87 
as an individual, remained unknown. Mr. Talbot Reed’s book 
on ‘‘ English Letter Foundries,” the lecturer said was the best 
historical work in the language, and there it was stated that the 
man who invented typography was doubtless the man who 
invented moveable type, or in other words, he who invented 
the adjustable type mould. The lecturer then proceeded 
to give a rudimentary demonstration of typefounding exhibiting 
and explaining the various implements and ingredients used 
in connection with the operation. The labour, he pointed 
out, was the same whether the face be ugly or handsome. So, 
too, with ‘‘ setting up,’ Consideration of expense need not deter 
them from possessing fine printing when once the punches have 
been cut. Typefounding was now carried on as a craft apart 
from that of the printer, but in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and in 
the early part of the seventeenth centuries, printers generally 
cast their own type, even if they did not cut the punches. 
Having given the names of the various parts of the type, the 
lecturer said the type-mould remained to-day much the same in 
principle as that used four centuries ago, but maehines were now 
used to open and close the mould and to eject the letter. In the 
following part of the lecture there was introduced a number of 
illustrations, the first being a photograph taken from a block book, 
the ‘‘ Ars Moriendi.”” It was a specimen page of a book before 
moveable type, and before a press was used for taking impressions. 
Mr. De Vinne, the lecturer remarked, was of opinion that the 
impressions were taken with what was called a proof planer, an 
instrument, as far as he could learn, not used in England. They 
would see that this method was much more in common with the 
Chinese mode than with our printing. They would also notice 
that the lettering which accompanied it was cut on the same 
block and formed a part of the design. View No. 2 was 
a page of a German missal written at Cologne in 1451. This was 
chosen as a specimen of an ordinary MS. book, contemporary 
with the invention of printing. The writing was beautiful, and 
generally clear, and he asked them to note carefully the forms of 
the letters and the general appearance of the page for comparison 
with the next photograph. The difference from a printed book 
of the same country and period was slight. The lecturer next 
showed a page from the first edition of the first book printed. 
It was known to bibliographers as the 42-line Bible, and formerly 
it was called the magazine or Guttenberg Bible. It was printed 
at Mentz, between the years 1450 and 1455, probably by Peter 
Schoeffer. It was the earliest book known, and some enthusiasts 
say the finest. The lecturer said the presswork has never been 
surpassed in excellence. The colour of the ink was absolutely 
black, and it was uniformly distributed on the type from the first 
page to the last. The register was perfect. The paper was all 
