The accumulation of a typographic library is not as easy an accomplishment as might be imagined at first thought. Each year sees a number of additions to the list of books concerned with printers’ types and their use, but unfortunately few managed to survive beyond the small first edition. One of the reasons is undoubtedly [...]

Thomas MacKellar, printer, typefounder, author, and poet, was born this day in New York City in the year 1812. He is remembered today primarily as the author of The American Printer: A Manual of Typography, first published in 1866 and so popular that it went into eighteen editions. At $1.50 the text was a real [...]

“On the first day of May, 1826, we set our initial stickful of types, followed by three more on the same day, all in brevier, besides laying a font of job type. It was our first day in any printing-office, and a high day it was, for we believe we leaped deerlike over every housetop [...]

“We cordially wish every book, job, or newspaper printer in America, north, east, west, and south, to consider himself on our free list; and if any time our paper fails to reach him, let him acquaint us with the mishap, and we will do what we can to remedy the evil.” Thus were the printers [...]

To mention type cases in this automated age is to indicate, at the very least, an interest in antiques. It becomes increasingly evident that the only thing to do with a case of type is to dump it in the hell box, clean it up, paint the boxes in the wildest possible colors, and hang [...]