A Specimen of Printing Types by Blake, Garnett and Co., Successors to Mr. W. Caslon, of London
The specimen book of Blake, Garnett and Co., letter founders of Sheffield, issued after they bought William Caslon's London foundry at Salisbury Square.
What it is
The specimen book of Blake, Garnett and Co., letter founders of Sheffield, issued after they bought William Caslon's London foundry at Salisbury Square. It opens with a one-paragraph notice to the Trade: they have purchased the whole of Mr. W. Caslon's foundry, which also holds Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic, Saxon and German founts not yet shown, and orders to complete founts go to Mr. Read in Covent Garden. Then come the goods: two-line capitals set as place names such as LIVERPOOL and MEDITERRANEAN, shaded and open letters, the fat-face Sanspareil from 15 lines Pica down, one or two words to a page, text sizes set with Cicero against Catiline and Isaiah 53, black letter set as statute wording, numbered new flowers, and ornaments priced from 9d. to 9s. 6d. Many pages still carry the imprint Wm. CASLON, Salisbury Square.
Why read it now
Read it as an acquisition announcement. The buyer's own name meant little in London in 1819, so the book leads with the name it bought: Caslon goes in the title, and Caslon's imprint stays on the inherited pages. The pedigree is printed on the goods rather than claimed in copy. Firms still do this after a takeover, keeping the old brand on the product until buyers trust the new owner, and the borrowed trust lasts only while quality holds. This firm later became Stephenson Blake and traded in Sheffield for well over a century. The second lesson is in the display pages: large sizes are set as real words a printer might need, such as town names and legal lines, so the buyer judges the type in use. What has dated: fat faces, black letter for public notices, and a catalogue with no prices for the type itself and no ordering guide. Use: after you acquire or merge with a better-known firm in the Gulf, keep its name visible on the work it made, state plainly what changed hands, and give one named person for orders.
Passages worth keeping
BLAKE, GARNETT, and CO. beg leave respectfully to inform the Trade, that they have purchased the whole of Mr. W. CASLON’s Foundry
تعلن الشركة لأهل المهنة أنها اشترت مسبك كاسلون كله، فتبدأ بأقوى ما تملك: اسم معروف انتقل إليها.
which in addition to the Specimens here offered for their inspection, contains Founts of Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic, Saxon, German, &c. from Brevier to Double Pica, chiefly Modern
المسبك المشترى يضم حروفًا لعدة لغات منها العربية والسريانية والعبرية، بأحجام صغيرة ومتوسطة وأكثرها من الطراز الحديث، مع أن عيناتها لم تُطبع بعد.
N. B. Orders for Imperfections, addressed to Mr. Read, No. 24, Maiden-Lane, Covent-Garden, will be immediately attended to.
دعوة واضحة إلى الطلب: اسم شخص وعنوان محدد في لندن لطلب القطع الناقصة من الحروف، مع وعد بالتنفيذ فورًا.
Wm. CASLON, Salisbury Square.
يبقى توقيع كاسلون القديم في أسفل الصفحات الموروثة، فيشهد المنتج نفسه على أصله دون كلمة مديح.
The scanned text has OCR errors. The passages are quoted from it, with only obvious slips fixed.
What it teaches best
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