Excerpt from Some Early Type Specimen Books of England, Holland, France, Italy, and Germany

Information upon Early Type Specimen Books is only to be obtained from the books themselves, and as they are very seldom to be met with, I feel that the many imperfections of the following sketch will be readily excused. At the same time it is urgently requested that any reader who may be able to add to, or correct, the information here given will favour the writer with a communication.

Books have their fates as well as nations, and the certain doom of many a fair volume is utter destruction. Those of an ephemeral character, or such as soon become obsolete, have to pass through what, with literal truth, may be called a fiery ordeal. That is when they become too antiquated to be of any value to the current generation and yet require a century to pass over their heads before they have any merit in the eyes of the antiquarian. Perhaps no class of books is more subject to this unkind destiny than the specimens issued by Type-founders, which soon become so worthless in the very eyes of their own parents, that large editions entirely disappear and "leave no track behind, " even in the very foundries which gave birth to them. I imagine it to be as true of the Continental as it is of the old English foundries, that not one of them can show a copy of their first specimen books. It may therefore be of some interest to make a note of such specimens anterior to the year 1820 as I have been able to meet with, confining myself to those issued in our own country.

When printers were their ow type-founders their works were their own type-specimens , but soon after the spread of the art through Europe printers were found who were willing to cut punches and cast for their brethren.

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