HISTOEIC FEINTING TYPES. O HANDICRAFT receives so much attentive obser- vation as printing. But the observation of the ordinary reader, however attentive it may be, is usually superficial and imperfect. Types are seen but not regarded: it is only the information conveyed by types that is considered. Few general readers know by name the different sizes or styles of types ; fewer still could identify the types made or used by famous printers. To men whose limited time compels them to care more for the ends than the means of knowledge, this want of consideration is pardonable. Life is short, and even a studious man may be excused for neglecting typography, when English literature is so deficient in instructive tech- nical works on this subject. Our books on typography are 2 9
