Printers' Marks

Roberts, W. (William), 1862-1940Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 240K words
Chapters: 25

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Printers' Marks by W. RobertsAuthor: Roberts, W. (William), 1862-1940,Language: English, Class: Z: Bibliography, Library science, Release Date: Jun 1, 2008

Editor's review

This is a specialized book on printers' marks and the history of early books. The author, William Roberts, long devoted attention to bibliography and book history, and this book takes the printers' mark as its specific object, linking textual identification, printing history, and book decoration. Its value lies not in general narrative but in providing readers with clues and background knowledge for identifying printers' marks; it is suitable as a tool and reference work. For collectors, students of textual bibliography, and researchers in book history, such a book helps build the awareness of judging printing origin from mark characteristics and can serve as an introductory aid for locating and verifying textual information. Note that the book addresses the Western printing tradition and was published rather early; some textual conclusions and terminology need to be understood in light of modern research. It is best consulted with specific questions in mind rather than read straight through.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Collectors and beginning readers in textual bibliography
Teachers and students studying Western printing history and book decoration
Those who need to identify printers' marks to assist textual judgment
Library workers who need to consult rare books and early printed materials

Not a good fit for

Readers who only want popular stories or light entertainment
Those with no interest at all in the Western printing tradition and book history
Readers expecting systematic textbook-style training and the latest textual conclusions

Reading tips

Read the table of contents first and pick out entries related to the copy at hand or to printers of interest.
Keep a pen or note-taking tool at hand while reading and record mark characteristics alongside printers' names.
When encountering unfamiliar technical terms, consult a basic bibliography dictionary before continuing.
Read alongside modern works on printing history or textual scholarship and note changes in earlier conclusions.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can I read this book without a background in printing history?

Yes, but the reading approach needs adjusting. This book is not a systematic textbook designed for beginners; it is better consulted with specific questions. It is advisable first to learn some basic concepts of textual scholarship and bibliography, then use the book's content as查找线索—search clues—rather than reading page by page.

Does this book discuss Chinese printing or Western printing?

Judging from the author's background and the context of book history, this book discusses printers' marks in the Western printing tradition, involving early European printed materials and book decoration. It does not take Chinese printing history as its subject and therefore cannot be directly applied to the textual identification of Chinese rare books.

Can the textual conclusions in the book still be used directly today?

The book was published rather early, and some conclusions and terminology need to be understood in light of modern bibliography and printing-history research. It can serve as an introductory clue and reference, but for specific textual judgments it is best to verify against newer reference works and specialized research rather than adopting old conclusions directly.

Comments

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About the author

Roberts, W. (William), 1862-1940 Author · 1862–1940

W. Roberts (William Roberts, 1862–1940) was a British author in the fields of bibliography and printing history. Details of his life are limited in publicly available sources, and he is chiefly remembered for two books connected with book culture. His representative work, The Book-Hunter in London, explores the world of book collecting and the antiquarian trade in London, recording how bibliophiles sought rare volumes in bookshops, at auctions and on stalls, and it has a pronounced essayistic, book-chat flavour. Printers' Marks turns to printing history, examining the form, meaning and identification of the marks used by printers and publishers in early printed books. One work portrays the people and habits of the book world, the other serves as a practical reference for bibliographical identification; both are noted for solid use of sources and plain narration, and are still cited by students of collecting and printing history.