the margins of this copy with a copious supply of Latin notes and comments in very small MS. There were other editions of this book published in 1549, 1550, and 1551. That of 1551, published at Geneva, was divided into verses as we have the Bible now, a plan which the printer Stephens was the first to put into actual use.
SIR WALTER SCOTT’S CHAIR IN PAUL’S WORK