The Book

The Book, with the subtitle Its History and Development, shows a frontispiece of the golden binding of "The Gospels of Charlemagne," with jewels and enamels, 11th or 12th Century. The text carries a chapter headed Printing, whose summary names, among others, Assyrian bricks with printed inscriptions. The text says impressions made on the tablets or cylinders of baked clay, many of which have been found among the ruins of Babylon and Nineveh, are by far the earliest.

The text says that in the issue of The Times of the 20th of November, 1814, readers were informed that it was printed by steam machinery driving the cylinders holding the paper. The text says that by cylinder presses upwards of 9,600 impressions can be made in an hour. The text says letterings often appear on the sides of bindings of the Tudor period, mottoes, initials and names. The text says that by observing the direction of the strong chain marks and the fine "laid" marks between them much information concerning the folding of the original sheets can be obtained.