Photo-Lithography

Fritz, Georg, 1851-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 238K words
Chapters: 24

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.Photo-Lithography by Georg FritzAuthor: Fritz, Georg, 1851-,Language: English, Class: TR: Technology: Photography, Release Date: Nov 14, 2017

Editor's review

This book is a specialist document on early photo-lithography, covering the principles and practice of the photo-lithographic process. It is a primary source at the intersection of the history of photographic technology and the history of printing crafts. Its value lies not in general reading but in providing first-hand texts for those studying nineteenth-century image reproduction, the evolution of the printing industry, and the history of photographic applications. Its accounts of process carry a distinct period stamp, letting readers directly sense the operational details and industry context of a time before techniques were standardized. It should be read as historical material rather than a manual, with terms and steps understood against the background of technological history. Because the original is in English and the book dates from an early period, its language and phrasing are somewhat distant for today's readers; reading it alongside relevant works on technological history is advised, and its documentary significance emerges more fully through textual comparison and reconstruction of processes.

Who it's for

A good fit for

University teachers, students, and researchers studying printing history and the history of photographic technology
Scholars working on textual bibliography, book history, and image reproduction
Collectors and appraisers who need to read nineteenth-century craft documents
Enthusiasts able to read English technical literature and interested in early platemaking processes

Not a good fit for

Beginners seeking a modern manual of photo-lithographic practice
General readers who prefer popular works and lack a background in technological history
Readers who struggle with English and are unwilling to consult reference works

Reading tips

Begin with introductory works on technological history to establish a basic framework of nineteenth-century printing processes before turning to the original text.
Take notes by process stage and compare the book's steps with modern platemaking workflows to identify technological evolution.
When encountering old terminology, consult contemporary technical dictionaries or encyclopedias to avoid misreading original meanings through modern senses.
Read alongside photographic and printing documents of the same period for mutual corroboration and a fuller picture of the industry.

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

Is this book suitable as a practical manual of photo-lithography?

Not really. It was written in the nineteenth century and describes the technical conditions and craft practices of its time; its terms and steps differ greatly from modern platemaking, so following them directly can easily lead to misunderstanding. It is better positioned as a primary source in technological history, useful for understanding the principles and operational context of early photo-lithography. Contemporary textbooks should be chosen for hands-on learning.

What prior knowledge is needed to read this book?

A basic grounding in photography and printing is advised, including familiarity with concepts such as lithography and relief printing, along with some awareness of the nineteenth-century printing industry. The original is in English with period features in its phrasing, so some ability to read English technical literature will make the reading smoother; works on technological history and dictionaries of old terminology can be consulted as needed.

What should be noted when reading the electronic edition?

This is a public-domain e-book. Readers should note differences in edition sources and typesetting; plates and diagrams in the original may be missing or distorted in the electronic conversion, and other editions or facsimiles should be checked where process details are concerned. Citations should indicate the electronic source used to ensure scholarly rigor.

Related on WeRead

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Fritz, Georg, 1851- Author

Georg Fritz (1851– ) is an author about whom very little biographical information is available; the only confirmed details are his name and year of birth. A single work by him, Photo-Lithography, is held in this library's collection. Its title indicates that it belongs to the field of printing processes and platemaking, dealing with methods of producing lithographic plates by photographic means—a technique that matured in the mid-to-late nineteenth century and was widely used for reproducing images and printing maps and drawings. Because public sources are limited, his nationality, career, and academic background cannot be established, nor can the standing and circulation of the book among the technical literature of its time. On the available evidence, Fritz appears to be a practical technical writer rather than a scholar known for theory; his writing focuses on process steps and operating instructions, serving readers such as printers and platemakers. Readers interested in the subject may consult histories of nineteenth-century printing technology to examine the book's content and editions further.