78 Woodstock Road, Oxford.—Praises McKerrow’s book, and cites an example of an English book folded in eighteens.
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Transcript
78 Woodstock Road, Oxford
24th October 1927
Dear McKerrow,
May I send you very warm and hearty congratulations on your “Introduction to Bibliography”, a copy of which I got at the Clarendon Press this morning and the perusal of which has given me much pleasure and profit during the rest of the day. It is a real useful addition to one’s reference library. I was in the Bodleian in the morning trying to identify a format of a little book where the signatures run in eighteens and after I bought your book, I find you refer to this folding on p. 173 and mention you have not found it in an English book. My example is the following, which I have had for some years but not until recently examined with any care:—
THE/OFFICE/OF THE/HOLY WEEK/According to the Roman/ Missal and Breviary./ (I.H.S. Device) Permissu Superiorum./ London, Printed by Henry Hills, Printer to the/King’s Most Excellent Majesty, for his house-/hold and Chappel; And are to be sold at his Printing-/house on the Ditch-side in Black-Fryers; 1688./
Signatures; - A2, B-L18. Wiremarks are vertical.
The first two leaves consist of title and address to the Reader, and the text follows pp. 1-358, the last leaf is wanting in my copy but is obviously a blank, as L17 has only 4 lines of type followed by Finis.
If you care to have the book to look at, I will post it to you with pleasure.
We moved down here in August and I am taking things easier in the City and indulging in long week-ends.
Yours sincerely,
James P. R. Lyell
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Typed, except the signature.