First published in 1888, A Practical Treatise upon Modern Printing Machinery and Letterpress Printing by Wilson and Grey remains an important work for those interested in the Victorian mechanisation of printing. They list, with illustrations, all the different machines in use in the printing trade, in England and abroad. They outline the development of printing from the early hand presses, and discuss in detail the strengths and weaknesses of the different machines then in use. Information is provided on manufacturers and specifications of the multitude of machinery available for all stages of the printing and publishing process. The book contains valuable information on the development of colour printing, and covers book and newspaper printing as well as the needs of small jobbing firms. It will be of interest to historians of printing and publishing, printers, engineers and industrial archaeologists.
