TYPOGRAPHIC TECHNICAL SERIES FOR APPRENTICES—PART VIII—NO. 49
BOOKS BEFORE
TYPOGRAPHY
A PRIMER of INFORMATION ABOUT THE
INVENTION OF THE ALPHABET AND
THE HISTORY OF BOOK-MAKING
UP TO THE INVENTION OF
MOVABLE TYPES
BY
FREDERICK W. HAMILTON, LL.D.
EDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR
UNITED TYPOTHETÆ OF AMERICA
PUBLISHED BY THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
UNITED TYPOTHETAE OF AMERICA
1918
Copyright, 1918
United Typothetae of America
Chicago, Ill.
PREFACE
An attempt has been made in this book to trace briefly the story of thebook from the earliest attempts made by mankind to convey a message bymarks on some substance down to the invention of movable types. Thedevelopment of writing is rapidly traced from the earliest knownpictures and sign marks to the present day. The discussion covers thesubjects of writing materials and how they were made; the evolution ofthe book; the conditions of manufacture, distribution, and preservationof books before printing, and the conditions out of which sprang theinvention of typographic printing.
It is believed that a comprehensive knowledge of the main facts in thislong story will be of great value to the young printer, and it is hopedthat he may be interested to continue the study in some of the many veryexcellent books which are available. A short list of a few of the bestand most accessible authorities in English will be found on page 44. Ithas not been thought worth while to refer to books in other languages.
The story of the efforts of men to convey their thoughts to the absentis one of absorbing interest and leads into many pleasant byways ofknowledge. While we are studying the processes and materials of a tradeby which we hope to gain a livelihood it is well to know something aboutthe men of the past whose accomplishments we inherit. To know somethingabout the men of another time who made this time possible, what theydid, what manner of men they were, how they lived, and what they createdfor us, is the task of this and the following volumes in Part VIII ofthis series.
CONTENTS
| page | ||||
| Chapter I | The Origin of the Alphabet | 1 | ||
| Chapter II | Writing Materials | 9 | ||
| Chapter III | The Evolution of the Book | 15 | ||
| Chapter IV | Making the Manuscripts | 20 | <