
A title from The Old School Press Printing at the University Press, Oxford, 1660-1780 Volume III: Process The first definitive narrative about work at one of the greatest of English presses, in three volumes

About volume III In print The third and final volume builds on the first two and details the process at the University Press that led from author's copy to printed and gathered sheets ready for sale. It has the following contents: Preface Contents Illustrations References INTRODUCTION PREPARING A SPECIMEN THE COMPOSITOR’S WORK New type arrives Standing at case Pay and productivity Organising the setting The compositors PROOF-READING AND CORRECTING THE PRESS-MAN’S WORK Beating and pulling Pay and productivity The press-men THE WOOD ENGRAVER’S WORK THE COPPER ENGRAVER’S WORK Engraving the sheet Almanack Engraving illustrations THE ROLLING-PRESS MAN’S WORK Pay and productivity FROM PRESS-CREW TO BOOKSELLER Warehousing Shipping stock Binding Advertising TIME & MONEY Conditions and perquisites John Hall’s productivity figures Accounting for Delegates’ books Accounting for Authors’ books The cost of a book The time to make a book MAINTENANCE AROUND THE PRESS APPENDICES A bill to an editor Shared printing Index The de luxe binding of volume III *About the edition* The book makes 208 pages and the page size is 276 mm by 216 mm, the same size as all our previous titles on Oxford University Press. The text is set in 12pt Monotype Van Dijck and 250 copies have been printed digitally on 148gsm Mohawk Superfine paper. The end-papers are also Mohawk Superfine. It contains eleven photographs of contemporary documents. The de luxe edition contains an additional 32pp volume entitled Learning about Printing. When Bishop John Fell and his three partners took over the University Press in the early 1670s they knew little of the economics or practicalities of printing books and had a steep learning curve to climb. They were helped with advice from their foreman, John Hall, and we are fortunate to find in the Bodleian Library fourteen manuscripts by Fell, one of his partners Thomas Yate, and John Hall, in which they explore over several years those commercial and practical lessons. Although they no doubt initially saw themselves as would-be entrepreneurs, in the event they proved no match for the London Stationers who could undercut them and spoil their hopes of financing the publication of short-run learned texts through the bulk sale of text-books to the Stationers. Through the fourteen manuscripts I trace that journey. BINDING A: Fifty de luxe copies are quarter-bound in dark brown leather with a paper specially marbled by Jemma Lewis on the boards. The additional volume has been printed letterpress in 12pt Monotype Van Dijck on an antique hand-made laid paper and case-bound in full brown cloth (32pp). The two volumes are presented in a cloth-covered slip-case also in brown cloth. £300. BINDING B: The standard copies are case-bound in brown cloth, with a letterpress-printed dust-jacket of gold Hahnemühle Bugra Bütten; £105. Ten copies have been reserved in sheets for binders; £75. In October 2020 I gave a talk, via Zoom, to the Oxford Bibliographical Society entitled Printing books at Oxford University Press 1670-1780: from author’s copy to printed sheets. It can be watched on Youtube.
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