The First Printer's Early Days 1884 children's story & introduction to printer Johannes Gutenberg ~ Antique

Title: The First Printer's Early Days

Description: No stated date (1884 estimated, based on items in the catalog at rear). Boards in brown cloth, decoratively stamped in black with a color illustrated paste-on on the front cover showing two boys hauling baskets. Boards show some general wear. Smudging on front endpapers and on one frontmatter page, else clean. Color frontispiece showing Gutenberg pulling his first proof. 8vo. pp. 64, plus [16] ads. 160 x 105mm.

A short, entertaining story, intended amuse and introduce children to the person of Johannes Gutenberg, the famous craftsman and inventor known for his printing press and the Gutenberg Bible. The story, which opens in 1436, revolves around a couple boys who encounter Gutenberg and a friend of his who owns a paper-making mill. There is an interlude of adventure and a ghost-scare when they encounter a wild orphan girl, who they then have to tie up to keep her from raving. The characters discuss paper making, the history of the use of paper, and lament the prohibitive expense of books. The final quarter of the book gives account of the early career of Gutenberg, up to his invention of the movable-type printing press.

Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Good+
Jacket Condition: None

Publisher: Oliphant, Anderson, & Ferrier
Place: Edinburgh
Year: 1884

Keywords: Johannes Gutenberg, children's, antique,