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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
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 IVIicrosoft Corporation 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/didotfamilyextraOObigmrich 
 
The Didot Family, 
 
 Extracted from the forthcoming "Bibliography of 
 
 Printing," compiled by E. C. Bigmore and 
 
 C. W. H. Wyman. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 Fifty Copies Privately Printed by 
 WYMAN <&- SONS, GREAT QUEEN STREET 
 
 )^ 
 
 MDCCCLXXVIIJ. 
 
The Didot Family. 
 
 ^ 
 
 Extracted from the forthcoming "Bibliography of 
 
 Printing," compiled by E. C. Bigmore and 
 
 C. W. H. Wyman. 
 
 & 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 Fifty Copies Privately Printed by 
 
 WYMAN &> SONS, GREAT QUEEN STREET. 
 
 MDCCCLXXVIIJ. 
 
The Didot Family. 
 
 IDOT (Ambroise Firmin). Aide Manuce et rHellenisme 
 i Venise. Orne de quatre portraits et d'un facsimile. 
 Hellenisme dans I'Occident; Isabelle D'Este, marquise 
 de Mantoue ; Correspondance inedite des Refugies Grecs 
 en Italie ; Zacharias Calliergi et les Calligraphes Cretois ; 
 Premieres Impressions Grecques, etc. Paris : 1875. 8vo. 
 pp. Ixviii. and 647. 
 
 A mono^aph of Aldus Manutius, the 
 great Italian printer of the sixteenth 
 century, to whom the world of literature 
 owes some of the best editions of the 
 Greek classics, and the world of art some 
 of the noblest examples of typography. 
 It gives, further, a bibliographical and 
 technical account of the products of the 
 Aldine press from 1494 to 15x5. In seve- 
 ral respects it corrects the received 
 opinions concerning the Aldi, and all its 
 statements have been derived, after years 
 of study and research on the part of the 
 late M. A. F. Didot, from the best autho- 
 rities. The ordinary text-books of the 
 history of printing abound with errors on 
 the subject, and these have been too 
 often copied and perpetuated without the 
 s] ightest attempt at verification. Prefixed 
 J o the work is a portrait of Aldus, taken 
 
 from an Italian line engraving of great 
 rarity which belonged to M. Didot's col- 
 lection. This was reproduced, to illustrate 
 an appreciative and lengthy review of the 
 book, in the Printing Times and 
 Lithographer (August, 1875), P- ^67. 
 At the side is the mark of Aldus — a dol- 
 phin entwined round an anchor, a device 
 found on the obverse of a medal of 
 Vespasian, and on another of Domitian. 
 The great printer adopted the emblem as 
 a token of swiftness (the dolphin) in ex- 
 ecution, combined with steadiness (the 
 anchor) in conception. There is also 
 given a portrait of Isabella d'Este, the 
 patron of Aldus, and of Marc Musurus ; 
 a view of the tomb of Prince Alberto Pio ; 
 and a facsimile of the caligraphy of Marc 
 Musurus.— i"^^ Manutius. 
 
 Les Aide Manuce. Paris : i860. 8vo. pp. 1$. 
 
 Excerpt from the " Nouvelle Biographic G^n^rale," vol. i. p. 33. 
 
 Catalogue raisonne des Livres de la Biblioth^que de M. A. F. 
 
 Didot. Paris: 1867. 8vo. pp. iv. and 384- 
 
 In the preface to the first part of the de chevalerie ") there is given a descrip- 
 Catalogue of M. Didot's library ("livres tion of a series of books bearing on the 
 \l figures sur bois, solennites, romans history of printing, by reason of their em- 
 
2 The Didot Family. 
 
 bellishment with engravings on wood, are raised in the essay prefixed to 
 which serve also to settle some questions Vecellio's book on "Ancient Costumes." 
 in the history of wood-engraving, which 
 
 DiDOT (Ambroise Firmin). Catalogue des Dessins et Estampes, com- 
 posant la Collection de M. Ambroise Firmin Didot, de 1' Academic 
 des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres ; precede d'introductions par M. 
 Charles Blanc, de I'Academie Fran9aise, et M. Georges Duplessis, 
 conservateur adjoint au Cabinet des Estampes. Paris : 1877. 
 Royal 8vo. pp. vii. xxx. and 541 . 
 The sale of the Didot engravings realized 626,474 fr-j or ;^25,o63 sterling. 
 
 Compte Rendu de I'ouvrage d'Aug. Bernard, "De I'Origine 
 
 de rimprimerie en Europe. Paris : 1853. 8vo. pp. 20. 
 
 Excerpt from the Athenceum Fraftfais of 9th July, 1853. 
 
 Essai sur la Typographie. Paris: 1852. 8vo. Plates. 
 
 This work, an excerpt from the " En- knowledge of the subject. The early 
 
 cyclopedie Moderne," contains the result history of printing is treated with great 
 
 of the author's lengthened experience, clearness and a thorough acquaintance 
 
 and of his vast theoretical and practical with the best authorities. 
 
 Essai Typographique et Bibliographique sur I'Histoire de la 
 
 Gravure sur Bois. Paris : 1863. 8vo. pp. 315. 
 This treatise on wood-engraving was prefixed to a sumptuous edition, published by 
 Didot Freres, of Vecellio's "Costumes anciens." 
 
 Les Estienne. Henri I.; Fran9ois I. et II.; Robert I., II., et 
 
 III. ; Henri II. ; Paulet Antoine. Extrait de la "Nouvelle Bio- 
 graphic Generale." Paris. [1856.] 8vo. pp. 41. 
 — Les Graveurs de Portraits en France. Paris : 1 875-1 877. 
 
 2 vols. 8vo. Vol. i. pp. iv. xvi. and 356 j vol. ii. pp. iv. and 565. 
 750 copies printed. 
 
 A catalogue r«iJ^««/ of the collection comprising the notabilities in literature, 
 of portraits of the French school belong- science, and arts ; statesmen, magis- 
 ing to the late M. Didot. The work, trates, ecclesiastics, and generals. At 
 which is posthumous, is preceded by an M. Didot' s death it had become the most 
 introduction dated December, 1875. The important and interesting private portrait 
 collection, which began with the portraits gallery in existence, 
 of printers and publishers, ended by 
 Gutenberg. Paris : 1858. 8vo. pp. 13. 
 
 This is a reprint of the article in the the memorials of Gutenberg's career at 
 
 " Nouvelle Biographie Generale." M. Strasburg and at Mayence, and, after 
 
 Didot starts with the assertion that Guten- referring to the modern views which have 
 
 berg was the inventor of printing ; that been held of Gutenberg's invention, gives 
 
 he was born about 1400, at Mayence, a bibliographical list of his works. At 
 
 where he died in February, 1468 ; and the end there is a long list of biographi- 
 
 recites the principal events in the history cal treatises which refer to the subject of 
 
 of the famous controversy. He then traces the memoir. 
 
 L'Imprimerie, la Librairie, et la Papeterie a I'Exposition Univer- 
 
 selle de 185 1. Rapport du 17 Jury. Paris : 1853. 8vo. 
 2me edition, avec quelques additions. Paris : 1854. 8vo. 
 — L'Imprimerie h. Paris en 1867. Paris : 1867. 
 
 An article in the first volume of the " Paris-Guide." 
 
 La Renaissance de I'Hellenisme et Aide Manuce. Paris 
 
 1875. 8vo. pp. 38. 
 An extract from the Revue de France. 
 
The Didot Family, 
 
 DiDOT (Ambroise Firmin), Reponses aux Questions soumises par 
 MM. les membres de la Chambre du Commerce de Paris, sur la 
 situation de la Librairie, de I'lmprimerie, de la Fonderie de 
 Caracteres, et de la Papeterie. Paris : 183 1. 8vo. pp. 30. 
 
 La Societe des Correcteurs. Paris: 1866. 8vo. pp.27. 
 
 Ambroise Firmin-Didot, as honorary count of the excellent advice it gives to 
 
 the members of the profession, as well 
 as the high estimate in which the calling 
 of the Correctors of the Press was held by 
 one who was so well qualified to form an 
 opinion of its merits. 
 
 [868. 
 
 president, delivered this speech before the 
 Paris Societe des Correcteurs — the French 
 Readers' Society, at their general as- 
 sembly, on the ist November, 1866. 
 It deserves to be carefully read on ac- 
 
 Societe des Correcteurs. Discours prononce le 19 Avril, 
 
 Paris : 1868. 8vo. pp. 23. 
 
 Didot (Firmin). Caracteres de la Fonderie de F. Didot. Paris : 
 1817. [A broadside.] 
 
 Fonderie de F. Didot, i^' cahier, contenant les caracteres 
 
 romains et italiques. Paris : 1828. 8vo. 
 
 Didot (Jules). Nouvelles Vignettes de la Fonderie de J. Didot I'atne. 
 Paris : 1836. 4to. 
 
 Vignettes et Caracteres de la Fonderie de J. Didot I'aine. 
 
 Paris : 1837. Folio. 
 
 Didot (Pierre), fipitre sur les Progresde I'lmprimerie. Paris : 1784. 
 8vo. pp. 24. 
 The imprint runs : 
 
 Didot I'aine, avec les italiques de Firmin 
 son second fils." It is dedicated " X mon 
 Pfere." The poem recites all the typo- 
 graphical successes of the author's father, 
 to whom it is addressed, the expressions 
 being of the most enthusiastic nature. 
 At the end are certain notes on passages 
 
 ' Imprime chez contained in the poem, and the^ have re- 
 
 ference chiefly to the biographical, lite 
 rary, and historical topics introduced. 
 Incidentally, they give a good and au- 
 thentic account of the first manufacture 
 of the papier vilin. The poem is alto- 
 gether very curious and interesting. 
 
 fipitre sur les Progres de I'lmprimerie. [Reprinted at the end 
 
 of the ''Essaide Fables nouvelles."] Paris : 1786. 8vo. 
 
 This contains, among other interesting matter, notes on the " tjrpometer," Anib- 
 son's press, and the manufacture of satin paper. 
 
 Lettre sur les Decouvertes de M. Didot (alne) dans les Arts 
 
 de I'lmprimerie, de la Gravure des Caracteres, et de la Papeterie. 
 Paris: I2thjune, 1783. 8vo. pp. 15. 
 
 Specimen des nouveaux Caracteres de la Fonderie et de I'lm- 
 
 primerie de P. Didot I'aine, chevalier de I'ordre royal de St. Michel, 
 imprimeur du roi et de la Chambre des Pairs. Dedie k Jules Didot 
 fils, chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur. Paris : 1819. 8vo. pp. 80. 
 
 In the preface to this very interesting gustin, &c., offer no idea of the particu- 
 
 type-specimen book the compiler says : — lar proportions of the letters, nor of their 
 
 " I have adopted the numerical order for relation to others ; in fact, they vary in 
 
 the identification of my types, in place of size in different offices. The numerical 
 
 the meaningless and often absurd names order, the only one really convenient, was 
 
 preserved up to the present day in nearly introduced by my father, and the nam 
 
 all the printing-offices. These names, of each of his characters is given at the 
 
 such as Perle, Parisienne, Nompareille, heads of the respective specimens. For 
 
 Mignonne, Petit texte, Gaillarde, Petit about ten consecutive years,— during 
 
 romain, Philosophie, Cicero, Saint Au- which I have employed, as nearly as pos- 
 
The Didot Family. 
 
 sible, three hours daily in working with that in the industrial arts there is a point 
 
 M. Vibert, who is undoubtedly one of the 
 best engravers of letters or punches, — I 
 have been bringing them to perfection. 
 My directions, also, have been carried 
 out with the utmost fidelity, as well as 
 all my ideas for improvements, sometimes 
 resulting in the same fount being cut 
 three or four times over again. It is true 
 
 DiDOT (Pierre and Jules). Essai d'un nouveau caractere, offrant un 
 Essai Ijrrique, de P. Didot Taine, chevalier de I'ordre royal de 
 Saint Michel, impri-meur du roi et de la Chambre des Pairs. 
 Paris : 1821. 4to. pp. 20. 
 
 where it is necessary to stop. I do not, 
 however, think I have reached it. I pro- 
 pose still to continue to rectify the types 
 and their forms whenever they seem to 
 me susceptible of improvement. I shall 
 leave the same course to my son, — to-day 
 my associate ; in a few years, probably, 
 my successor," 
 
 On the title-page it is stated that this 
 work is issued " chez I'auteur et Jules 
 Didot fils, Chevalier de la Legion d'Hon- 
 neur, rue du Pont de Lodi, no. 6." The 
 
 seriph of the g, are, however, not to our 
 taste, and they appear not to have held 
 their position in their native country, for 
 they are now seldom copied. At the end 
 
 type is very beautiful in appearance, the is a notice to publishers calling their at- 
 lining, colouring, &c. , being exquisite, tention to the peculiar merits of the founts 
 The new shapes introduced, such as the used. 
 
 Didot Family (The). Three articles in the Printing Times and 
 Lithographer^ March, April, May, 1876. 
 
 The Didot family has been honourably 
 connected with French typography for a 
 period little short of two centuries, and 
 the following sketches of some of the 
 principal members may be interesting : — 
 The first of the family who distinguished 
 himself as a literary man was Francois 
 Didot, born in 1689. He was the son of 
 a Paris merchant, named Denis Didot, 
 and served his apprenticeship to Andre 
 Pralard, the printer and publisher. He 
 became the intimate friend of the Abbe 
 Prevost, whose works he published. All 
 of these are known to bibliographers for 
 the beauty of their typography. The sign 
 of his establishment was "the Golden 
 Bible." His printing-ofiice was situated 
 successively in the Rue Pavee St. Andrd 
 des Arts, and the Quai des Grands Augus- 
 tins. He died on the 2nd November, 
 1757- 
 
 standards, which he called points. He 
 also invented a handpress, which was 
 widely used. He visited all the mills in 
 France, with the view of arriving at a bet- 
 ter system of papermaking than prevailed. 
 Afterwards he went to Holland for the 
 same purpose, and there found a work- 
 man named Ecrevisse, who assisted him 
 greatly in the improvement of this art. 
 At the suggestion of Didot, and with his 
 practical assistance, the factory of Johan- 
 not, at Annonay, produced, in 1780, the 
 first specimen of satin paper (^papier 
 viliti), in imitation of that on which 
 Baskerville had printed his beautiful 
 quarto edition of Virgil, which was pre- 
 viously only known in England. In 
 1783, as a mark of royal favour, he was 
 commissioned, under a decree of the 
 king, Louis XVI., to prepare editions of 
 all the books requisite for the education 
 of the Dauphin — a collection of thirty- 
 two volumes in 4to., seventeen in 8vo., 
 and eighteen in i8mo. He printed also 
 for the Count of Artois, afterwards 
 Charles X., a collection of books consist- 
 
 FRAN901S Ambroise Didot, son of 
 Frangois, was born in Paris, 7th January, 
 1730, and died loth July, 1804 He entered 
 upon the publishing business in 1753, and 
 
 added a printing department to it in 1757. ■ of sixty-four volumes in i8mo. This 
 His office was situated m the Rue de ^. j^ > ^^ .. ^^^-^ edition," is, 
 Savoie He may be said to have laid the ^.^ 'j^ j^^^ j^j^ ^^.^. highly 
 
 foundation of the subsequent typographic ;^^ ^ bibliophiles. H^ left the com- 
 celebnty of the house. He made great ^ Y V ^^ ^.^ ^^^ 
 
 improvements in type-founding, and his t,. , r- „• , „f,_ » — .f..„.;„ ' 
 
 improvements in type-founding, 
 founts of type were superior to all that 
 had been produced previously in France. 
 He did not content himself with beauti- 
 fying the faces of the characters, but put 
 an end in France to the confusion result- 
 ing from the non-justification of one 
 founder's type with that of another, by 
 inventing a system of proportioning the 
 sizes of bodies of types to certain normal 
 
 Pierre and Firmin ; and after transferring 
 to the first his printing-office, and to the 
 second his foundry, he died in 1804, at 
 the ripe age of 75. 
 
 Pierre FRAN901S, second son of Fran- 
 cois, was a printer, a publisher, and a 
 er-maker. He was born at Paris, 9th 
 uly, 1732, and died 7th December, 1793. 
 entered into business on his own ac- 
 
The Didot Family. 
 
 tf 
 
 ^. 
 
 count as publisher in 1753, and as printer in 
 1755. From 1759 to 1789 his establishment 
 was in the Rue des Grands - Augustins, 
 where he published several remarkable 
 editions, among them the " Imitation of 
 Christ," in folio, 1788 ; " Telemachus," 
 in 4to. ; the " Picture of the Ottoman 
 Empire," &c. Pierre F. Didot was 
 printer to Louis XVIII. before he as- 
 cended the throne. He devoted himself 
 also to type-founding, in which he effected 
 several useful improvements. His paper- 
 mill, at Essonne, was in its day one of the 
 oldest and most important in France. 
 
 Henri, eldest son of Pierre Frangois, 
 was born 15th July, 1765, and died in 1852. 
 He became famous as a punch-cutter, and 
 for his mechanical skill. At the age of 
 66 he engraved a fount to which he gave 
 the name of " microscopic," and used it 
 for the editions which he called "the 
 microscopic editions " of the Maxims of 
 Rochefoucault, and of Horace. This 
 fount was a high achievement of the type- 
 founder's art. The minuteness was such 
 that the types could not be cast in the 
 ordinary way ; hence he invented a 
 special apparatus, to which he gave the 
 name of the ^' polyatnatype," and by 
 means of which they were cast, a hundred 
 letters at a time. These beautiful editions 
 were printed by his brother, Didot jun. 
 
 St. Leger, second son of Pierre 
 Fran9ois, was the director of his father's 
 paper-mills at Essonne. It is to this 
 member of the family that we owe the 
 very useful machine for making paper 
 in the web, or in endless rolls. The first 
 attempts in this direction were made at 
 Essonne, in the mill of Pierre Francois 
 Didot, his father, where Robert, one of 
 his foremen, conceived the first idea of 
 such an apparatus. Many fruitless ex- 
 periments were made at Essonne by this 
 son and M. Robert, and at Mesnil, near 
 Dreux, under the superintendence of 
 MM. Guillot and Robert. They would 
 have been entirely unproductive but for 
 the perseverance of their employer, who, 
 it may be added, had resided in England 
 at the time of the Peace of Amiens. 
 Fourdrinier had, after an immense ex- 
 penditure, and after about ten years of 
 labour, got a machine, the first of its 
 kind, in working order at his establish- 
 ment at Two- Waters. Assisted by Mr. 
 Donkin, St. Leger Didot determined 
 upon developing to its utmost the new 
 invention — one of the most useful and 
 novel of our epoch. In 1816 he returned 
 to France, and at once began to erect 
 machines of this description, originally at 
 Sorel, in the establishment of Messrs. 
 Berthe & Grevenich, afterwards at that 
 
 of St-Jean-d'Heurs, belonging to Mar- 
 shal Oudinot. 
 
 Pierre^ grandson of Francois, and son 
 of Frangois Ambroise, was born 25th Jan- 
 uary, 1761, and died 31st December, 1853. 
 When his father relinquished printing in 
 1789, Pierre succeeded him, and devoted 
 himself so successfully to his art, that his 
 press was honoured by being installed in 
 the Louvre, and he himself was created a 
 chevalier of the Order of St. Michael. He 
 wrote, besides the several technical works 
 named above, several translations of the 
 poets, essays, &c Pierre entertained 
 the noble desire to render France as pre- 
 eminent in the arts of peace as she was 
 then invincible in the arts of war, and 
 especially to elevate her Press to the first 
 rank in Europe. In his own efforts he 
 sought to surpass the memorable triumphs 
 of Bodoni. He was already the most 
 eminent printer of France ; he aspired to 
 become the most eminent in Europe. 
 Pierrre determined to complete ihe fine 
 quarto collection of Latin and French 
 classic authors begun for the use of the 
 Dauphin. The most distinguished con- 
 temporaneous artists were called in to 
 assist in beautifying the books that were 
 printed : men such as Gerard, Girodet, 
 Prudhon, and Percier. Seconded by his 
 brother in the designing and founding of 
 new characters, Pierre ventured upon his 
 truly national work, the editions known 
 as the " Louvre." Some of these volumes 
 were declared by the jury of the Inter- 
 national Exhibition of 1801 the most 
 perfect typographic production of any 
 age. He also published a collection of 
 French classics, dedicated "To the 
 friends of the Typographic Art," which 
 were well worthy of their dedication. 
 To his reputation as a printer Pierre 
 added that of a type-founder ; and during 
 ten successive years he had cut or im- 
 proved under his own eyes, by M. Vibert, 
 no less than eighteen different founts. A 
 medal was struck at Paris in honour of 
 Pierre Didot in 1823. On the obverse is 
 a bust to the right, around which is 
 " Pierre Didot I'aine typographe Fran- 
 cais," and in small characters beneath 
 
 Veyrat F." On the reverse is an iron 
 printing-press, against the T of which is 
 " Presse Jules Didot." On the left side 
 of the Presse is the ball-rack, wth a pair 
 of pressman's inking-balls. The sur- 
 rounding legend is " Horace, Virgile, 
 Racine Lafontaine ed°°* in-fol° " ; and 
 in small letters, "Veyrat F. 1823," re- 
 ferring to his chefs-d'oeuvre. 
 
 Jules, son of Pierre, was born 5th 
 August, 1794, and died i8th May, 1871. 
 He maybe said to have walked in the steps 
 
The Didot Family. 
 
 of his father, and carried on with great suc- 
 cess the business of type-founding. After 
 1838, however, a painful malady compelled 
 him to renounce his art. He then took 
 to Brussels the materials for establishing, 
 on a large scale, a printing-office and 
 type-foundry, but his enterprise was not 
 successful. He consequently returned to 
 Paris, where he bought a large mansion 
 in the Barriere de Mont-Parnasse, and 
 converted it into a printing-office. He 
 was decorated with the badge of the 
 Legion of Honour. Jules gave to the 
 world many fine editions of French 
 standard books. 
 
 FiRMiN, second son of Fran5ois Am- 
 broise, and brother of Pierre, was bom in 
 Paris, 14th April, 1764, and died 24th April, 
 1836. He was distinguished by his literary 
 taste and his excellence as a printer. The 
 types for several of his father's editions 
 were engraved by him, and his script 
 founts were greatly superior to any that 
 had previously been executed. His 
 Roman characters especially were of 
 great excellence. In 1795 he conceived 
 the plan of consolidating the types which 
 he employed in printing his logarithmic 
 tables, and in pursuing this object he 
 arrived gradually at the stereotyping 
 process. The word steriotypie was, in 
 fact, invented by him. A patent was 
 granted for the invention in 1797. 
 Another patent was granted to him m 
 i8o5 for an improved mode of forming 
 script types, and in 1823 a further 
 patent was granted for a new system of 
 executing, in typography, various kinds 
 of maps and charts. After having travel- 
 led in Italy, Greece, and Spain, Firmin 
 retired in 1827 from the active super- 
 intendence of his great establishment. 
 In 1830 the Government offered him the 
 position of director of the Royal Printing- 
 office, which, however, he declined. He 
 was decorated with the medal of the 
 Legion of Honour, and appointed Printer 
 to the King and to the French Institute. 
 The Government had his bust in marble 
 placed in one of the halls of the Im- 
 perial Printing-office, and a medal in his 
 honour was struck after his death. His 
 portrait, painted by his friend Girodet, 
 is hung in the gallery of the Louvre. A 
 medal was struck at Paris in honour of 
 Firmin Didot in 1839. On the obverse 
 is a bust, nearly full face ; to the right, in 
 modem costume, with the name on either 
 side in bold letters : " Firmin Didot." 
 On the reverse is a heavy wreath of 
 laurel-leaves, tied at foot with a ribbon, 
 within which is the inscription — " Ste- 
 phanonim Aemulus musarum cultor." 
 In 1806 he published a translation, of 
 
 which he was the author, of the Bucolics 
 of Virgil. The book is interesting from 
 a typographical point of view, not only 
 because of its being translated by the 
 printer, but because the latter also en- 
 graved and cast the tyi)es. It is also 
 remarkable for the use of the character 
 called "Anglaise," which appeared for 
 the first time in the dedication of the 
 book to Pierre Didot, the author's elder 
 brother. The volume concludes with a 
 long bibliographical and typographical 
 note. He also printed M. Brun's 
 " Manuel de Typographie Fran5aise " 
 (Paris : 1825), a masterpiece of printing, 
 and possessing the peculiarity of not 
 containing a single divided word. 
 
 Ambroise Firmin, the son of Firmin, 
 and a great-grandson of the founder of 
 the house, was born at Paris on Decem- 
 ber 20th, 1790. He died February 22nd, 
 1876, in his eighty-sixth year. In 1814, 
 on the establishment of peace, Ambroise 
 Firmin-Didot determined to visit Eng- 
 land, with a view to ascertain the pro- 
 gress made in this country in regard to 
 the arts of printing and paper-making. 
 The knowledge he acquired by this 
 journey led to his being the first to 
 introduce into France the iron press 
 invented by Lord Stanhope and named 
 after him. In 1823 he resided in Greece, 
 and to his initiative was due the esta- 
 blishment of the " Comite Grec." In 
 1827 Ambroise Firmin Didot entered 
 upon the management of his father's 
 establishment, in conjunction with his 
 brother, Hyacinthe Didot, under the 
 partnership name of Firmin-Didot freres. 
 M. Ambroise Firmin Didot, like several 
 of his predecessors, distinguished him- 
 self as a punch-cutter and type-founder. 
 He introduced two new founts, one being 
 what he called "English cursive" and 
 the other an improved Greek. Much to 
 his regret, he had to sell to the Societe de 
 la Fonderie Generale that branch of his 
 business which was connected with type- 
 founding. His works, however, remained 
 the most complete in France, and were, 
 perhaps, the only office where all the 
 branches of printing and its many ramifi- 
 cations were conducted under one head ; 
 for it embraced not only publishing and 
 printing, but paper-making, on the largest 
 scale. The mills are situated at Mesnil, 
 near Dreux, and at Sorel (Eure-et-Loire), 
 where the processes are conducted in the 
 most approved manner In conjunction 
 with his brother Hyacinthe, he published a 
 number of magnificent works ; among them 
 the "Univers Pittoresque," the "Ency- 
 clopedic Moderne,"and the " Dictionnaire 
 de Conversation et de Lecture." One of 
 
The Didot Family. 
 
 AMBROISE FIRMIN DIDOT, I79O-1876. 
 
8 
 
 The Didot Family. 
 
 the best-known works of the firm was the embodiment of the honour and glory of 
 
 " Nouvelle Biographic Generale," edited the printing profession in France. He 
 
 by Dr. Hoefer, which was begun in 1853 was also, in every respect, a "learned 
 
 and finished in 1866, forming in itself printer," and in correspondence with the 
 
 a small library of 46 volumes. At the principal savants of his time. He tra- 
 
 French Exhibitions of 1844 and 1849, ^s 
 a member of the jury, he was charged 
 with the compilation of a report on all 
 the industries connected with typography. 
 In 1 85 1, by the unanimous wish of the 
 international yxry, he was selected to 
 draw up a similar report concerning 
 the first Great Exhibition at London. 
 This report, printed at the Imperial 
 Printing-office, forms a comprehensive 
 and sagacious review of the condition 
 of the art of printing all over the 
 world at the time of its compilation. It 
 is even more than this, for it gives a 
 risumi of the past history of typography, 
 lithography, &c., and some suggestions 
 of great v^ue as to their future progress. 
 He also wrote the " Essay on Typo- 
 graphy," the address to the French 
 Readers' Society, and the "Treatise on 
 Wood-engraving," besides the important 
 work on Aldus Manutius. In fact, he 
 was at once a designer and engraver of 
 types, a publisher, and a typographer 
 Chamb 
 
 veiled extensively, and was known as an 
 eminent philo- Hellenist. Our space does 
 not permit of our further naming his 
 achievements in literature, arts, and 
 science. In addition to his exceptionally 
 fine collection of engravings, the cata- 
 logues relating to which are cited above, 
 M. Didot left a magnificent library. 
 
 Alfred Firm in is the son of Am- 
 broise. He was bom in 1828, and is a 
 well-known litterateur, as well as a 
 printer. He translated from the Greek, 
 m 1852, " Les Fragments inedits de 
 Nicolas de Damas," recently discovered, 
 and comprised in the Didots' " Biblio- 
 theque Grecque." 
 
 HvACiNTHE is the younger brother of 
 Ambroise Firmin-Didot, and was born in 
 1794, and educated at the college of St. 
 Barbe. Since 1 857 he has been the director 
 of the Didot printing-office. He is a Che- 
 valier of the Legion of Honour, member 
 
 of the Municipal Council of the Eure, and 
 member since 1X27" of 'the'cliambrr ' 0/ discharges various municipaUffices 
 Commerce, and since 1832 of the Council '^ "" 
 of Manufactures. Since 1 848 he had been 
 a member of the Municipal Council of 
 Paris. At all the Exhibitions his establish- 
 ment obtained gold medals. He was the 
 honorary president of the Paris Publishers, 
 Printers, and Paper-makers' Club. De- 
 
 Paul Firmin is the son of Hyacinthe. 
 He was bom in 1826, and has de- 
 voted much attention to chemical investi- 
 gations, with the view of improving the 
 manufacture of paper. He published in 
 1855, jointly with M. Barruel, "Un 
 nouveau Mode de Blanchiment des 
 
 corated with the order of the Legion of Chiffons et des Plantes textiles, par 
 Honour in 1825, he was named as an I'adjonction du gaz acide carbonique," 
 officer 13th November, i86o. He sue- in 8vo. This is a work which led to 
 ceeded his father as printer to the Insti- several improvements in the processes of 
 tute of France in 1855. It may therefore paper-making, especially in the bleaching 
 be said, with the strictest justice, that he of rags and of paper-stuff made from 
 was worthily regarded as the personal fibrous plants. 
 
 In order that the reader may the more readily understand the relationship of the 
 various members of the Didots, we here insert a family Pedigree. 
 
 Denis Didot. 
 
 I 
 
 Francois Didot, b. 1689, d. 1757. 
 
 Frangois Ambroise, 1730-1804. 
 
 Pierre Frangois, 1 732-1 793. 
 I 
 
 Pierre, 1761-1853, Firmin, 1764-1836. Henri^ 1765-1852. St. Leger. Didot jun. 
 
 Jules, 
 
 1794-1871. 
 
 Henri, d. 1876. Edouard. 
 
 Ambroise Firmin, 1790-1876. 
 AKred Firmin, 1828. 
 
 Hyacinthe Firmin, 1794. 
 Paul Firmin, 1826. 
 
 Friedrich, 1 799-1 836. 
 
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