Volume 182402

Typographia: or the printers' instructor, including an account of the origin of printing. With biographical notices of the printers of England, from Caxton to the close of the sixteenth century: a series of ancient and modern alphabets, and Domesday characters: together with an elucidation of every subject connected with the art / By J. Johnson, printer.

  • John Johnson
Date:
1824
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Typographia: or the printers' instructor, including an account of the origin of printing. With biographical notices of the printers of England, from Caxton to the close of the sixteenth century: a series of ancient and modern alphabets, and Domesday characters: together with an elucidation of every subject connected with the art / By J. Johnson, printer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Cvyographia... ann Bt nated references by printers; these obrassiotads were designed to serve for other purposes than those to which theyshave been applied, as will appear from their respective functions. 1. The Asterisk is the chief of the references, and presents itself most readily to the eye, on account of having its figure on the top, and leaving a blank below, which makes it a superior, © In Roman church-books, the Asterisk divides each verse of a psalm into two parts; and marks where the responses begin: which in our Common Prayer Books is done by placing a colon between the two parts of each verse. They are sometimes used to supply the name of a person that chooses to pass anonymous. They also {| denote an omission, or an hiatus, by loss of original copy ; in which case the number of asterisks are multiplied according to the largeness of the chasm; and not only whole lines, but frequently whole pages, are left blank, and marked with lines of stars. In satyrizing persons in pamphlets and public papers, the asterisk is of great service; for it is but putting the first letter of a person’s name, with some asterisks after it, and ill-natured people think they may characterize, and even libel, their betters, without restriction. Metal Rules also serve for the above purposes as well as Asterisks. 2, The Dagger, originally termed the Obelisk, or Long Cross, is frequently used in Roman Ca- tholic church-books, prayers of exorcism, at the benediction of bread, water, and fruit, and upon other occasions, where the priest is to make the sign of the cross; but it must be observed, that the long cross is not used in books of the said kind, unless for want of square crosses, ¢}4), which are the pro- per symbols for the before-mentioned purposes;