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 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
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 THE 
 
 University Press 
 Cambridge 
 
 Cambridge 
 Printed at the University Press 
 
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 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 The Pitt Building 
 
 A Type Store Room 
 
 One of the Composing Rooms 
 
 An Ancient Hand Press 1 
 
 A Modern Printing Machine J 
 
 A Reader's Closet 
 
 A Vie<w in the Machine Room 
 
 A Gathering Ring in the Warehouse 
 
 To face page 5 
 7 
 
 9 
 
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 Betiveen pages 12 and 13 
 
 To face page 17 
 ,. 21 
 
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 25 
 
 824313
 
 
 The Pitt Building
 
 
 
 
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 THE long street, stretching under 
 various names from the Trumpington 
 entrance to the town as far as Bridge 
 Street, in the Trumpington Street portion 
 of which stands the University Press, was 
 in former days contented with the single 
 designation of High Street. 
 
 Further down the same street, near the 
 present site of Caius College, stood in the 
 early years of the i6th century a house, 
 bearing the sign of the King's Arms, once 
 the lodging of the world-famed Erasmus, 
 where John Siberch, a printer from the 
 Rhineland, known to the great scholar and 
 
 5
 
 SIBERCH 
 
 perhaps brought to England by his influence, 
 set up a Press in 1520 for printing University 
 matter. During two years some eight books 
 are recorded as having been printed by him, 
 among them a medical text-book, Linacre's 
 translation of Galen de Temperameniis, 
 claiming to be the first book printed in 
 England containing Greek characters. The 
 earliest specimen extant of his printing is 
 the Oratio of Henry Bullock, composed of 
 eight quarto leaves, the type Roman, without 
 device or ornamentation of any kind. 
 Nothing further seems to be known of this 
 early printer, but certain of his books may 
 be seen in the libraries of Trinity and 
 St John's Colleges. 
 
 In 1529 proceedings were taken against 
 one Sygar Nicholson of Gonville Hall, for 
 harbouring heretical books, the burning of 
 which cost the University a groat for faggots, 
 
 6
 
 £§ 
 
 I. 
 o 
 
 CO
 
 NICHOLSON 
 
 in addition to three shillings and 
 fourpence for keeping Sygar in prison during 
 proceedings against him. Nevertheless, in 
 1534, this Nicholson was appointed Printer 
 with two others, the University having secured 
 from Henry VIII Letters Patent to retain 
 three resident printers or stationers to print 
 and sell such books as might be licensed by 
 the Vice -Chancellor or his assessors. 
 
 In spite of this accorded privilege, 
 the Press was for some time curiously 
 unproductive, there being no record of any 
 book printed from the time of Siberch 
 until 1584, a period of sixty years. So much 
 was the Press during these years a dead 
 letter in the promotion of the learning it 
 existed to spread, that in 1524 the Hebrew 
 lectures of Robert Wakefield before the 
 University were printed in London by 
 Wynkyn de Worde. 
 
 7
 
 LORD BURGHLEY 
 
 During these ineffectual years and for 
 some time after, jealous attacks from the 
 newly -incorporated Stationers' " Company of 
 London greatly hindered the working of the 
 Press as a University agency. 
 
 Lord Burghley, writing in 1577 to the 
 Vice-Chancellor and Heads in reference to 
 their desire of protecting for the University 
 the printing of Psalters, Prayer-books and 
 sundry books in English, for which Queen 
 Elizabeth had already granted special 
 privileges to others, deprecates any attempt 
 to prejudice the Queen's grants, but 
 suggests that the University might employ 
 an artificer for printing matters pertaining 
 to the Schools, etc. 
 
 However in 1582, Thomas Thomas, a 
 fellow of King's, was appointed Printer 
 as an indication of the determination 
 of the University to assert its legitimate 
 
 8
 
 o 
 H 
 
 <5J
 
 THOMAS 
 
 independence. From the time of Thomas' 
 appointment the office was filled regularly 
 and without interruption. 
 
 Many of these earlier printers were 
 graduates and holders of other offices in 
 the University. That members of the 
 University were found thus engaging in a 
 business so closely connected with learning 
 is not surprising, though they were probably 
 not practical printers, but nominated as 
 inspectors for the convenience of University 
 business. 
 
 Thomas, a scholar and a hard-working 
 man, did much for the advancement of the 
 Press. His office stood opposite the west 
 door of Great St Mary's, in the parish 
 book of which Church it is set forth that 
 "Mrs Thomas paid for the buriall of her 
 husband 6/8." He died in 1588, as a 
 result of over-arduous labour in compiling 
 
 9 2
 
 THOMAS 
 
 a Latin dictionary. This Thomas was 
 counted specially worthy by his confreres, 
 for in the preface to a later edition of 
 his dictionary, Legate, his successor, thus 
 eulogises Thomas' attainments in comparison 
 with those of his own contemporaries. 
 
 "A famous Printer, yes something 
 more than a printer such as we are now 
 who understand the Latin that we print 
 no more than Bellerophon the letters 
 he carried and who sell in our shops 
 nothing of our own except the paper 
 black with the press's sweat." 
 
 In Thomas' first year of office, agents 
 of the Stationers* Company, sanctioned by 
 the Bishop of London, seized the Press, the 
 plant and all printed sheets they could lay 
 hands on, in consequence perhaps of a 
 specially vigilant suppression of the Puritan 
 
 10
 
 CHARTER OF HENRY VIII 
 
 Press at the time, or more probably from 
 jealousy. Notwithstanding this upheaval, a 
 year or so later the charter of Henry VIII 
 was confirmed after further petitions from 
 the University, assuring Burghley that if 
 their Press "might no longer be stayed 
 but their desire therein furthered," they 
 would in daily prayer commend his Lordship 
 to the "blessed tuition of the Almighty." 
 Burghley, after taking legal advice, then 
 declared the charter to be valid. This 
 privilege seems to have extended to the 
 bookselling trade of the town, for which 
 certain regulations were issued in the same 
 year, including an order that all booksellers 
 and binders should pay Forty Pounds to 
 the University, as well as undertaking to 
 supply only well-bound books at reasonable 
 prices. 
 
 Now was Thomas reseated in his office 
 
 II
 
 WHITGIFT'S LETTER 
 
 and refurnished with requisites for carrying 
 out his functions. Even then the Press 
 again got into bad odour in high places, 
 by publishing a translation in favour of 
 the Presbyterian form of Church government 
 of the separatist Travers. 
 
 "Ever sen," wrote Archbishop Whitgift, 
 "I hard yt they had a printer at 
 Chambridg, I did greatlie feare this and 
 such-like inconveniencies wold followe. I 
 thinke yt verie convenient that the bokes 
 shold be burned, beeing verie factious 
 and full of unthruthes." 
 
 A year or so later, the '* rapacious 
 cupidity '* of the London printers, in pirating 
 and underselling the productions of the 
 University, in the absence of any law of 
 copyright, caused concerted action to be 
 taken by Cambridge and Oxford to protect 
 
 12
 
 An Ancient Hand Press
 
 o 
 
 «C1 

 
 CANTRELL LEGGE 
 
 their rights, the Cambridge authorities 
 writing once more to Burghley protesting 
 against the " Prynters " who had 
 appropriated the dictionary of Thomas' 
 own compiling, thereby making it a "verie 
 hard matter for oure pore Printer to do 
 anie good by his trade." Yet the jealousies 
 of the Stationers were not yet stifled, for 
 in 1624, Cantrell Legge being University 
 Printer, the Company complained that 
 
 " one legg printed great nombers of 
 psalmes...to the great hindrance of the 
 Companie of Staconers and almost to 
 their vtter vndoing." 
 
 The accompanying cut shows the printing 
 house of Mr T. Buck, M.A. in the reign 
 of Charles I, on part of the old site of 
 the Augustinian Friars, behind St Benet's 
 Church. Various enactments were made 
 
 13
 
 BUCK 
 
 about this time to extend or control the 
 privileges of the Press. Thus in 1622 we 
 find an order that any Member of the 
 University should, before printing a 
 composition of his own, first offer the 
 
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 same to the Press, and that all Members 
 taking a degree should first promise that, 
 should they become schoolmasters, they 
 would not allow any other books for use 
 
 14
 
 ORDERS OF PRIVY COUNCIL 
 
 in their schools than those printed in the 
 University, so long as such could be obtained 
 at a moderate and fair price. Again, 
 Charles I prohibited the importing and sale 
 of '*Latyne Bookes reprinted beyonde Seas 
 havinge byn first printed in Oxford and 
 Cambridge." Issuing this proclamation and 
 another similar cost the town five shillings. 
 
 On the other hand, in 1629 the Privy 
 Council made an order that the University 
 might print any number of English Bibles 
 with the Liturgy in the same volume, also 
 of Lilley's Grammar three thousand copies 
 a year but no more. 
 
 The bitter controversies with outside 
 bodies lasted until the Commonwealth, 
 when the University determined anew to 
 exercise its rights for the free and worthy 
 use of the Press. John Field, a London 
 printer, was elected in 1655 and every 
 
 15
 
 DR BENTLEY 
 
 chance of success was given him. A 
 printing house was built in Silver Street, 
 opposite to the present site, which remained 
 in use until the middle of the 19th century. 
 Here the *' printing-room was sixty feet by 
 twenty, held six presses, had paper windows 
 and a pleasant garden." 
 
 In the days of William III, the energy 
 of Dr Bentley, scholar, critic and Master 
 of Trinity, brought about still greater 
 improvements. Not only were additions 
 made to the buildings, new presses set 
 up, new and beautiful types imported from 
 abroad, but the University took up the 
 policy of producing only such works as 
 appeared to be of permanent value, and also 
 began to accept the financial responsibility 
 and real control of its Press. 
 
 Curators were chosen to represent the 
 University, and a Dutch printer, Cornelius 
 
 16
 
 A Reader's Closet
 
 CROWNFIELD 
 
 Crownfield, appointed as inspector to conduct 
 their business, his stipend being fixed in 
 1698 at ten shillings a week. 
 
 The outside Presses seem to have become 
 more tolerant of the position of the University 
 by the time of Crownfield 's death in 1742, for 
 his successor, }. Bentham, was free of the 
 Stationers' Company and regarded as a 
 printer of repute, "allowed by all Judges 
 to be as great a Proficient in the Mystery 
 as any in England." 
 
 About 1760 the University entered into an 
 agreement with the famous John Baskerville, 
 who was desirous of printing a folio Bible 
 and an octavo Prayer-book. In connection 
 with this ambition, he applied to Cambridge 
 and, in spite of some very natural opposition 
 from J. Bentham, then University Printer, the 
 authorities allowed Baskerville to carry out 
 his wish and to 
 
 17 3
 
 BASKERVILLE 
 
 *' send to Cambridge 2 presses, workmen 
 6c all other requisites, but to take the 
 Chance of the Edition to myself 6c make 
 the University such Consideration as they 
 should think fit to prescribe." 
 
 For the privilege of counting himself as a 
 University Printer, he had to pay such 
 a heavy premium that he derived no 
 pecuniary profit from the appointment. 
 
 His first Prayer-book, about the production 
 of which he seems to have taken the greatest 
 pains, appeared in 1760. 
 
 "The importance of the work demands 
 all my attention ; not only for my own 
 (eternal) reputation, but (I hope) to 
 convince the world, that the University in 
 the honour done me has not intirely 
 misplaced their Favours." 
 
 18
 
 BASKERVILLE 
 And 
 
 **I procured a sealed Copy of the 
 Common prayer with much trouble 6c 
 expence from the Cathedral of Litchfield, 
 but found it the most inaccurate 6c 
 ill-printed work I ever saw : so that 
 I returned it with thanks." 
 
 Baskerville's first Prayer-books were all 
 of one size, an imperial octavo. Some were 
 printed on plain paper in Great Primer 
 type and long lines, and others had that 
 border of 'star and oval* ornament so often 
 made use of by Baskerville. 
 
 "The type/' he tells us, "is calculated 
 for people who begin to want spectacles 
 but are ashamed to use them at Church." 
 
 These books were no doubt finer than any 
 of the kind that had been yet attempted. 
 
 19
 
 LORD STANHOPE 
 
 But they did not sell readily, and presently 
 Baskerville found it necessary to advance 
 the price from six shillings and sixpence 
 to eight shillings and sixpence, apologising 
 to the public for so doing as he was 
 "greatly out of pocket by the first 
 Impression." 
 
 His folio Bible was printed in 1763 
 but, though a beautiful work, it did not 
 go well and the greater part of the edition 
 was parted with to a London bookseller 
 as a remainder. This failure convinced 
 Baskerville that no good could come from 
 his connection with Cambridge and he 
 therefore broke o£F his agreement. 
 
 In 1804 was purchased the secret of the 
 method of manufacturing stereotyped plates, 
 together with two presses, the invention of 
 Lord Stanhope, which are still in regular 
 use, and in the same year designs were 
 
 20
 
 o 
 
 ,'5^ 
 ^ 
 
 ^
 
 PITT BUILDING 
 
 made for a new and more commodious 
 printing house. 
 
 In 1824 part of the surplus fund for 
 erecting a statue of William Pitt being 
 voted for the building of a new Press, the 
 present site was purchased and the first 
 stone of the new building was laid in 1831 ; 
 the memory of Pitt being perpetuated in 
 the stone building fronting the street, which, 
 with its imposing array of pinnacles, tower 
 and battlements, has gained from confiding 
 generations the name of the '* Freshman's 
 Church." 
 
 The new buildings were opened in 1833, 
 on which occasion a University procession, 
 accompanied by a deputation from the Pitt 
 Committee, went from the Senate House to 
 the Press, where the Marquess Camden 
 delivered the key of the building to 
 Dr Webb, Vice - Chancellor. After each 
 
 21
 
 MODERN BUILDING 
 
 member of the deputation had enjoyed 
 himself by '* printing off at the Press a 
 copy of the inscription on the foundation 
 stone, a cold collation was given them by 
 the Press Syndicate." 
 
 Behind the Press frontage, which is 
 used partly as an office for the University 
 Registrary, partly as store-room for printed 
 sheets, is a grass-covered square surrounded 
 by offices and work-rooms. On the ground 
 floor of the north side facing on to Silver 
 Street is the large Machine-room. Here are 
 some of the latest machines, including 
 Quad Royal and Quad Demy Perfectors, 
 having two cylinders and printing both 
 sides of the sheet at one time ; it is on 
 these machines that most of the Bible work 
 is done. Here also are two revolution 
 presses, single cylinder machines, some of 
 them fitted with paper-feeding attachments 
 
 22
 
 PUBLICATIONS 
 
 which make the work practically automatic. 
 Among the books being printed in the 
 room at the moment are Bibles of all 
 sizes, from the Imperial Quarto for use in 
 Churches to the smallest known as CrystaU 
 Prayer-books, Maps (in some of which as 
 many as twelve different colours are 
 used) and volumes of the Cambridge 
 Modern History, the Cambridge Medieval 
 History, the Cambridge History of English 
 Literature, and of the Cambridge County 
 Geographies. 
 
 Behind the Machine -room is a 
 blacksmith's shop, where all repairs etc. 
 are done. The power-plant, consisting of 
 two gas engines with their own producers, 
 and two steam engines, all driving dynamos, 
 supplies the motive power and the electric 
 light throughout the establishment. 
 
 The Foundry is above the large 
 
 23
 
 COMPOSING-ROOMS 
 
 Machine-room and comprises a stereotyping 
 department, an electro-moulding room, an 
 electro-battery room and two finishing rooms. 
 They contain some of the most up-to-date 
 plant, including type - casting, bevelling, 
 routing and planing machines. 
 
 Next the Foundry come the Store-rooms, 
 where all kinds of types are kept, each 
 separate fount carefully labelled and 
 catalogued. On the same floor is the 
 carpenter's shop, a very necessary adjunct 
 to a large printing house. 
 
 There are seven Composing-rooms, some 
 on the first, some on the second floor, 
 where all varieties of languages are set 
 up, including tongues as diverse and 
 complicated as Amharic, Arabic, Hausa 
 and Syriac. 
 
 Finally, we come to the Warehouse. Into 
 this department are brought daily from 
 
 24
 
 O 
 
 to 

 
 TYPE OF PAMPHLET 
 
 the adjoining Machine-room the finished 
 signatures, which are counted and stacked 
 until complete copies have been worked off 
 and are ready to send to London for 
 binding. An average of eighteen tons of 
 printed matter leaves the Press each week 
 and a similar amount of white paper 
 comes in. 
 
 The type used in this pamphlet was 
 prepared by photographing every letter 
 of the alphabet from a 15th century 
 printed book in the University Library. 
 These photographs were entrusted to a 
 type-designer with instructions to cut 
 a fount of type, following the photos 
 exactly, and only modernising the letters 
 so as to make them uniform in thickness. 
 It will be seen on comparing this type 
 with that of the Kelmscott Press that 
 
 25 4
 
 GENERAL AIM 
 
 theire is a considerable similarity between 
 the two faces. 
 
 In summing up the past history and 
 the present activities of the Cambridge 
 University Press with 
 
 "The instinctive humbleness 
 Maintained even by the very name and 
 
 thought 
 Of printed books and authorship," 
 
 it should be remembered that the general 
 aim has been to give to the world, as 
 well as to preserve for the private peculiar 
 glory of the University, "great and excellent 
 writings," very many of which have proceeded 
 from its own members. This aim, 
 maintained through many vicissitudes and 
 fostered by many privileges, continues 
 unaltered in its mark. 
 
 26
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 Thus fed with learning and nursed by 
 wisdom, Knowledge is carried on from 
 generation to generation by 
 
 ** Printing, with enlarged command 
 For thought — dominion vast and absolute 
 For spreading truth, 
 
 Heaven keep us from a lower stage."
 
 Cambridge : Printed at the University Press.

 
 > 
 
 ^
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 Los Angeles 
 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 Forin L9-50TO-7, '54 (5990)444
 
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