catch words are bold, they take from the general effect of the title, it being impossible that it can appear to advantage if the striking lines, which ought to stand forward, are too much crowded by the full appearance of their neighbours' facesfourthly, this knowledge will be best attained by a close attention to those title pages which are generally considered, by those who are judges, to be displayed with true taste and judgment.

The reader will be pleased to accept the following extract from Smith, as being apposite to the present subject:

"For as to the title, it is a summary relation of the mean subject on which the work is founded: and though it consists but of one single page; yet to display its several members in such a manner that the whole may appear of an agreeable, proportion and symmetry, is counted a masterly performance. And though setting of titles is generally governed by fancy: yet does it not follow that the excursions of every fancy should be tolerated, else too many titles would be taken to belong to chapmens' books. It is therefore proper that titles should have the revisal of one that is allowed to have a good judgment in gracing one. But to change and alter a title to the mere fancy of pretenders, is the ready way to spoil it. When, therefore, we go about a title, we consider as well the quantity as quality of our matter, that we may set out accordingly, and either branch our matter out to the best advantage, or else crowd it together by way of summaries; but which can not produce a handsome title. But where the matter for a title is so contrived that it may be divided, now into emphatical lines, and then into short summary articles, it is a compositor's fault, if his title makes no proper appearance."

We recommend to authors to consult with the printer upon the construction of their title pagesas they should neither be too long nor too short; because a crowded title can never be displayed to advantage, nor can too little matter form a handsome title; a printer must be the best judge as to what will produce what is termed, a happy title!

The dedication generally follows the title, and seldom exceeds one page. It should be set in capitals and small capitals, displayed in the manner of a title: but where it extends to a considerable length, it is generally set in a letter two sizes larger than the work. There is neither folio nor direction line required to it, where it does not exceed a page; but if it happens to be the third page of the sheet, the signature must be inserted.

Formerly, the preface was uniformly set in Italic; at present, this plan is seldom adopted, and Roman is used in its stead, of one size larger than the body of the work. The running title to the preface is commonly set in the same manner as those of the body of the work, at the same time the folios are put in numeral letters beginning with ii over the second page, and continuing the rest in the usual manner. If the work itself was printed with folios only, then the preface should have them also in the middle of the line.

The title, dedication, preface, introduction, &c. form what is called the title sheet, viz. signature A, which makes the printer's alphabet (consisting of 23 letters) complete, provided that the body of the work begins with B. To ascertain more readily how many sheets a book consists of, more than are marked with signatures in capitals or small capitals, a lower case Roman a is put to the first sheet, and thus carried on till the beginning of the body of the work.

What has been observed concerning prefaces, relates equally to introductions, drawn up and intended to elucidate their respective works.

The contents follow the preface or introduction, and are either set in Roman or Italic, generally two size smaller than the body of the work; the first

line of each summary full, and the rest indented an m-quadrat, with the referring figures justified at the ends of the respective lines.

The errata are put immediately before the body of the work, or at the end of it. It is most devoutly to be wished, that works could issue from the press perfectly free from errors; but we may exclaim with Pope :

"Whoever thinks a faultless piece to see,

Thinks what ne'er was, nor is, nor e'er shall be."

Fewer mistakes would be made, were authors to endeavour to render their copy more legible, before they place it into the hands of the printer. It can hardly be expected that the corrector, under whose inspection such a variety of subjects are continually passing, should be able to enter thoroughly into every one of them, and to guess so nicely at the author's meaning when the copy is obscure, and unable to afford him any assistance.

In conclusion, the reader will be pleased to receive Smith's opinion upon this subject: he says,

"What still remains to be taken notice of, are the Errata's, which sometimes are put immediately before the body of the work, and at other times after the Finis of it. Sometimes they are put by themselves on the even side of a leaf, so as to face the title. But though this is very seldom done, it is pity that it should ever have come into the thoughts of any one to do it at all; for it is a maxim to bring Errata's into as narrow a compass as we conveniently can, and to put them in a place where they can make no great shew; since it is not to the credit of a book, to find a catalogue of its fults annexed. It is therefore wrong policy in those who make Errata's appear numerous and parading, in hopes of being thought very careful and accurate; when they only serve to witness an authors inattention at a time when he should have been of the opposite inclination, But the subterfuges that are used by writers upon this occasion, are commonly levelled at the printer, to make him the author of all that is amiss; whereas they ought to ascribe it to

themselves: for, were gentlemen to send in their copy fairly written, and well corrected and prepared for the press, they would have no occasion to apprehend that their work would be neglected, were they to leave the whole management thereof to the printer, especially when it is written in his native language. But bad copy, not revised at all by the author, is one obstacle; and altering and changing the matter after it has been composed, is another means that obstructs the correctness of a work; not to mention the several accidents to which it is exposed before it has passed through the hands of a pressman. It would therefore be generous in gentlemen to examine the circumstances that may have occasioned an error, before they pronounce it a typographical one: for whoever has any ideas of printing, must consequently know that it is impossible to practise that art without committing errors; and that it is the province of an author to rectify them. For these several reasons it will appear how material it is not to make an erratum of every trifling fault, where the sense of a word cannot be construed to mean any thing else than what it was designed for; much less to correct the punctuation, unless where it should pervert the sense."

CHAP. VII.

IMPOSING.

HAVING sufficiently treated (in the preceding chapter) upon the principal subjects connected with the department of composing, it next becomes our duty not only to lay schemes of the various impositions before our readers, but also to endeavour to give a general outline for the imposition of whatever odd matter there may be at the conclusion of a work; and likewise to explain, in as clear a manner as possible, every point connected with this important branch of the art.

This article not only comprehends a knowledge of placing the pages so that they may regularly follow each other after they are printed off, and the sheet folded up, but also the mode of dressing chases, and the manner of making the proper margin.

We will suppose that a compositor has got up as many pages as are required for a whole sheet, half sheet, or such portions of a sheet, of whatever size; after having prepared the stone for their reception, by removing any dirt or other obstruction, he begins to carry the pages from under his frame, and lay them upon the imposing stone, taking particular care to place the first page in its right position, with the signature to the left hand facing him, according to the following schemes, which, it is hoped, will be found to contain every necessary imposition; they consist of folios, quartos, octavos, twelves, sixteens, eighteens, twenties, twentyfours, thirty-twos, thirty-sixes, forties, forty-eights, sixty-fours, seventy-twos, ninety-sixes, and one hundred and twenty-eights.