fire-proof closet. As it is rare for an author to have a duplicate,
the loss of the manuscript would in many instances be irretrievable;
it is also necessary to be very careful of the copy of new editions,
in which the author or editor has made alterations; of all posthumous
MS. works; and of unique copies, which sometimes are entrusted to the
printer, the loss or destruction of which would be an unpardonable
offence, unless it could be shown that all human precautions had been
taken for their preservation.
I cannot omit noticing the careless manner in which many compositors
keep their copy, leaving it loose on their frames and in their
windows, and frequently neglecting to shut them when they quit work
in summer, by which means the copy is sometimes blown away and lost,
and at other times portions of it are destroyed as waste paper. The
best method of preserving it is to have a paper case, or an old book
cover, to put it in, and to keep it in the well of the frame, or the
drawer when there is one.
Copy is generally given out to the compositor in regular portions:
if it be printed, a sheet at a time; if in manuscript, a chapter,
or section, as it may be; for the compositor has never the whole
volume in his hands at once, excepting it be bound, and not allowed
to be cut up, or taken to pieces. If the author supply it in small
quantities at a time, it is usually handed to the compositor as it is
received.
Many gentlemen who write for the press fall into an error, that
appears inconsistent even with common reasoning; viz. _that the
worse the manuscript is written, the more likely the work is to be
correctly printed_: for, say they, the more difficulty the printer
meets with in reading it, the more pains he is obliged to take
to understand the subject; and of course he will print it more
accurately than if he could pass it over in a slovenly manner.
In refutation of this prevalent error, I would ask those gentlemen,
if they have never received letters from their friends, so hastily
and carelessly written that their utmost efforts to decipher every
word have been baffled, although they might arrive at the general
meaning of the whole; I have myself seen letters which set at
defiance all attempts to read them: I would ask those gentlemen,
whether in examining ancient MSS. they have not often been perplexed
in making out the subject, and after all their endeavours have at
last risen from the task in many instances rather guessing at the
meaning than being certain of it. Even so, and worse, is the case of
the printer with ill-written manuscript, who frequently is ignorant
of the subject on which he is engaged; how then is it probable that
he should produce a proof as correct as if the manuscript were
written in a fair legible hand?--it is neither probable nor possible.
I have known more than one author, when appealed to for information
on his own writing, unable to read it, and of course unable to
explain to the workman the difficulty he was labouring under; and I
have heard one of these very persons, among others, maintain, that
the worse a manuscript was written, the more probability there was of
its being correctly printed.
By the Act of the 39 G. 3. c. 79. s. 29. it is enacted, “That
every Person who, from and after the Expiration of forty Days
after the passing of this Act, shall print any Paper for Hire,
Reward, Gain, or Profit, shall carefully preserve and keep one
Copy (at least) of every Paper so printed by him or her, on which
he or she shall write, or cause to be written or printed, in
fair and legible Characters, the Name and Place of Abode of the
Person or Persons by whom he or she shall be employed to print
the same; and every Person printing any Paper for Hire, Reward,
Gain, or Profit, who shall omit or neglect to write, or cause to
be written or printed as aforesaid, the Name and Place of his
or her Employer on one of such printed Papers, or to keep or
preserve the same for the Space of six Calendar Months next after
the Printing thereof, or to produce and shew the same to any
Justice of the Peace, who, within the said Space of six Calendar
Months, shall require to see the same, shall, for every such
Omission, Neglect, or Refusal, forfeit and lose the Sum of twenty
Pounds.”
COPY MONEY.
It appears from Moxon’s work, that in his time each compositor
received a copy of the work on which he was employed, or, in lieu of
it, a sum of money, which was called _Copy Money_. This custom is
abolished, and no remains of it exist. _See_ ANCIENT CUSTOMS and TAKE
UP A SHEET.
COPYRIGHT. _See_ LITERARY PROPERTY.
CORDING QUIRES.
The outside quires of a ream of paper.--_M._ They are now called
Outsides, or Outside Quires. _See_ CASSIE PAPER.
CORNER IRONS.
Irons screwed on the coffin of a wooden press at the extremity of
each corner: these irons form a right angle at the outside, and an
obtuse angle on the inside, being thicker at the angle than at the
extreme ends, so as to allow the quoins to wedge up the form on the
press stone. They are quadrat high.
CORRECT.
When the corrector reads the proof, or the compositor mends the
faults he marked in the proof, they are both said to correct;
the corrector the proof, the compositor the form.--_M._ In the
first case, it is now styled reading the proof; in the next, the
compositor has to put right the errors and mistakes he has made in
the workmanship, previously to the sheet being sent to the author or
editor; this he does by picking out the wrong letters or words by
means of a sharp bodkin, and replacing them with the right ones; but
if he have left an out or made a double, he then takes the matter
into the composing stick, and over-runs it till he comes to the end
of a paragraph; or the error may make one or more even lines, when
the trouble is much lessened; still the length of the page must be
had in view and kept right, either by branching out where it will
admit of it, or by driving a line or two out, or getting a line or
two in in the adjoining pages, according to circumstances, but never
to make even lines too suddenly so as to cause the spacing to be
unsightly, by being too close, or too wide, for the sake of saving a
little trouble in over-running a few lines.
For the regularity and despatch of business a compositor should
never delay correcting after he has received the proof: it causes
disappointment to the author or proprietors of the work, and injures
his employer in his business, by obtaining for him the character
of want of regularity and punctuality; it injures the pressmen, by
delaying the forms going to press; and it ultimately injures himself,
by causing him to stand still for want of letter. It is a general
rule in printing offices, that a compositor should always impose as
soon as the sheet on which he is at work is out and made up, and that
he also should correct his proof without loss of time. _See_ AUTHOR’S
PROOF. FIRST PROOF.
CORRECTING
is the rectifying of such errors in the types as the compositor may
have made, and any defects in the workmanship; it also includes
making such alterations as the author, on examining the proof sheets,
may think necessary.
The German printers have an implement, made of wood, similar to
the back and bottom of a composing stick, in which they gather the
corrections, and place it with them in it on the form, without risk
of injuring the types, leaving their hands free from incumbrance.
This appears to be an improvement on our practice, which is, when
the corrections are numerous, to gather them in a composing stick,
and place it on the face of the form, for convenience of having them
close at hand; this should be avoided, and neither metal, nor any
other article that is likely to injure the types or an engraving,
should ever be laid on the face of the letter.
[Illustration: Composing stick for corrections]
The French and the Italians employ a pair of tweezers for picking
the wrong letters out of the form, by which they avoid injuring
the letter with the bodkin; but there is a bodkin attached to the
other end, to use when necessary. They say this is superior to our
method of taking out the wrong letter with a bodkin, and executed
more readily. In fact, with us there is frequent injury done by the
inexperienced or careless workman in using the bodkin: the letter is
often injured that is drawn out; if the bodkin is not very sharp,
it occasionally slips and spoils the face of six or seven adjoining
letters; and, by its injudicious use, the next letter, under the
blade of the bodkin, is often rendered useless.
[Illustration: A tool for removing a letter]
The specimen in p. 191. shows the manner of marking the corrections
in a proof. The following is an explanation of the marks therein
used, which will enable a gentleman who has to superintend a work
through the press to correct the proof sheets in a way that will
be clearly understood by the printer, and will tend to promote
correctness, by preventing those mistakes that occasionally occur
owing to his not comprehending all the marks on the proof.
Where a word is to be changed from small letters to capitals draw
three lines under it, and write _caps._ in the margin.
1. The substitution of a capital for a small letter.
2. The marks for turned commas, which designate extracts or
quotations.
3. The insertion of a hyphen.
4. The substitution of a small letter for a capital.
5. To change one word for another.
6. To take away a superfluous letter or word, the pen is struck
through it and a round topped _d_ made opposite, being the
contraction of the word _dele_, do thou expunge.
7. A letter turned upside down.
8. The insertion of a word or letter.
9. The substitution of a comma for another point, or for a letter put
in by mistake.
10. The substitution of a ; for another point.
11. When words are to be transposed, two ways of marking them are
shown; but they are not usually numbered, unless more than three
words have their order changed.
12. When a paragraph commences where it is not intended, connect the
matter by a line, and write in the margin opposite _run on_.
13. To draw the letters of a word close together that stand apart.
14. The marks for a new paragraph.
15. The substitution of a period or a colon for any other point. It
is customary to encircle these two points with a line.
16. Where a space or a quadrat stands up and appears, draw a line
under it, and make a strong perpendicular line in the margin.
17. Where there is a wrong letter, draw the pen through that letter,
and make the right one opposite in the margin.
18. The transposition of letters in a word.
19. The mark for a space where it has been omitted between two words.
20. The manner of marking an omission, or an insertion, when it is
too long to be written in the side margin. When this occurs it may be
done either at the top or the bottom of the page.
21. When one or more words have been struck out, and it is
subsequently decided that they should remain, make dots under them,
and write the word _stet_ in the margin.
22. When a letter of a different size from that used, or of a
different face, appears in a word, draw a line either through it or
under it, and write opposite _w. f._, for wrong fount.
23. Marks when the letters in a word do not stand even.
24. Marks when lines do not appear straight.
25. The mark for the insertion of an apostrophe.
Where a word has to be changed from Roman to Italic draw a line under
it, and write _Ital._ in the margin; and where a word has to be
changed from Italic to Roman, write _Rom._ opposite.
To change a word from small letters to small capitals, make two lines
under the word, and write _sm. caps._ opposite. To change a word from
small capitals to small letters make one line under the word, and
write in the margin _lo. ca._ for lower case.
Where the compositor has left an out, which is too long to be copied
in the margin of the proof, make a caret at the place, and write
opposite, _Out, see copy_.
The specimen when corrected would be as follows.
It is sublimely declared in the Christian Scriptures, that “God is
Love.” In truth, to figure to ourselves under any other character
a Being of infinite wisdom to conceive, and power to execute his
designs, would appal the imagination of his dependent creatures.
Neither can we find, in reasoning à priori, and from the nature of
things, any foundation for believing that the misery rather than the
happiness of those dependent creatures can be desired or devised by
a Being who cannot possibly be actuated by any of the motives from
which we know that injustice proceeds, as ignorance, selfishness, or
partiality; and who can have entertained, so far as we are able to
discover, no other object in creating man, except the intention of
finally communicating a larger proportion of happiness than misery.
These are the principles from which is deduced the necessity of
justice and benevolence in the Creator.
Arguments of this nature will have more or less effect, according
to the constitution of the mind to which they are presented. At the
same time it must be conceded, that the works of God, generally
considered, form the best criterion of his intentions; and that,
however indisputable the eternal truths may be which render goodness
inseparable from power and wisdom, there still remains a reasonable
inquiry, how far the actual appearance of the world justifies this
conclusion.
[Illustration: An example page with handwritten proof corrections]
CORRECTING STONE.
The stone on which the compositor imposes and corrects his
forms.--_M._ It is now called _Imposing Stone_, which _see_.
CORRECTIONS.
The letters marked in a proof are called Corrections.--_M._ At the
present time, the right words or letters that are to replace the
wrong ones are understood by the word; thus a compositor, when he
collects the right letters for the purpose of correcting a form, is
said to _Gather the Corrections_.
CORRECTOR.
Moxon uses this word to designate the person whom we now call a
Reader. The word is not now used. _See_ READER.
COUNTING OFF COPY. _See_ CASTING OFF COPY.
COWPER, EDWARD. _See_ MACHINES.
CRAMPED.
In composing, when it is necessary to get in a given quantity of
matter into a certain number of pages, which are hardly sufficient
to contain it, whites are used sparingly, short pages are avoided,
and the matter is spaced closer than common; it is then said to be
cramped. A compositor is also said to cramp his matter when he does
not put whites proportionate to the openness of the work, or to the
size of the letter when there is no restriction.
CRAMP IRONS.
Short pieces of iron, polished on their face, fastened to the under
side of the plank, to run the carriage in and out upon the long ribs.
They are frequently called the Short Ribs. The two at each end are
turned again at the outer ends, to guide the carriage, and prevent
any lateral motion, and are called _Guide Cramps_. I have seen them
made of bell metal, as having less friction than iron running upon
iron.
CROSS.
Long Cross and Short Cross; two bars of iron crossing each other at
right angles and dovetailed into the rim of the chase, dividing it
into four quarters. The short cross is the broadest, and has a groove
for the points to fall in, for the purpose of making holes in the
sheet to work the reiteration in register.
CROTCHETS
or Brackets [ ] serve to enclose a word or sentence, which is to
be explained in a note, or the explanation itself, or a word or a
sentence which is intended to supply some deficiency, or to rectify
some mistake.--_Murray._
CUFIC. _See_ KOOFEE.
CULL PAPER.
To examine the cording quires, and select the best sheets out from
those that are so much damaged as to be unfit for use.--_M._
[Illustration: A tool for making the pelt balls more supple]
CURRYING IRON.
A square bar of iron, bent so as to make the middle
part of it project from the post or upright to which the ends are
fastened; the ends are flatted out, turned again at right angles,
with screw holes, and the middle of the projecting part is twisted.
Its use is to curry pelts.
CURRYING THE PELT.
Putting it half round the currying iron, or a post, and taking hold
of both ends, drawing it backwards and forwards to make it more
supple, and to take part of the moisture out. _See_ BALLS.
CURVILINEAR PRINTING.
In the year 1805, a Mr. Zach. Allnutt published proposals for “a New
Mode of Universal Linear Printing, named by me Curvilinear Printing,
being a neat, expeditious, and cheap Method of printing Plans of
Rivers, Canals, Roads, Estates, Encampments, Mathematical Figures,
and all other Sketches required to illustrate any Subject.”
“The Time required in executing such Plans, and on which a
Calculation of their Expence may be easily made, would be,
“For an Octavo Plan of Demy or Foolscap paper not very much crouded,
Time one person one day.
“For a Quarto Demy or Foolscap paper not much crouded, or for an
Octavo much crouded, Time two days.
“For a Folio Foolscap not much crouded, or Quarto much crouded, Time
three days.”
He then proceeds to say, that he had published a small pamphlet, in
which he had inserted some specimens of Maps of Rivers and Canals,
and a Plan of a Building; and executed various Plans of Estates; and
of Military Positions (but not with Soldier or Tent Types purposely
cast), and a Sketch of a Machine, &c.; and that these specimens
were composed with common printing types (except the Trees, Houses,
Churches, and Compass, which were cast so as to be moveable,) and
printed with a common letter-press.
He proposed to “discover and explain” “the precise Method of such
Curvilinear Printing, with a full and particular Description,” “if
a sufficient Number of Persons, to answer his Expectations, engage
as Subscribers of Ten Guineas each.” “But if there should not be a
sufficient Number of Subscribers hereto according to the Inventor’s
Expectations, He will be ready to treat with any Person, or Persons
collectively, for the sole Use of this New Method or Invention.”
I never knew of any person subscribing, or of any printer practising
this particular manner of printing; and I believe that Mr. Allnutt’s
discovery would have sunk into utter oblivion, but for a few of his
Proposals, one of which is now lying before me.
CUT-IN NOTES.
Side notes that are not arranged in the front margin down the side
of the page, but are inserted in the text, the lines of which are
shortened to admit the note, as if a piece of the text were cut out,
and the note inserted in the vacancy.
CUTTING THE FRISKET.
Cutting those parts of the paper away so as to allow the types to
print on its own paper, and to keep the margin clean.--_M._
CYLINDRICAL PRINTING. _See_ MACHINES.
D.
DAGGER. _See_ OBELISK.
DANCES. _See_ FORM DANCES.
DANISH.
The Danish alphabet consists of twenty-seven letters.
_Remarks on the Alphabet._
Q, q, (Ku, pronounced _coo_) is here omitted, being not merely
superfluous and useless, but even prejudicial to a faithful
representation of the language, by observing the origin and affinity
of words, for instance, _Kvinde_, woman, is derived from _Kone_,
wife; _bekvem_, convenient, from _komme_, to come (Fr. venir);
_Kvartér_, a quarter of an hour, is also called _Kortér_; _Kvast_,
tuft, is originally the same word as _Kóst_, broom; and _kvæle_,
suffocate, the same as the English _kill_. The Q is therefore justly
rejected by the celebrated grammarian P. Syv, as also by the learned
Prof. S. N. J. Bloch in his _Danske Sproglære_, Odense 1817. It is
however still used by some, but always followed by _v_, never by _u_
in any Danish book, as, _Qvinde_, _beqvem_, _Qvarter_, &c.
[Illustration: The Danish Alphabet]
_The Alphabet._
+----------------+----------+-----------------------------------+
| Figure. | Name. | Power. |
+------+---------+----------+-----------------------------------+
| A a | ~A a~ | A | a in _father_, _part_. |
| B b | ~B b~ | Bé | b. |
| C c | ~C c~ | Cé | s and k as in English. |
| D d | ~D d~ | Dé | d hard, and th flat. |
| E e | ~E e~ | E | French _é fermé_, and _è ouvert_. |
| F f | ~F f~ | Ef (eff) | f. |
| G g | ~G g~ | Gé (ghe) | g in _go_, _give_. |
| H h | ~H h~ | Hå (hô) | h aspirated. |
| I i | ~I i~ | I (ee) | ee in _bee_, i in _bill_. |
| J j | ~J j~ | Jé (jod) | y consonant. |
| K k | ~K k~ | Kå (ko) | k. |
| L l | ~L l~ | El | l. |
| M m | ~M m~ | Em | m. |
| N n | ~N n~ | En | n. |
| O o | ~O o~ | O | o in _more_, _for_. |
| P p | ~P p~ | Pé | p. |
| R r | ~R r~ | Er | r. |
| S s | ~S s~ | Es | s hard. |
| T t | ~T t~ | Té | t. |
| U u | ~U u~ | U (oo) | oo in _fool_, u in _full_. |
| V v | ~V v~ | Vé | v in _vein_, w in _howl_. |
| X x | ~X x~ | Ex (eks) | x hard. |
| Y y | ~Y y~ | Y | French _u_ in _pure_, _nul_. |
| Å å | [#] [#] | Å (ô) | a in _warm_, oa in _broad_. |
| Æ æ | [#] [#] | Æ (ai) | a in _sale_, ai in _said_. |
| Ø ø | [#] [#] | Ø | French _eu fermé_ in _peu_. |
| Ö ö | [#] [#] | Ö {| French _eu ouvert_ in _veuve_, |
| | | {| œu in _cœur_, _œuf_. |
| |([#] [#])| | |
| |([#] [#])| | |
| |([#] [#])| | |
| |([#] [#])| | |
| |([#] [#])| | |
| | ([#]) | | |
+------+---------+----------+-----------------------------------+
Z, z, (Zet, pronounced _sett_) has crept from the German orthography
into a few words, which should be written by _s_, according to the
true pronunciation; as, _Zobel_, sable; _Zire_, to adorn; better
_Sobel_, _sire_.
Å has been, till the beginning of this century, commonly
represented by _aa_, according to the old Low German orthography,
but _å_ is found in ancient Danish and Norwegian manuscripts: its
reintroduction, proposed by the celebrated Danish grammarian Höjsgård
1743, later by Schlegel, Baden, Nyerup, Schrejber, Thonboe, &c.
has, in the last decennium, been realized in about thirty separate
books or pamphlets by Prof. A. Gamborg, Mr. H.J. Hansen, Mr. N.M.
Petersen, and also by E. Rask, and several anonymous writers. At all
events the sound is simple, and continually interchanging with other
simple vowels (_a_, _æ_, _o_,) in the inflection and derivation of
words, for instance, _tæller_, to count, in the past tense _talde_
or _tålde_, counted; _gå_, to go, _Gang_, gait, _gængse_, current,
common; from _Får_, sheep, is derived _Færøerne_, the Farroe islands.
Thus even in kindred dialects; as, _Vingård_, vineyard; _Tåre_,
tear, German Zähre; _Måned_, month, German Monath; _åben_, open, &c.
Whereas _aa_ is sometimes long _a_, sometimes even to be read in two
syllables as: _Haarlem_, _Aaron_, _Kanaan_, _Knud Danaast_, the name
of a Danish prince. The learner however will find _aa_ for _å_ in
most printed books hitherto published.
Æ, like Å, represents a simple vowel sound, and must never be
separated or resolved into _ae_, which make distinct syllables, for
instance, _bejae_ (be-ya-e), affirm.
Ø and Ö are commonly confounded, so that Ø is used for both sounds in
books printed in the Gothic type, Ö in those in the Roman character.
There are no diphthongs in Danish, but _aj_, _ej_, _oj_, _uj_,
_öj_, even though written by some _ai_, _ei_, _oi_, _ui_, _öi_, are
pronounced with the open sound of the vowels and a distinct _y_
consonant following, never like _ai_, _ei_, French _oi_, _ui_ or the
like, for instance, _ej_, not, sounds like English _eye_ or _I_;
_Konvoj_, a convoy, like the verb _to convoy_, &c.
In like manner _av_, _ev_, _iv_, _ov_, _æv_, _øv_ are pronounced as
clear vowels followed by a distinct _v_ consonant or rather _w_, for
the _v_ also is softer after the vowels than at the beginning, for
instance, _tav_, was silent; _Brev_, letter; _stiv_, stiff; _Tòv_,
cable; _Ræv_, fox; _døv_, deaf. The sound of _w_ is particularly
observable, when another consonant follows, for instance, _tavs_,
silent; _Evropa_, Europe; _stivne_, to stiffen; _hovne_, to swell;
_Hævn_, revenge; _søvnig_, sleepy, drowsy.
As to the division of words into syllables, _j_ is always referred to
the preceding vowel, which is in these cases constantly pronounced
short and sharp, for instance, _Vej-e_, ways, not _Ve-je_. The other
consonants are usually referred to the vowel following, when single;
or divided between the preceding and succeeding vowel, when more than
one, no care being taken to distinguish the radical parts from the
accessories, but in compound words, for instance, _Da-ge_, days, from
_Dag_, day, but _for-ud-si-ge_, foretell, from _for-ud_, beforehand,
and _sige_, tell, say.
It is a great advantage in the Danish orthography, that every noun
substantive is written with a capital letter at the beginning,
as numbers of words, else perfectly alike, are thereby easily
distinguished at the first view. Ex.