Early Lithographed Books : A Study of the Design and Production of Improper Books in the Age of the Hand Press

London and Middlesex: Farrand Press & Private Libraries Association, 1990. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good/No Jacket. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Type: Book In the last few decades lithography has become the major book production process, but its versatility and potential for short-run, "do it yourself" publishing were first exploited early in the 19th century. The arrival of desk top publishing has stimulated an interest in this once neglected, but now very relevant, area of printing history, and Twyman's meticulous research presents the reader with a minute account of the subject. He describes the design and production of a wide range of publications, from a broad variety of sources, for whom lithography promised a flexibility unobtainable from letterpress. However, some of his most interesting accounts and demonstrations are of hopes disappointed and a return to letterpress. This text is a study of the potential of lithography for "do it yourself" publication in the 19th century by the military (manuals), antiquarians (catalogues), by those needing special types (Champollion on hieroglyphs, Pitman on shorthand) and by publishers mixing text with illustration and tables. There were a great variety of users whose output is later mirrored in the "camera ready" books of the 1960s and 1970s. 374pp. N.B. Very very slight fading to top edge of boards and spine.