Browse Items (259 total)

This item offers us a glance at marbled paper very typical of the 18th century, with its traditional choice of colours and a design typical of the era; many similar examples are to be found in the collection. The Encyclopedie by Diderot and…

This particular motif was the most popular in the 18th century. With this text dating to the mid 16th century, we have clear example of the time lags that can occur between a book’s date of printing and it's binding. This work may have also been…

The eloquence of Cicero appears to have wildly inspired a number of readers. However, in one case, someone seems less inspired by the art of discourse than infused with a burining desire to go Spear-fiching. If the messy and free-spirited penmanship…

Aldus Manutius (1449-1515), active in Venice, was an Italian printer, credited for the invention of Italic type, as well as “pocket” format books (chiefly the octavo, which was easily portable, in contrast to the very large formats popular at the…

Elsevier, perhaps the most well-known name in electronic publishing today, takes it name from the much earlier and, perhaps, comparably successful Dutch printing house. It is renowned for its meticulous printing and a series of duodecimal format…

This religious work was published in Québec City by Samuel Neilson (1800-1837) and William Cohen. Samuel Neilson inherited his printing studio from his father, printer John Neilson (1776-1848), who was the printer for the Gazette de Québec, and the…

This item is on display to show the exquisite richness of the engraving shown. Note the texture and pristine whiteness of the paper used; this was intended for a reader seeking luxury. The engraving would have been passed through the press at a…

Two hundred and twenty years younger than its display case neighbour Les Ordonnances et édicts du très chrestien roy de France Charles neufiesme du nom […], this item is a good example of the economic measures taken to reduce the costs of…

This work provides an example of the printer’s device of Swiss printer, Johann Froben (1460-1527). Based in Basel, Froben was a Humanist scholar himself, and was acquainted with Erasmus, as well as Hans Holbein the Younger, who would not only paint…

The edge of this book displays a decorative technique used fairly often. Instead of a marbled edge, here one has opted for a light sprinkling effect, achieved by drops of colour being “tapped” from the bristles of the brush.