The son of a Liverpool-based printer, John Southward (1840 1902) was a prolific writer and editor of books on the subject. He edited the Printers' Register from 1886 to 1890, and his Modern Printing: A Handbook remained a standard work for apprentice printers and compositors well into the twentieth century. This dictionary of terms employed in printing offices was one of his earlier works, initially issued as a monthly serial within the Printers' Register. The resulting high demand led to the publication of a second edition in book format in 1875. Painstakingly compiled, it covers the history...

First published in 1897, this is one of many books written by the technical journalist John Southward (1840 1902), one of the most prolific writers on printing in the nineteenth century. As the title indicates, Southward is primarily concerned with the development and progress of printing. Here he takes a thoroughly practical approach, surveying the different methods of printing and considering the improvements made in printing advertisements, books and newspapers, as well as to the different stages of the printing process itself. Southward's prose is clear and precise, and his style changes...