The Printing of Greek in the Fifteenth Century

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Bibliographical Society at the Oxford University Press, 1900 - Greek type - 217 pages
 

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Page 119 - On the artistic aspect of these books all writers are agreed that for the splendour of their ornamentation and the beauty of their press-work they stand in the very forefront of all books yet printed. The type which cost Kallierges five years' labour to produce is of course in the later style, but even when most elaborate it is comparatively dignified and is unsurpassed for evenness and delicacy of execution. The capitals are extremely beautiful ; the type is well set up on the page.
Page 52 - Haec igitur animo uolutans inueniebam uobis quidem pergratum ac nihilominus utile fore, si uobis copia librorum graecorum sine multa impensa difficultateque esset, quo et ad discendum impensius et propositum uobis libentiori animo assequendum alacriores essetis, mihi uero optatissimum memoratuque dignum, si quid tale uestra meaque causa recte efficere possem.
Page 119 - Etymologicon, which is also the most elaborate. The ornament consists of large initials, headpieces in the Greek style, filled with arabesques, and the devices of the publisher and printer, that of Blastos, a masterpiece in its way, being too well known to need further remark".
Page 146 - ... for that purpose, which will afford a fair presumption that a great many of the sorts above referred to must be needless, where their number occupies seven hundred and fifty boxes. It must, however, be observed that almost three hundred of these sorts have no other difference than that of being kerned on their hind side; for there has been Greek with capitals kerned on both sides.
Page 148 - ... the flourishes of the pen; but what could prompt them to confound themselves with an infinite number of ligatures, cannot so well be accounted for. Greek is, however, now "cast almost every where without either ligatures or abbreviations, except where founders have express orders for them. Some few, however, not only grace Greek letter, but are also profitable to a compositor who knows how to use them properly.
Page 60 - Dominus Petrus de Montagnana Congregationi Canonicorum regularium Lateranensium Sancti Augustini, ita ut sit tantum ad usum dictorum Canonicorum in monasterio Sancti lohannis in Viridario Padue commorantium.
Page 53 - ... a uobis accurate intellecta praceptaque ad altiora deinceps fauente deo eniti: nosque promptiores reddere ad multa plura pulchrioraque uobis gratificandum. Valete.
Page 53 - Grammaticam imprimere uiri sane diserti grammaticique diligentissimi cum ualde dilucidatn apprimeque incohantibus utilem turn etiam periculum uestri facturam : siquidem et uobis haec res pluris extimata sit -. et a nobis minus frustra elaborata. Deinde si res ex sententia cesserit : maiora quoque atque praestantiora deo uolente attingere. Vestrum itaque erit optimi adolescentes...
Page 144 - ... great Polyglot Bibles. Brocar's undying fame as a printer will always rest upon 126 This is equally true of the Greek types employed in the New Testament text in this Bible. Says Robert Proctor (in his The Printing of Greek in the Fifteenth Century, Oxford, 1900, p. 144) : "To Spain belongs the honor of having produced as her first Greek type what is undoubtedly the finest Greek fount ever cut.

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