The biography traces the rise of a provincial artisan from modest beginnings in a thriving manufacturing town to prominence as a type-founder and printer. It places his activities in the social and commercial context of his community and describes his early work as a writing-master and stone cutter that shaped his sense of letterforms. The author recounts his commercial success in japanning, inventive manufacturing methods, and the comfortable estate his earnings purchased. The book concludes by examining his experiments with type design, paper treatment, and printing technique that secured his reputation.