Methods & Aims in Archaeology

by W. M. Flinders Petrie

The processes used for plates vary greatly in cost and quality. The cheapest is photolithography from line drawings; but only black and white can be given thus, without any half-tones, and the illustrations must be all together on a plate, and cannot be placed in the text. Yet as it can be done at less than 2d. a square inch for 250, or 6d. for 2000, it enables a much larger quantity of illustration to be given than would be possible otherwise. Relief process from line drawings costs 4d. a square inch for the blocks alone, without printing on paper; but as it can be placed with the text and printed together, it has a great advantage, especially for small subjects.

Collotype is next in cost, being 6d. a square inch for 250, or 2s. for 2000, but less than this cost in Germany. It has the same disadvantage in being restricted to whole plates, and not mixable with text, but it gives the half-tones well from photographs, and in fine examples is almost as good as a silver print. The finest I have seen were from Berlin. It is best to supply glass positives to the collotyper, and leave him to make such negatives as may suit him. If negatives are sent they are often destroyed. Net process gives half-tones, though with too coarse a grain for very delicate details. The cost is about double that of relief blocks, but as it reproduces photographs which can be mixed with the text it has an enormous use now, from cheap newspapers up to art publications. A disadvantage is that it requires a highly glazed paper to print upon, such as is unpleasant to read, heavy to hold, and liable to decay. Its duration therefore is distinctly ephemeral.

For special subjects the more costly processes are requisite. Chromo-lithography may be expected to cost about half as much again as photolithography for each colour used. As seldom less than four colours are efficient it costs at least six times as much as the line plates; thus the cheapest colour plate begins at the cost of the best net process; and it may easily come to three or four times that amount. But probably the three-colour photography will soon abolish chromo-lithography, and work much cheaper, perhaps at three or four times the price of collotype.

The autotype, platinotype, heliogravure, Swan electric engraving, and other processes all have their place for special subjects, but seldom come into the general run of archaeological illustration.

Editions.

A very successful policy for costly works of research is to issue a magnificent edition for libraries, book-collectors, and rich amateurs; and then to have a much larger edition, deficient in a few of the most costly and least necessary plates, sold at a cheap rate for students and the general public. Thus one great work of coloured folio plates costs £20 or 3s. a plate for the complete edition; whereas with a few plates deficient it is only £6 or 1s. a plate. Thus the cost of production is borne by those who demand magnificence, and the results are yet within reach of students.

Another useful arrangement is to issue a public edition for general reading, and an appendix of extra plates for students, which would overweight a general edition. Thus a 2000 edition of the popular half of the plates may cost £400, and a 250 edition of the students’ half of the plates may cost £100, so saving £300, which would be uselessly spent on 1750 copies that are not wanted, and which would only be a dead-weight to the main work.

Text.

In arrangement of the text the main necessity is ready reference, and a form which can be remembered. The way to this is by classifying the material, dividing into chapters and paragraphs, each with a title, and above all making a good index, which ought to be about a tenth of the length of the work. A list of plates should have page references for each plate. Remember that all smaller type, footnotes, and tables are far more expensive than straightforward printing.

The general nature of the record of results has been already dealt with under the recording; and the need of giving an organic handling of the whole has been pointed out.