Book Collecting: A Guide for Amateurs

Of the three marks mentioned above the first and last were more usually employed.

Isaac Elzevir. 1617-1625.
Marks.—Two hands holding a cornucopia (rare).
The Eagle on the cippus.
The Hermit.

Bonaventure and Abraham Elzevir. 1622-1652 (514 books).
Marks.—The Hermit (most frequent).
The Eagle on a cippus.
The Sphere, first appearing on the Sphæra
Johannis de Sacro-Bosco, 1626.
The Arms of the University.
A palm tree with the device "Assvrgo pressa".[10]
Minerva, with her attributes (the olive tree and
the owl) and the motto "Ne extra oleas".

Jean Elzevir. 1655-1661 (113 books).
Marks.—The Hermit.
The Sphere.

The Widow and Heirs of Jean Elzevir. 1661-1681 (48 books).
Marks.—The Hermit.
Two Angels holding an open book; motto—"Immortalité".

Of the books printed by this firm, some bear the imprint: "A Leide, chez Pierre Didier," and also "Ex Officina Danielis et Abrahami à Gaasbeeck".

Abraham Elzevir. 1681-1712 (24 books).
Marks.—The Hermit (most frequent).
The Arms of the University; motto—"Hæc
libertatis ergo".

[The total number of books printed by the Leyden firm from 1583 to 1712 (129 years) is thus 938.]

The Hague Press.

Louis Elzevir II. 1590-1621 (9 books).

Jacob. 1621-1636 (3 books).
[A total of 12 books in 31 years.]

The Amsterdam Press.

Louis Elzevir III. 1638-1655 (231 books).
Marks.—The Sphere.
Minerva (most frequent).

Louis and Daniel Elzevir. 1655-1664 (150 books).
Marks.—The Sphere.
Minerva (most frequent).

Daniel Elzevir. 1664-1680 (260 books).
Marks.—The Sphere.
The Widow of Daniel Elzevir. 1680-1681 (7 books).
Minerva.
Marks.—Minerva.
The Sphere; motto—"Indefessus Agendo".
The Eagle; motto—"Movendo".

[A total of 658 books in 43 years.]

After seven books had been published by the representative of Daniel Elzevir, the business was wound up. The ornamental punches, &c., by Christopher Van Dyck, were sold, and most probably melted down.

The Utrecht Press (so called, though it was merely a
publishing centre).

Peter Elzevir. 1667-1675 (10 books).
Marks.—The Sphere.
The Hermit.
Minerva sitting under an olive tree; motto—"Pallas
Trajectina semper Augusta".

[The total number of books produced by the whole family during 129 years amounts to 1618 works.]

The above are the chief, but by no means the only, marks used by the various members of the family. The few which have not been noticed occur only at rare intervals, and are of but little importance. One device, representing a bees' nest, with a fox and the motto "Quaerendo," though frequently ascribed to the Elzevirs, is in reality none of theirs, being the mark of Abraham Wolfgang, a Dutch printer of considerable repute.

The Elzevirs, as before stated, were pirates, who thought nothing of reproducing the full title-page, with the original publisher's name, and, when this is the case, it is often a matter of very great difficulty to distinguish between the original and the reprint. Again, when these printers did not wish to put their name to any particular work, for fear of embroiling themselves with the Government, they either marked it with the Sphere or else adopted a pseudonym. Thus Jean and Daniel frequently marked their title-pages "A Leyde, chez Jean Sambix," the Amsterdam printers occasionally adopted "Jacques le Jeune," while "Nic Schouter" was a favourite fictitious name. These pseudonyms are, however, much less numerous than was at one time supposed. The first reproduction of the Provincial Letters, by Louis and Daniel Elzevir, of Amsterdam, bears on the title-page, "A Cologne, chés Pierre de la Vallée, 1657"; that of 1659, by Jean Elzevir, of Leyden, has "A Cologne, chez Nicolas Schoute". A Recueil de Diverses Pièces servant à l'Histoire de Henry III., &c., bears "A Cologne, chez Pierre du Marteau"; Les Imaginaires, of the Sieur de Damvilliers, in its two parts purports to be issued "A Liége, chez Adolphe Beyers". Il Divortio Celeste, with other works of Pallavicini, dates from Villafranca, while other undoubted productions of the Elzevir press were ostensibly published "A Mons, chez Gaspard Migeot; Londini, typis Du Guardianis; Stampati in Cosmopoli," and so on, through a list which, difficult enough to remember, is yet not very extensive.

It will be readily seen that the knowledge requisite for a collector to possess, if indeed he wishes to become a master of his subject, is of no mean order, for not only must he have the family pedigree at his fingers' ends, and be capable of detecting a pseudonymous or pirated work, but he must also be in a position to appreciate the "right dates," and to detect an improper head or tail piece when he sees it. Some books which pass as Elzevirs are in reality spurious, even though marked with the "Sphere" or other device; others, though coming from the press, are inferior editions, "not of the right date," as the specialist puts it.

One of the most beautiful little books ever issued from the Elzevir or any other press is the Cæsar of 1635, which, on referring to the table, we shall see must have been printed by Bonaventure and Abraham at Leyden.[11] It is in 12mo, and there are no less than three editions, the first and second being so much alike that no one could detect the difference without the most careful of careful inspections. The "right" Cæsar is the first, and may be recognised from the Buffalo's Head on a scroll at the head of the dedication. Pages 149, 335, and 475 are misprinted 153, 345, and 375 respectively in the first edition, and there are 35 lines to the page. The second edition, which has not, pecuniarily speaking, a tenth part of the value, has 37 lines to the page, and the misprints are corrected. Another fine work, the Comediæ of Terence, Leyden, 1635, 12mo, passed through five editions, all of which are very much alike. The first and "right" edition has, however, on page 51, the word laches printed in red, while page 101 is improperly numbered 69. In the second edition laches is in black, in the fifth it changes to red again, so that the greatest caution has to be exercised lest the first and fifth editions should be confounded. The former is worth much more than the latter, as the unfortunate purchaser will find to his cost when he comes to sell again.

As previously stated, the "good dates" begin from 1625, the year when Bonaventure and Abraham went into partnership at Leyden, and any books dated from that year to 1655, when Jean and Daniel dissolved partnership, are most likely to be of value, provided only the right edition is forthcoming. Daniel was, however, by far the best printer in the family, though some make an exception in favour of Bonaventure and Abraham; and as he continued in business at Amsterdam, either by himself or in conjunction with Louis from 1655 to 1680, those dates must also be considered "good". From the Amsterdam press, in 1655, issued that prize of Elzevir collectors, the Pastissier François, and the splendid Virgil of 1676 in grand as well as petit format, or as we should say in English, on large and small paper. The halcyon days of the press at Leyden date from 1625 to 1655; those of the press at Amsterdam from 1655 to 1680.

It is, of course, impossible for anyone, be he dealer or amateur, to carry in his head all these details and distinguishing marks, and reference in cases of doubt will have to be made to Willem's Les Elzevier, a work which has superseded all others on the subject. With this book at hand it is difficult to go wrong, as the minutest points of difference are chronicled with great fidelity.

We will now take it for granted that the amateur is in full possession of, or can obtain, all the information necessary to enable him to distinguish between a right and a wrong date. He has still, however, to bear in mind that even a right-dated volume may be in such a wretched condition as to be hardly worth purchasing. If he will take a walk down Holywell Street he may frequently meet with genuine Elzevirs which the dealers will be only too glad to dispose of for a shilling or two each. The reason of this is that, not only are the works offered for sale not "of the good date" (i.e., inferior editions), but they are also, in the vast majority of instances, battered, dirty, and, worse than all, "cropped," sometimes even to the very headlines. For a dirty book there is some hope, since it may be possible to clean it, but for a cropped specimen there is none: like Lucifer, it has fallen from its high estate "never to rise again".

As the measurement of these small books is always made in millimetres, 25·4 of which go to the inch, the enthusiastic collector carries with him an ivory rule on which the French measures are marked. The Ovid of 1629, 3 vols. 16mo, runs to 127 millimetres; the Cæsar of 1635 to 130 millimetres—anything below 125 millimetres is hardly worth looking at; the Virgil of 1676, if uncut, reaches as high as 148 millimetres, or, if in grand format, even to 184 millimetres. A book of high measurement, or entirely uncut, may be worth £100 or more, according to its quality; but if cropped below the fashionable height it would not bring as many shillings. A copy of Le Pastissier François, 128 millimetres high, was not long ago offered at 1500 francs, or £60; an entirely uncut copy brought 10,000 francs, or £400; and yet between the two there could not have been a greater difference in height than three, or at the most four, millimetres. The truth is that Elzevirs are measured with the same accuracy observable in the weighing of precious stones, and the 25th part of an inch makes a wonderful difference.

That book collectors sometimes go to extreme lengths cannot be doubted by anyone who has spent much time in their company; but the English bibliophiles are not to be compared in this respect with their French brethren. The latter are the collectors of Elzevirs, and will frequently spend enormous sums on specimens which from their appearance and real practical utility are worth hardly anything at all. What can be more incorrect than the Leyden Virgil of 1636? It is literally crammed with the most shameful errors, so much so that Heyne says it is destitute of the slightest trace of any good quality. Yet the famous Charles Nodier spent nearly all his life searching for a genuine copy of the first edition, which, when obtained, filled a place purposely left vacant for it. Up to that time he had declined to "profane" his shelves with any Virgil at all.

Thus much for the Elzevir press, which, like the Aldine, is not regarded with the same favour by collectors as it formerly was. Nevertheless there are many, particularly in France, who yet make a speciality of these little books with "good dates," and it is, therefore, necessary to know something of them. Of one thing the collector may be quite confident: he has here plenty of material for the study of a lifetime, and, what is greatly to the point, ample opportunity of accumulating a representative series of examples of the press. Good Elzevirs, though rare, are not hopelessly so; while bad ones are as plentiful as blackberries. In this respect, at any rate, the Elzevir collector has a great advantage over many of his fellows, whose hunting-grounds are circumscribed, and who frequently would give anything to obtain even a mutilated copy from the press of their favourite printer.

CHAPTER IX.

IN the short time that intervened between the invention of printing by means of movable type and the end of the fifteenth century some 20,000 different works are known to have been issued from the European press. Many copies of these are doubtless hidden away in old lumber rooms, or in the recesses of imperfectly catalogued libraries of obscure and decaying towns. Some have altogether perished, leaving no trace of their ephemeral existence; others are known by name, but have themselves vanished as effectually as if they had never existed. What, for instance, has become of the fifteen books of Ovid's Metamorphoses which Caxton, in his preface to the Golden Legende, says that he printed? Hitherto no copy has been unearthed, nor any fragment of a copy. Where is the Lyfe of Robert Erle of Oxenford mentioned in the preface to the Four Sons of Aymon? What was the great printer doing between the years 1486-8, during which time, so far as can be discovered, he printed nothing? These and many similar questions are important, as raising a very strong probability that the bibliography of Caxton is very far from being complete. The same remarks apply more or less to nearly every other fifteenth century printer. There is a field here which has never been fully explored, and which, in all probability, never will be until some Augustus shall arise, and by a wave of his hand throw open the dwellings, the libraries, and even the outhouses of the world to his troop of eager agents. In the meantime, a single discovery of a hitherto unknown book of the fifteenth century acquires an importance proportionate to the exceptional nature of the occurrence; and though the book hunter never despairs, he knows only too well that such rarities fall only to fortunate mortals like the French bibliophile Resbecq, whose extraordinary luck was proverbial, or to those whose ignorance is so dense that they seem provided, as compensation, with more than a fair share of attractive power. It seems a pity that the unappreciative should often obtain chances which are denied to those who could utilise them to advantage, but it is often the case. The merest tyro sometimes experiences a success which the experienced bibliophile sighs for in vain.

Glowing as this picture appears, the collector must not run away with the idea that all early printed books are valuable. Some, even of the fifteenth century, are not worth an Englishman's ransom by a long way. The question of value depends mainly on the name of, and the degree of reputation acquired by, the printer. Thus, books printed by Fust and Schœffer, Gutenberg and Fust, Sweynham and Pannartz, and many others of the oldest continental printers, are scarce and valuable in the extreme; so are any books from the presses of the early English printers. On the other hand, the Estienne, Giunta, and Plantin presses are comparatively neglected. Here, again, it is a question of reputation, only, in this case, the inquiry is directed not to the book itself, but to the printer, a reversal of the usual rule, and one that is productive of an extraordinary result, namely, that trivial books are often the most valuable, simply because they have not been worth keeping. Let no one, then, look, in the first instance, to the character of an early printed book, but let him rather study that of the craftsman, keeping in mind the current of popular favour and the direction in which it flows. If he does this, he will find that, so far as this country is concerned, there is a scope amply sufficient to satisfy the most earnest aspirations. The long line of printers from Caxton, in 1477, to Day, in 1546, and, in a lesser degree, those of the subsequent fifty years, discloses names which are graven on the heart of the collector, who often accounts himself fortunate if he can procure a single specimen from the early English press. As the chance of his doing so, though remote, is by no means impossible, seeing that copies are frequently offered for sale while many others must be hidden away, it is necessary that he should have some ideas of his own. To let slip a chance which fortune throws in his way, and which may never occur again, would be productive of never-ending regret, especially as, with a little care and attention, there is no reason why such a disaster should occur.

The subject of the early English press could not, of course, be entered upon fully without occupying considerable space, and I must content myself with such a résumé as can conveniently be compressed within the compass of a few pages.

It is worthy of note that many of these old English printers were, like Aldus Manutius, editors as well. In the early days labour was not divided as it is now, and it is well known that Caxton, for example, not merely translated many of his publications, but cast his own type and bound the sheets when ready for publication. Each of these processes was perfected in his own office, and so well that to this day his handiwork is seldom surpassed. Improved apparatus cannot always hold its own against manual dexterity—an observation which becomes more than ever accentuated when we apply it to the art of Typography, perfect in its results almost from infancy.

WILLIAM CAXTON, 1474(?).

Caxton, as, indeed, many of the other printers whose names are subsequently mentioned, used several devices, of which, I think, it will be sufficient to give the chief. This pioneer English printer learned his art during the years 1474-5 in the office of Colard Mansion at Bruges. Sometime about the year 1477 he established himself as a printer at Westminster, where he died in 1491. There are certain distinguishing features by which any of Caxton's works may be known, even if the colophon is lost or the book a mere fragment. His type is always Gothic or old English; he never used catchwords nor commas; and although works from the press of Lettou and Machlinia of London (1480) are exactly like Caxton's in these respects, the measurement of any given space occupied by 20 or 22 lines, according to the description of type used, varies considerably. Since 1819, some twenty hitherto unknown works by Caxton have been identified by the measurement test, for a full explanation of which the collector is referred to Blades' Life of Caxton.

Among the works printed by this great master may be mentioned the following, which have brought the prices affixed at auction, within the last few years:—

The Game and Playe of Chesse, small folio, 31st March, 1474, the first book of Caxton with a date, and a perfect copy, but wanting the two blank leaves (10⅛ in. × 7⅛; in.), old calf, £645.

Dictes and Sayinges of the Philosophers (11½ in. × 8 in.), 1477, folio, morocco extra, perfect, £650.

Higden's Discripcion of Britayne, evidently made up from two imperfect copies (11½ in. × 8 in.), morocco extra, 1480, folio, £195.

Chronicles of Englonde, 1480, folio, wanted part of the index and otherwise greatly imperfect, £67; another copy (9½ in × 7 in.), perfect, £470.

Higden's Polychronicon, 1482, 4to, a very imperfect copy, containing only 205 leaves, £31.

Ryal Book, or Book for a King, perfect, but several leaves mended (11⅛; in. × 8⅛; in.), no date (1487?), folio, £365.

The Prouffitable Boke for Mannes Soule, called The Chastysing of Goddes Children, no date, folio, quite complete; and another called The Tretyse of the Love of Jhesu Christ by Wynkyn de Worde, 1493, folio, both in one volume, £305.

Bœcius de Consolacione Philosophie, in Latin and English, a complete copy, several leaves stained (10¾ in. × 7½ in.), old calf, no date, folio, £156.

Contemporary with Caxton were the printers Lettou and Machlinia, previously mentioned, who carried on business in the city of London, where they established a press in 1480. Machlinia had previously worked under Caxton. Their productions are scarce, but not so much so as those of Caxton. An inferior copy of their Vieux Abrigement des Statutes, no date, but about 1481, folio, sold by auction in August, 1887, for £8 10s., and occasionally other and better specimens may be picked up for two or three times that amount.

WYNKYN DE WORDE, 1491.

In all probability this famous printer was one of Caxton's assistants or workmen, when the latter was living at Bruges, but without doubt he was employed in his office at Westminster until 1491, when he commenced business on his own account, having in his possession a considerable quantity of Caxton's type. Wynkyn de Worde, who was one of the founders of the Stationers' Company, died in 1534, after having printed no less than 410 books known to bibliographers, the earliest of which bearing a date is the Liber Festivalis, 4to, 1493. The whole of these works, especially when in good condition, are excessively scarce, and invariably bring high prices. A wormed copy of the Descrypcion of Englonde, Wales, and Scotlonde brought £10 at the Gibson Craig sale in July, 1887, and the Vitas Patrum, 1495, folio, £71, at the Crawford sale in the same month. Voragine's Golden Legend, printed by de Worde in 1527, brought £81 a short time ago; his Higden's Polychronicon, 1495, folio, wanting title, £16 5s.; the Nova Legenda Anglie, 1516, folio (wormed), £28; and Dame Juliana Berner's Fysyhing with an Angle, 1496, folio (frontispiece inlaid), £120.

RICHARD PYNSON, 1493.

This early English printer was by birth a Norman, but became naturalised in England by letters patent and was appointed king's printer. He was the first to introduce the Roman letter into this country, though this honour is by some attributed to Wynkyn de Worde. The Italian penmen of the fifteenth century furnished the model for the round character which has been successively adopted in most of the typographical foundries since the days of Pynson, and which is known as the Roman character; and these penmen are supposed to have imitated the writing of the Carlovingian MSS. Thus the small alphabet used by our printers is a copy of that adopted in the churches of France in the time of Charlemagne.

Among Pynson's works may be mentioned the following. The prices affixed have, as before, been realised at auction within the last few years.

Sebastian Brant's Shyp of Folys of the Worlde, translated by Barclay, black letter, woodcuts, morocco extra, imperfect, 1509, folio, £23.

Jeronimi de Sancto Marcho Opusculum, &c., woodcut signs of the Zodiac and Pynson's device on title, a fine copy in morocco extra, bound by Bedford (1509), 4to, £85.

Intrationum Liber, woodcut of royal arms, perfect, old russia, 1510, folio, £36 15s.

JULIAN NOTARY, 1498.

The periods of the birth and death of this ancient typographical artist are entirely unknown. One of his books, the Missale Secundum vsvm Sarvm, dates from Westminster, the 20th December, 1498, and one or two others are dated 1520, so that it is safe to say that he flourished between those dates. One of the most extraordinary books issued at this early time is the Shepherd's Calendar, printed by Julian Notary. It is full of quaint woodcuts, illustrative of religious myths, which, considering the times, are excellently executed. An edition of this calendar was also printed and published by Richard Pynson. The total number of books known to have been printed by Julian Notary is 23.

WILLIAM FAQUES, 1499.

This printer is known in connection with a few books, about half-a-dozen in number, which, as usual, are excessively scarce and very valuable. The dates of his birth and death are uncertain. The first of his books, however, is dated 1499, and the last 1508.

RICHARD FAWKES, 1509.

Although the date of the first book printed by Richard Fawkes is given as 1509, it is more than likely that the date on the title-page (Salus Corporis, Salus Anime, folio, 1509) is a misprint. The next in point of date is a book of Hours, 1521, and it is hardly likely that twelve years should have elapsed without his printing anything. Still, time has spared such a few of this printer's publications that it is quite possible the date may be correct. Specimens from Fawkes' press are excessively rare, none having been offered for sale, so far as I am aware, for many years.

PETER TREVERIS, 1514.

Our information about this printer is very meagre, so much so that little seems to be known of him beyond the fact that he was the first printer in the borough of Southwark. He printed for John Reynes, a bookseller in St. Paul's Churchyard in 1527; also for Laurence Andrewe, who carried on business in Fleet Street about the same date. Anthony à Wood, in his History and Antiquities of Oxford, says that Treveris printed some of Whitinton's pieces there in 1527, but no evidence of the fact appears to be forthcoming. The first book known to have issued from his press is the Disticha Moralia, 4to, 1514, though some bibliographers deny that Treveris was the printer. The whole number of his productions, inclusive of the grammatical treatises of Whitinton, which, on the authority of Wood and for purposes of convenience, are ascribed to him, does not amount to 30. They are, as usual, very scarce.

The Grete herball whiche gyueth parfyt Knowledge, &c., black letter, woodcuts, badly cut down, 1529, folio, £5.

ROBERT COPLAND, 1515.

This printer was one of the assistants of Wynkyn de Worde, and a legatee under his will. He was also a stationer and bookseller, dwelling at the Rose Garland in Fleet Street, where he carried on business from about 1515 to the year 1547 or beginning of 1548. His productions are not only few in number, but very rarely ever met with. He seems to have been fond of small and fugitive pieces, of which, doubtless, a large number have perished owing to the popularity which formerly attended publications of this kind. The number of his works catalogued by Ames amounts to 12. This printer must not be confounded with William Copland (post), whose productions are, comparatively speaking, common.

JOHN RASTELL, 1520.

According to Bale, this printer was a citizen of London, and married the sister of Sir Thomas More. The date of his birth is not known, but he died in 1536, leaving two sons, one of whom, William, succeeded to his business. Ames mentions 31 works printed by John Rastell and 15 by William, and among the former is the famous Pastyme of People, or Cronycles of Englond, of which only three perfect copies are known to exist. A fac-simile reprint was issued in 1811 by Dr. Dibdin. An original copy of this work, which contains 18 woodcut full-length portraits of the kings, was, though imperfect, sold at the Wimpole sale, in June, 1888, for as much as £79. A copy of the reprint is worth about 30s.

JOHN SKOT, 1521.

Books printed by this workman, which are only 13 in number, are seldom seen. Much—and probably it is no exaggeration to say, most—of the work of the English printers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries has been destroyed, and it is probable that between the years 1521 and 1537, when John Skot, or Scott, as he sometimes spelled his name, is known to have been working, a large number of publications was issued from his press, of which not a trace remains. There is a good copy of the diminutive tract known as The Rosary, printed by Skot in 1537, in the library of Earl Spencer at Althorpe.

ROBERT REDMAN, 1523.

Robert Redman set up a printing press at the house quitted by Pynson, just outside Temple Bar, and called the George. He seems also to have adopted a colourable imitation of his device, and altogether to have taken great advantage of his opportunities to undermine the business of his rival. In the 1525 edition of Lyttleton's Tenures, printed by Pynson, the latter takes Redman roundly to task, and in an edition of Magna Charter, dated 1527, a similar strain of abuse is maintained. The first book known to have been printed by Redman bears date 1523. He died somewhere about the year 1540.

Fitzherbert's Diuersite de Courtes, black letter, 24 ff., 1528, 16mo, £2 10s.

ROBERT WYER, 1527.

This prolific printer was in business, "in the felde besyde Charynge Crosse," from 1527 to about 1542, but as the greater number of his books were published without dates, it is possible that he may have lived beyond the year given. The number of his books catalogued amounts to 68, and they consist chiefly of treatises on Astrology, Medicine, and, more rarely, Poetry.

THOMAS BERTHELET, 1530.

Towards the middle of the sixteenth century the popular demand for biblical legends and treatises on scholastic divinity began to decline, and a taste for classical literature to take its place. The productions of Berthelet, which give evidence of the improvement in this respect to no slight degree, are intrinsically valuable, as well as unusually numerous. Berthelet died about Christmas, 1555, as appears by an entry in the Stationers' Hall books for 26th of January, 1555-6. The number of his works, as catalogued, amounts to 190.

The Praise of Folie, by Erasmus, translated by Chaloner, black letter, wormed, and title mended, 1549, 4to, £2 8s.

Gower's De Confessione Amantis, black letter, Berthelet's first edition, wormed, oak boards, covered in stamped leather, 1532, folio, £8.

Institution of a Christen Man, black letter, woodcut border to title by Holbein, morocco extra, 1537, 4to, £22 10s.

Necessary Doctrine and Erudition for any Christen man, black letter, morocco extra, 1543, 4to, £12.

Psalms or Prayers, black letter, wanting title and signature Lv, calf, no date (1548), 8vo, £10 5s.

Henrici VIII. Pia et Catholica Christiani Hominis Institutio, morocco extra, by Pratt, fine copy, 1544, 4to, £5 5s.

JOHN BYDDELL, 1533.

John Byddell first carried on business at the sign of "Our Lady of Pity," and seems to have borrowed his device from one of the earlier pages of Corio's History of Milan, 1505. Subsequently he removed to the "Sun," in Fleet Street, formerly occupied by Wynkyn de Worde. This printer died somewhere about 1544, having published 29 volumes, according to Ames, most of which are of a serious character.

Prymer in Englishe, with Calendar and Almanake (1535-54), black letter, title in fac-simile, russia extra, 16th June, 1535, 4to, £97.

Bible in English (by R. Tavener), black letter, several leaves mended, morocco extra, by Bedford, folio, 1539, £57.

RICHARD GRAFTON, 1537.

Richard Grafton, the king's printer, was at one time a citizen and grocer of London, and seems to have been brought up as a merchant. He commenced business as a printer with Edward Whitchurche in or about the year 1537, and from that date to 1541 they continually printed in partnership. The dissolution was probably due to the persecution to which they were subjected on account of the Act of the Six Articles. Whitchurche, whose device is given below, is said to have married the widow of Archbishop Cranmer, and is known to have been living in 1560. Grafton, who was continually in difficulties, and on one occasion narrowly escaped with his life, is supposed to have died about the year 1572.

Boke of Common Praier, black letter, blue morocco extra, by Rivière, August, 1552, folio, £60.

Primer in Englishe (black letter) and Latyn (roman type), brown morocco extra, by Bedford, 1545, 4to, £28.

Orarium seu Libellus Precationum, woodcuts, blue morocco, 16mo, 1546, £20 10s.

Marbeck's Concordance of the Bible, black letter, title inlaid, russia, small folio, 1550, £1 6s.

Halle's Chronicle, black letter, russia extra, by Bedford, folio, 1550, £9.

Harding's Chronicle, black letter, morocco extra, by Bedford, 1543, 4to, £11 5s.

The Order of the Communion, black letter, wanted title, morocco, 8th March, 1548, sm. 4to (the only copy known), £55.

EDWARD WHITCHURCHE, 1537.

Byble in Englyshe (Cranmer's), black letter, cut down at the top, morocco extra, by Bedford, folio, 1541, £50.

Booke of Common Prayer, black letter, first edition of Edward VI.'s Prayer Book, with the rare order for the price, a fine copy in blue morocco extra, folio, 1549, £155.

Boke of Common Prayer, second edition of Edward VI.'s Prayer Book, a fine copy in blue morocco, folio, 1552, £100.

Book of Prayers used in the Queen's (Catherine Parr's) House, black letter, a fragment of an unknown edition, 32mo, 1550, £2.

Grafton and Whitchurche, in conjunction, printed the first issue of the Great or Cromwell's Bible, a folio book dated 1539, a fair copy of which was sold at the Crawford sale for £111; also the New Testament, both in Latin and English, after the vulgare texte (Coverdale's version), 1538-39, 8vo, partly printed at Paris by Regnault and completed in London. Nearly the entire impression was seized and burnt by order of the Inquisition, and the few copies that remain are extraordinarily rare and valuable.

JOHN WAYLANDE, 1537.

A printer who, according to the best authorities, lived at the sign of the "Blue Garland in Fleet Street," and, in the year 1541, at the sign of the "Sun, against the Conduit". He was in business in 1558.

The Primer in English and Latin, after Salisburye Use, some leaves in fac-simile, bound by Rivière in morocco, 22nd August, 1558, 12mo, £20.

Tragedies of all such Princes as fell from their estates throughe the Mutabilitie of Fortune, translated into Englysh by John Lidgate, black letter, some leaves mended, no date, folio, £4 10s.

Prymer in Latin and Englishe...and Almanacke (1555-71), black letter, brown morocco extra, by Rivière, 1555, sm. 4to, £27.

Prymer in Englishe (black letter) and Latine (roman type), after Salisbury Use, with Calendar, &c., woodcuts, calf, 1557, 16mo (only six copies are known), £13.

Prymer in Englyshe, with Calendar, black letter, title in fac-simile, brown morocco extra, Ihon Mayler for Ihon Waylande, 1539, sm. 4to (only four copies are known), £91.

WILLIAM MYDDYLTON, 1541.

William Myddylton, or Middleton, succeeded to the business of Robert Redman, which he carried on at the sign of the "George, next to St. Dunstan's Church, in Fleet Street". This printer turned out some 30 different publications, known to bibliographers. There is no doubt, however, that many more must be lost, or remain undiscovered. Myddylton probably died somewhere about the year 1550. Another printer, by name Henry Middleton, flourished about the year 1579. His works are scarce, but not nearly so valuable as those of William.

Froissart's Cronycles of Englande, &c., translated by Bourchier, 2 vols., black letter, 1525, folio, russia extra, (printed by Myddylton and Pinson), £9 12s.

REYNOLD WOLFE, 1542.

The king's printer, was in all probability a foreigner by extraction, if not by birth. He commenced printing in 1542, but a great portion of his time was spent in collecting materials for an Universal Cosmography of all Nations, which, though undigested at his death in 1573, laid the foundation for Holinshed's Chronicles. His works are described as being 59 in number, and, as is always the case where any specimens from the presses of early English printers are concerned, are scarce and valuable. After the death of Reynold, his widow, Joan, printed three books, which bear her name. The last of these is dated in 1580, about which time, doubtless, the press ceased to exist.

Care must be taken that this printer is not confounded with others of the same name, who, for the most part, carried on business in France and Holland.

JOHN DAY, 1546.

Next to Caxton and Wynkyn de Worde, this printer certainly ranks the highest in the opinion of bibliographers. Herbert says that Day first began printing a little above Holborn Conduit, and about 1549 removed to Aldersgate. He kept also at the same time several shops in different parts of the town, where his books were sold. Day was the first printer who used Saxon characters, and brought those of the Greek and Italic to perfection. He died in 1584 after having followed the business of a printer for nearly forty years.

The name of John Day will sometimes be found in conjunction with that of William Seres, but rarely, if ever, after 1550. This William Seres was a printer, who, on dissolving partnership with Day in 1550, carried on business by himself for some twenty or twenty-five years in London.

A Short Catechism, black letter, morocco extra, 1553, 16mo, £12.

Booke of Christian Prayers Collected out of the Ancient Writers, black letter, blue morocco extra, by Pratt, 1578, 4to, £26 10s.

Certaine Select Prayers Gathered out of S. Augustine's Meditations, 2 vols., 1575, sm. 8vo, £5 15s.

Psalmes in Metre with Music, black letter, 1571, sm. 4to, £140. This work was sold with another by Jugge and Cawood, and was bound in an exceptionally fine Elizabethan style.

Preces Privatæ in Studiosorum, first ed., 1564, 16mo, also another edition of 1573, 16mo, in two volumes (both printed by William Seres), £3.

WILLIAM COPLAND, 1548.