“Inventors of the Art Sublime!”

W. S.

CONTENTS.

Page.
Preface[9]
Chapter I.—Introductory.—Letter-press Printing the“Divine and Noble” Art—why so termed.—Freedomof the Press—where first proclaimed.—Printingknown in China from time immemorial.—Method ofChinese Printing.—Bibliography and Palæotypography.[11]
Chapter II.—Date of the Origin of Typography inEurope.—Alleged Early Engravings.—Playing Cards.—Block-books.—Mr.F. Holt’s Hypothesis.—Evidenceof Costume.—German “Brief-malers.”—Decreeof Government of Venice.—State of Europein the Middle Ages.—Cultivation of Classical Literatureat the close of the Fourteenth and commencementof the Fifteenth Century.[35]
Chapter III.—John Gutenberg.—First attempts atTypography in Strasburg.—Difficulties.—Invention ofthe Press.—Lawsuit.—Return to Mentz.—Connectionwith Faust.—Success.—Mazarin Bible the first Bookprinted from Separable Metal Types.—Second Lawsuit.—Forfeitureof Plant to Faust.—Peter Schœffer.—Inventionof Type-founding.—Faust and Schœffer.—TheGutenberg “Printing-house.”—Gutenbergattached to the Court of the Elector of Mentz.—HisDeath.[68]
Chapter IV.—The claims of Coster and Haarlem considered,as opposed to those of Gutenberg and Mentz.—Claimsbased upon Tradition.—No ContemporaryAuthorities in their favor.—Abundance of such testimonyin favor of Gutenberg and Mentz.—ProbableOrigin of Tradition.—Block-books.—Speculum HumanæSalvationis.—Evidence of the Types: wood ormetal; cut or cast?—Books “Jettez en molle.”—Ageof the Paper.—Date of Costume.—Fraternity ofBrethren and Clerks of the Common Life.[201]
Chapter V.—The works of Faust and Schœffer.—Legendof the Printer’s Devil.—Monuments in Germany toGutenberg, Faust and Schœffer.—Separable Lettersfirst invented in China.—Characteristics of AncientPrinted Books.—The “Composing-stick” and “Setting-rule.”—EarlyBindings.[349]
APPENDIX.
I.—Account of the Origin of Printing, by J. F. Faust ofAschaffenberg[393]
II.__________________________________ by Hadrian Junius[404]
III.—Dr. Van Der Linde’s Haarlem-Coster-Legend[408]
IV.—Cut Wooden, versus Cast Metal Types[415]
Errata[424]

PREFACE.

The germ of the present work was a Lecture delivered by the writer before the Members of the Colombo Athenæum, on the 24th February 1853. That Lecture was fully reported at the time in the Colombo Observer, and a few copies were subsequently printed for private distribution. These having been disposed of, the writer’s attention was directed to the preparation of a more extended essay upon the subject. The result of his labours is now submitted to the public. The work makes no pretension to the character of an exhaustive treatise; it is, in fact, but little more than a broad outline of the subject which it ventures to describe; but it is hoped, that a fresh interest may have been imparted to some of the topics touched upon, and that they will be found placed in a light which, if not wholly new, is at any rate somewhat clearer than that in which they have hitherto been exhibited.

W. S.

Colombo, Ceylon,