William Davison’s New Specimen of Cast-Metal Ornaments and Wood Types

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Printing Historical Society published facsimiles of specimen books of typefounders and printers. Apparently it seemed appropriate to reproduce this very unusual specimen book put out in the early nineteenth century by the enterprising Alnwick pharmacist and printer, William Davison, and to try to relate it to the printer’s life and times. Was Davison the only pharmacist-printer in England? Get this and find out. And if you don’t care, just get it to scan all the images and work them into your work. Davison didn’t know he was making a book of clip art, but he did us all a great favor. Here’s to Billy Davison!