to leave old hands far behind
“Now let us suppose that we have a logotype for every syllable; the composing of the above sentence will be performed as follows:-strive-not-a-gainst-a—per-son-who-has-ne-ver-in—ju-red-you; altogether only 15 lifts instead of 55...
The annexed sketch — Plate 5 — represents an Authoriton with 1,600 compartments, the working surface of which is smaller than that of the usual cases. Hence no wonder that I reap the advantages of Logotypes in full weight without any discounts or drawbacks whatsoever... We do compose 6,000 types per hour, and we distribute as many...“
pages 31-33 (1856 edition), epigram from page 35.
composite image from two poorish photos (my own) of Houghton copy, which could not fully open due to faulty binding. (I understand that has been corrected, and will examine the now openable copy shortly.)
ex Bartlomiej Beniowski, (1801?-1867). Improvements in printing, invented and patented.
London: Printed and published by the author, no. 8, Bow-street, Covent Garden. 1854.
Houghton | TypTS 805 54.202
An (1856) edition of this work is at NYPL and here. The google scan (at least) omits illustrations supporting treatment of the Authoriton. (The main difference between the two editions, as I recall from a comparison some years ago, was deletion in the 1856 of some testimonial content from the 1854 edition.)
The Authoriton is but one of several ideas introduced in this promotional, hyperbole-full volume, whose twelve chapters are —
- Introductory remarks
- Types
- Cases, called Authoritons
- Logotypes
- Polycomposing (composing many times the same text)
- The Printing Machine
- Inking Ball, and Roller
- Costless Types for the Blind
- Coating the surface of Types with various Metals
- A Magnetic, electro-magnetic and hydrostatic apparatus, by means of which an unlimited number of spaces, (some of iron and some of wood) is picked up from pie and distributed, hours of disgusting labour are thus reduced to as many easy minutes.
- A Mould, for casting types in general, and the newly invented ones in particular...
- Commercial Scheme
- Extracts from reports and opinions (pp 81-96)
Polish wikipedia entry for Beniowski here: rough (google) translation —
Bartholomew Beniowski (b. 1800, d. 1867) — physician, Polish army officer, participant in the November Uprising. ¶ The November found him in the tsarist army. During the Battle of Kuflewem April 25, 1831, he moved to the Polish side, where he served as captain of the 4th Lancers. In 1831 he emigrated to France, as a major. ¶ In exile he was an activist and radical organizer in England, led military training of Chartist Movement troops. ¶ Took part in a failed workers’ uprising in Newport.
Authored Anti-absurd Or Phrenotypic Alphabet and Orthography for the English Language (1844, here), A Handbook of Phrenotypics for Teachers and Students (1844, here), and a Phrenotypic Primer for the Blind (1845).
tags:
authoriton; improvements; legibles; logotypes
Barlomiej Beniowski