John Baskerville, Type-Founder and Printer, 1706–1775The Baskerville Bible of 1763 is perhaps the most famous work published by Cambridge University Press, and Baskerville's own type punches are among its most treasured possessions. This short biography of John Baskerville (1706-75) was published in 1914 by Josiah Henry Benton (1843-1917), an American lawyer and author. Baskerville, born in Worcestershire, set up as a writing-master and letter-cutter in Birmingham, but later built up a business in 'japanning', the imitation of Japanese lacquer work, from which he made his fortune. He began working as a type-founder and printer around 1750, and made innovations not only in typefaces but also in paper, ink and printing machines. The quality of his books - not only the Bible, but also the Book of Common Prayer, an edition of Virgil, and Milton's Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, among others - made them collectors' items: Benton provides an appendix listing his own Baskerville books. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Aeneidos Alexander Carlyle appeared art of printing artist Basker Baskerville House Baskerville’s books beautiful Benton Bible Birming Birmingham Book of Common book printed bookseller Catullus Christ’s Church Common Prayer copy correét Dibdin says Easy Hill edition of Virgil elegant England English Letter Foundries excel expense field fifty figure finally financial find finding fine printing finer finest finished first edition folio Bible Franklin glossy gold lace Greek type guineas Hansard Hansard’s Horace Hudibras Imperial 8vo issued japan John Baskerville letter-founding list of subscribers Lucretius Milton oétavo Old English Letter Opera Paradise Paradise Lost Paris perfect plates Prayer Book produced profit Psalms in Metre published quarto quarto editions Reed says Reed’s Old English reputation Robert Dodsley Roman and Italic Royal 4to sheets Shenstone specimen sufficiently Terence tion title-page trade type-founder and printer typography University of Cambridge vols Voltaire volume Warwickshire William Bowyer William Caslon wrote