Continuing with other notable general histories of printing, most collectors probably will want to add to their shelves a copy of Theodore Low De Vinne's The Invention of Printing: A Collection of Facts and Opinions Descriptive of early Prints and Playing Cards, the Block-Books of the Fifteenth Century, the Legend of Lourens Janszoon Coster of Haarlem and the Works of John Gutenberg and His Associates (1878). De Vinne, arguably the finest American printer of his generation, was a frequent and influential writer about matters pertaining to his craft. He also was one of the founders of The Grolier Club and of the International Typothetae Society:
Another influential general history that collectors probably will want on their shelves is Thomas F. Carter's The Invention of printing in China and its spread westward (1925; significantly revised by L. Carrington Goodrich in 1955). The first edition of this title is rarely found in anything approaching Fine condition, although later editions are readily available:
The classic general history of printing in the USA is Isaiah Thomas' The history of printing in America, with a biography of printers, and an account of newspapers. Thomas--a printer, newspaper publisher and later the founder of the American Antiquarian Society--was termed "the Baskerville of America" by fellow printer and patriot Benjamin Franklin, largely in recognition of the 400+ titles issued by Thomas during his heyday. Apprenticed to a Boston printer at the age of seven, Thomas worked as a printer in the West Indies and Nova Scotia before returning to Boston in 1770 and establishing the publishing empire that would make him famous. (His firm, which ultimately employed over 150 people, published--among other firsts--the first dictionary printed in America.)
Neither the first edition of his History of Printing in America (1810), nor the 2nd (1874), is difficult to obtain in the marketplace, although either one of these in anything approaching Fine condition will set you back quite a bit of money. Most collectors settle for the limited edition reprint put out by the Imprint Society (1970) or the trade edition reprint published that same year (1970) by Weathervane Books:
Tomorrow, we will look at a few of the more influential titles that have been published about printing processes....
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