At long last the digital version of Joseph Moxon's Mechanick Exercises: or The Doctrine of Handy-Works applied to the Arts of Smithing, Joinery, Carpentry, Turning and Bricklayery, to which is added Mechanick Dyalling... is for sale through The Toolemera Shop. Glitches have been deglitched. Usable on most any operating system out there (I don't know about Mac OS 5, but you never know), all you need is a computer.
On CD-Rom, complete with a nice introduction (written by yours truly) that includes a bio of Mr. Moxon, a bit of history of the book, directions on reading 18th Century print and of course, the complete Mechanick Exercises in facsimile. What, you might ask, is facsimile? I asked myself for permission to use this definition:
From the Latin: fac (make) simile (like). A reproduction of an old book or manuscript that is as true-to-the-original as possible. The facsimile replicates the source material as accurately as possible in terms of pagination, page range, size, color, marginalia and other material qualities.
Which is to say you will have the pleasure of experiencing the textures of early 18th Century paper, complete with owner signatures, personal scribbles, fingerprints, blotches, the damp spot and most of all, the long 's'.
I asked Mr. Moxon for permission to reprint his advertising copy, to which he replied, 'with pleasure'. This advertisement is from the second volume, known as Mechanick Exercises: or, the Doctrine of Handy-Works Applied to the Art of Printing. The second volume (which, in my case, is two volumes in and of itself), will be reprinted at a later date. I was lucky to obtain a copy of the DeVinne reprint of 1896 which is a literal reproduction, as close to a facsimile as you can get). Note: Unfortunately, Typepad does not support 18th Century printing styles. No long 's' is used in this advertisement transcription.
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ADVERTISEMENT
The continuation of my setting forth Mechanick Exercises having been obstructed by the breaking out of the Plot, which took minds of my few Customers from buying them, as formerly; And being of late much importun'd by many worthy Persons to continue them; I have promised to go on again, upon Condition, That a competent number of them may be taken off my hand by Subscribers, soon after the publication of them in the Gazet, or posting up Titles, or by the Mercurius Librarius, &c.
Therefore such Gentlemen or others are willing to promote the coming forth of these Exercises, are desired to Subscribe their Names and place of abode: That to such Persons as live about this City may have them sent so soon as they come forth: Quick Sale being the best encouragement.
Continue reading "Mechanick Exercises Sales Advertisement" »
It's only taken 306 years, but finally, Joseph Moxon's Mechanick Exercises, or The Doctrine of Handy-Works is well on it's way to seeing the 21st Century as a digital document. After many stops and starts, backfires and flat tires, the master files are at the media printer. I'll receive a check copy later this week. If all goes well, the Real Deal will be ready to go live and for sale.
Producing a facsimile version has been an interesting exercise in digital imaging and PDF production. Getting the balance between file size, OCR, image textures, legibility and usability has been a long road. My goal was and is to produce facsimile reproductions. By facsimile, I mean a reprint that offers the reader the experience of enjoying all the idiosyncracies of the original book. Although cleaned of dirt, flattened as much as possible and image adjusted for contrast, the Mechanick Exercises PDF retains the finger prints, margin notes, creases, stains and textures that tell you this is the real thing (even if it is a reproduction).
I've never been a fan of super duper cleaned up reprints. You know the type. The page background is sparkly clean, the letters are sharp and the editors have corrected 'errors'. While I like a book to be as free of foxing, creases, stains and marks as possible, I find that reading those same blemishes can tell me a great deal of the history of the readers of the book. Dog-eared corners tell me what part someone liked, or where the day's reading ended. Finger prints on covers give an identity to the book. Margin notes personalize the book in focusing my attention on the thoughts of a prior reader.
This copy of Mechanick Exercises was owned in the early 18th Century by the Studd family. I have yet to figure out who they where, but the hunt goes on. Three members of the Studd family saw fit to sign the book (although Mary Studd may have been doodling). The book was of sufficient importance to the family that two members signed both the front and back inside covers. Although there are a few notes penned within the text, the book is remarkably free of scribbles. That alone tells me of the important role this book played in the lives of the owners. The covers, while worn and in some places devoid of leather, are original. Even the spine retains 75% of the leather. For a book that was meant to be used as a working guide, the overall condition indicates the intrinsic value prior owners assigned to it.
I recently came into ownership of Thomas Martin's Circle of the Mechanical Arts (1815). In the preface, Martin comments on the scarcity of Moxon as part of his rationale for updating and expanding upon the subjects covered in Mechanick Exercises. Barely 100 years after it's publication, Mechanick Exercises was already a scarce but saught after volume.
For a teaser of the Mechanick Exercises PDF, stop by the Toolemera eStore. If all goes well, the full CD will be available within the next two weeks (once I review the check disk and demystify Paypal buttons).
Till next
Gary
