John Baskerville: Type-founder and Printer, 1706-1775

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Privately printed, 1914 - Printing - 78 pages

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Page 13 - Let me give you a pleasant instance of the prejudice some have entertained against your work. Soon after I returned, discoursing with a gentleman concerning the artists of Birmingham, he said you would be a means of blinding all the readers in the nation ; for the strokes of your letters, being too thin and narrow, hurt the eye, and he could never read a line of them without pain. "I thought," said I, "you were going to complain of the gloss of the paper, which some object to.
Page 13 - Let me give you a pleasant Instance of the Prejudice some have entertained against your Work. Soon after I returned, discoursing with a Gentleman concerning the Artists of Birmingham, he said you would [be] a Means of blinding all the Readers in the Nation; for the Strokes of your Letters, being too thin and narrow, hurt the Eye, and he could never read a Line of them without Pain. "I thought," said I, "you were going to complain of the Gloss of the Paper, some object to.
Page 29 - Stranger, Beneath this cone, in unconsecrated ground, A friend to the liberties of mankind directed his body to be inurned. May the example contribute to emancipate thy mind From the idle fears of Superstition, And the wicked Arts of Priesthood ! 74.
Page 20 - Amongst the several mechanic Arts that have engaged my attention, there is no one which I have pursued with so much steadiness and pleasure as that of Letter Founding. Having been an early admirer of the beauty of Letters, I became insensibly desirous of contributing to the perfection of them.
Page 27 - ... to be buried in a conical building in my own premises, heretofore used as a mill, which I have lately raised higher and painted, and in a vault, which I have prepared for it.
Page 18 - I have taken the Liberty of sending you a Specimen of Mine, begun ten Years ago at the age of forty-seven, and prosecuted ever since with the utmost Care and Attention, on the strongest Presumption, that if I could fairly excel in this divine Art, it would make my Affairs easy or at least give me Bread. But alas ! in both I was mistaken.
Page 24 - The graphic embellishments of this useless edition are justly pronounced to be j" tres me'diocres'' by Brunei. I never see, or even think of, the lovely edition of Baskerville, of 1773, 8vo. 4 vols., without the most unmixed satisfaction. Paper, printing, drawing, plates — all delight the eye, and gratify the heart, of the thorough-bred bibliomaniacal Virtuoso. This edition has hardly its equal, and certainly not its superior.— in any publication with which I am acquainted; Look well to the proofs...
Page 21 - He seems to have been extremely curious in the choice of his paper and ink : the former being in general the fruit of Dutch manufacture, and the latter partaking of a peculiarly soft lustre bordering on purple.
Page 13 - I stepped into my closet, tore off the top of Mr. Caslon's Specimen, and produced it to him as yours, brought with me from Birmingham saying, I had been examining it, since he spoke to me, and could not for my life perceive the disproportion he mentioned, desiring him to point it out to me.
Page 19 - It is surely a particular hardship that I should not get Bread in my own Country (and it is too late to go abroad) after having acquired the Reputation...

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