Theodore Low De Vinne - American printer and author on typography
Source: Wikipedia
Theodore Low De Vinne (December 25, 1828 – February 16, 1914) was an American printer and scholarly author on typography. De Vinne did much for the improvement of American printing.
Contents
Life and career
The De Vinne Press printers mark
Theodore L. De Vinne was born at Stamford, Connecticut, and educated in the common schools of the various towns where his father had pastorates. He developed the ability to be a printer while employed in a shop at Fishkill, New York. He worked at the Newburgh, New York Gazette, then moved to New York City. In 1849 he entered the establishment of Francis Hart, and worked there until 1883 when the business was renamed Theodore L. Devinne & Co. In 1886 he moved to a model plant designed by him on Lafayette Place, which still stands.
De Vinne either commissioned Linn Boyd Benton, or co-designed in conjunction with Benton, the hugely popular Century Roman typeface for use by The Century Magazine, which his firm printed. For use at his own press, he also commissioned Linotype to produce De Vinne, an updated Elzevir (or French Oldstyle) type, and the Bruce Typefoundry to produce Renner, a Venetian face. However, his biographer Irene Tichenor notes that De Vinne's private correspondence shows he was not closely involved with the design of "De Vinne" and he ultimately was somewhat unhappy with the type.
He was one of nine men who founded the Grolier Club, and he was printer to the Club for the first two decades of its existence. He was also a founder and the first president of the United Typothetae of America, a predecessor of the Printing Industries of America.
Works
A prolific author in the periodical printing trade press, De Vinne was also responsible for a number of books on the history and practice of printing. For years his publications ranked at the head of American presswork. His works include:
- The Invention of Printing (1876)
- An investigation of the claims of Laurens Coster to be inventor of printing with movable type, and awarding the honor to Gutenberg
- Historic Printing Types (1886)
- Plain Printing Types (1900) (The Practice of Typography, v.1)
- Correct Composition (1901) (The Practice of Typography, v. 2)
- A Treatise on Title-Pages (1902) (The Practice of Typography, v.3)
- A revision of his earlier Title Pages as seen by a Printer, published by the Grolier Club in 1901
- Modern Methods of Book Composition (1904) (The Practice of Typography, v.4)
- Notable Printers of Italy during the Fifteenth Century (1910)
See also
References
- Jump up ^ Irene Tichenor, No Craft without Art: The Life of Theodore Low De Vinne. (Boston: David R. Godine, 2002), pp. 106-109. ISBN 1567922864
- Jump up ^ Mac MacGrew, "American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century, Oak Knoll Books, New Castle Delaware, 1993. ISBN 0938768344
- Jump up ^ Tichenor, No Craft without Art, pp. 125-126.
Rare Book Week Comes to New York City in April
Source: Luxury Travel Magazine
Antiquarian book dealers, collectors, and the intellectually curious will gather in New York City for Rare Book Week, April 1-8, 2014.
Coordinated by Fine Books & Collections magazine, Rare Book Week is the largest gathering of its kind anywhere in the world.
Rare Book Week is headlined by the 54th annual New York Antiquarian Book Fair, which runs April 3-6, but is preceded by several rare book and manuscript auctions, including those at Christie's, Heritage Auctions, Sotheby's, and Swann Galleries. Several more auction houses, including Bonham's and Doyle New York, will offer collections to round out Rare Book Week after the fair weekend. Rare Book Week also includes The Manhattan Vintage Book & Ephemera Fair, known as the "Shadow Show," and The Professional Autograph Dealer Association (PADA) Show.
Exhibits on tap during Rare Book Week include part two of the New-York Historical Society's highly successful tripartite series, Audubon's Aviary: The Complete Flock. The Rose Seder Book will be on display at the New York Public Library, and Columbia University is hosting a major exhibition focusing on the career of twentieth-century maverick publisher Samuel Roth. There will also be a total of four new exhibits at the Morgan Library & Museum including one on The Little Prince entitled The Little Prince: A New York Story. Additionally, The Grolier Club is hosting an exhibit on one of its founders, Theodore Low De Vinne, who was one of the most important American figures of the nineteenth-century book world.
According to publisher of Fine Books & Collections Webb Howell, Rare Book Week is, indeed, rare. "Throughout the year, there are book fairs, auctions, and events around the globe," says Howell. "But you simply cannot find anywhere in the world the confluence of antiquarian book events found in New York during the first week of April."
Fine Books & Collections will coordinate guest participation in events, including ensuring that people know when and where events are happening.
More information about Rare Book Week can be found on the web at www.rarebookweek.org, where events will be continuously updated and added.
For more information about Fine Books & Collections visit www.finebooksmagazine.com
[Top]