, an ingenious printer, letter-founder, and bookseller of Leipsic,
, an ingenious printer, letter-founder, and bookseller of Leipsic, was
born in that city, Nov. 23, 17 It. An accidental perusal
of a work by Albert Durer, in which the shape of the letters is deduced from mathematical principles, appears to
have suggested to him some valuable improvements in the
art of casting types, which gave his printing-office and
foundery great reputation. He was also the first who cast
musical types, now so common, although they possess so
little of the beauty or -accuracy of copper-plates as to be
seldom used. He also contrived to print maps with moveable types, and even to cQpy portraits by the same means,
but neither of these were found of much utility. He was
better employed in 1793, in endeavouring to print the
Chinese characters on moveable types, and succeeded so
far as to exhibit specimens, which were much admired.
He is said also to have discovered some improvements in
the composition of type-metal, and the process of melting
and casting, but what these were he concealed. He died
Jan. 28, 1794. In 1774, he published a small treatise,
containing a refutation of the opinion of those who pretend
that printing was first employed at Florence, Wirtzburg,
or Antwerp. In 1784, he published the first part of a
work, entitled “An Attempt to illustrate the origin of
Playing-cards, the introduction of paper made from linen,
and the invention of engraving on wood in Europe.
” The
latter part of this work was finished, but not published,
before his death. His last publication was a small “
Treatise on Bibliography, &c.
” published in 1793, and containing extracts from his larger works, with his reasons for
retaining the present German characters, and a refutation
of some assertions respecting typography.
, an ingenious printer in the sixteenth century, and a native of
, an ingenious printer
in the sixteenth century, and a native of Arras, was originally clerk to Charles du Moulin, and admitted advocate
to the parliament of Paris; but afterwards, forming a
friendship with Beza, he embraced the reformed religion,
and retired to Geneva, where he gained great reputation
by his printing, and died of the plague, 1572. Crispin
was author of a Greek Lexicon, Geneva, 1562, 4to, and
reprinted in folio. He also published a martyrology under
the title of “Histoire des vrais temoings de la verité, &c.
depuis Jean Hus, jusqu'au tems present,
” ibid.
, an ingenious printer, was born in the neighbourhood of Aberdeen,
, an ingenious printer, was born in the neighbourhood of Aberdeen, in 1710, which place he left at the age of fourteen, and coming to London became Connected with the celebrated projector of the Gentleman’s Magazine, Edward Cave, whose sister Mary he married in 1736. Soon after his marriage, he began business at Reading, where he established a provincial paper for the use of that town, and of Winchester, where he had likewise a printing-office. In 1754 we find his name used in the Gentleman’s Magazine, as a partner with Cave at St. John’s Gate, where he continued to reside for many years with great reputation: and he possessed the freehold property of the Gate and its appurtenances at the time of his death, which happened at Lewisham, June 5, 1792.