23 Panormum. Palermo (1477). Papia. Pavia (1471). Parisii. Paris (1470). Patavia, or Passavium. Passau, Bavaria (1482). Patavium. Padua (1472). Perpinianum. Perpignan (1500). Perusia. Perugia (1475). Pictavium. Poitiers (1479). Pompeiopolis. Pampeluna (1489). Praga. Prague (1478). Ratiastum Lemovicum. Limoges (1495). Ratisbona. Ratisbon (1485). Regium. Reggio, Italy (1475). Rhedones. Rennes, capital of Bretagne (1484). Roma. Rome (1467). Rothomagum. Rouen (1483). Rubens Mons. Rougemont, an Abbey of Benedictines in Burgundy (1481). S. Albani Villa. St. Albans (1480). Saena. Sienna (1479). Salmantica. Salamanca (1481). Tarrazona, Tirasso, or Turiaso. Tarazona. Tarvisium. Treviso, Italy (1471). Taurinum. Turin (1474). Ticinum. Pavia (1471). Tigurum. Zurich (1521). Trajectum ad Rhenum. Utrecht (1473). Trebia. Trevi, Italy (1470). Trecae, or Tricasses. Troyes, France (1483). Tubinga. Tubingen (1498). Turones. Tours (1496). Ubii. Cologne (1466). Ultrajectum. Utrecht (1473). Ulyssipo. Lisbon. Utinum. Udina, Italy (1484). Vallisoletum, or Pincia. Valladolid (1495). Venetia. Venice (1469). Vindoliona. Vienna (1482). Viterbium. Viterbo, Italy (1488). Westmonasterium. Westminster, where Caxton established his first press (1474). Wirceburgum. Wurtzburg (1479). The foregoing list does not, of course, comprise all the places where printing was anciently carried on; on the contrary, numberless small and unimportant towns possessing one or more presses were scattered all over Europe, from which copies of books were rapidly issued, and are frequently met with. A very complete list of these will be found in Dr. Cotton's "Typographical Gazetteer," to which the reader is referred for any further information he may require. With respect to the dates at the foot of the titlepages of these old works, we have already said that the Roman system of notation was often adopted. As this frequently gives rise to considerable perplexity, it may be observed that when a line is found over a numeral its value is thereby increased a thousandfold, thus: VIII 8; VIII 8000. As we have not yet arrived at the year 2000 Anno Domini, the only numeral likely to be affected is I standing for the unit, which is sometimes made to do duty for a thousand in the shape of I, leaving the centuries to be added according to the circumstances of the case. The form IDXXXI is equal therefore to MDXXXI, or, as we should write it, 1531. There were, however, no less than six different ways of writing a thousand, namely: CIO, CD, ∞, ♫, È, м. The third, fourth, and fifth of these signs are purely arbitrary, and should be made a note of. The ordinary numerals used by the Romans were I for 1, V for 5, X for 10, L for 50, C for 100, D or Io for 500, M or CIƆ for 1000; and when any character was followed by one of less or equal value, the expression denoted the sum of their simple values, but when preceded by one of less value, the difference. Thus III stood = for 3, IV for 4, and VI for 6, XL for 40, LXX for 70, and so on. Every added to Io and every C and O joined to CIO increased its value tenfold; thus, Iɔɔ 5000. It is the double form of the D standing for 500 which gives rise to most of the difficulties experienced by amateurs; but when it is remembered that D and I constitute one and the same symbol, and that CIO is equivalent to 1000, the method of calculating will be seen to be very easy and simple. One or two examples of symbols in common use will illustrate most of the cases likely to be met with : In the example CIOIOCX, which appears so complicated, CIO equals, as stated above, 1000, Ip is only another form of D representing 500, C stands for 100, and X for ten, and these amounts added together make 1610. CIO ΙΟ CCC XC 1890. CHAPTER IV. List of the principal Technical Terms used by Booksellers and Printers. THE list of technical terms which follows has been compiled from various sources, but principally from "Power's Handy Book about Books," published in 1870 by the late John Wilson, of 11, King William Street, Strand, London, a work now out of print. Advance Sheets.-Sometimes called "Early copies." Portions of a work supplied elsewhere previous to publication, generally for simultaneous reproduction. Many English authors supply "advance sheets to American publishers, so that the work can be brought out in England and America simultaneously. Allonym. A false proper name. A work published to deceive, under the name of some author, but not by him, as "Peter Parley's Annual." Almanack Day.-The day on which almanacks are issued by the publishers to the trade, usually November 21st in every year. Anastatic Printing.-A mode of obtaining fac-simile impressions of any printed page or engraving without re-setting the types or re-engraving the plate. The page to be copied is first saturated with a solution of nitric acid, which does not affect the printer's ink. A transfer is then taken on a plate of zinc, which is in process of time eaten away by the acid from the non-printed part of the page. This leaves the printed portion in relief. Anonymous.-Without a name. Apoconym.-A name deprived of one or more of its initial letters. Author's Proof. The proof taken after the first proof is corrected, and sent to the author for correction or amendment. Autonym.-An author's real name. Bands. Pieces of leather, cardboard, or other suitable substance glued to the back of a book previous to covering. The space between these is called "between bands." The strings whereon the sheets of a volume are sewn. Bastard Fount.-Small-faced type upon a larger body, adopted for the purpose of making the printed pages look as if the lines had been spaced out, or "leaded," as it is called. Bazil.-Tanned sheepskin, used for common bindings. Books bound in sheepskin are sometimes described in catalogues by the contraction " shp." Black Letter.-A peculiar kind of type formerly used in this country, generally known elsewhere as "Flemish or German character." Specimen of Black Letter. Block Books.-Books printed from blocks of wood engraved on one side of the leaf only. Boards.-Books are sometimes described as being in "boards." This refers to the binding, and they are so described when bound in millboard. Cloth-bound books did not come into vogue until about 1826. Books Uncut.-An uncut book is one that has not been primed by the binder's knife. It is a mistake to suppose that the term has reference only to those books which have not been cut for reading, for, even if they have, they may be still "uncut" in the technical sense of the term. Bosses.-Plates of metal or other hard substance formerly attached to the corners of books as a preservation against injury. Bourgeois.-A description of type ranking in size immediately after long primer. Specimen of Bourgeois Type. Brace. A character cut in metal, thus Brevier.-A very common type. Specimen of Brevier Type. Brilliant. The smallest sized type in use in this country. Specimen of Brilliant Type. Broadside.-One full page, printed on one side only of a whole sheet of paper. |