4 ms·

Read the preface to the 1st edition of this thing, and prepare for your mind to be blown: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douay%E2%80%93Rheims_Bible https://en.wi

Read the preface to the 1st edition of this thing, and prepare for your mind to be blown: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douay%E2%80%93Rheims_Bible https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douay%E2%80%93Rheims_Bible Keep clicking "next" on this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1609_Doway_Old_Testament.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1609_Doway_Old_Testament.... In summary, they (the authors of Douay-Rheims) based their bible translation on Jerome's 4th century Latin translation because they believed that the extant Greek and Hebrew versions had been corrupted by "Iewes and Heretikes".

sph 4y ago
Not sure what am I looking for, but damn, the typography and typesetting of this 400 year old book is mind blowing.
- b3morales 4y ago
  On page 3 the mix of double 'V's for 'W', 'u' for 'v', and 'V' for 'U' ('IESVS' at the top) is quite intriguing.
  - yencabulator 4y ago
    The printer likely had a limited set of types[1] from which to construct the page. If a page was unusually W-heavy, they probably ran out of W blocks, and substituted VV. Also, V was considered "just another shape for U" for a long time. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sort_(typesetting) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sort_(typesetting)
  - kwk1 4y ago
    Interesting to note also the use of ã as shorthand for an, i.e. "the reſidue is in hãd" -> "the residue is in hand"
    - euroderf 4y ago
      Any relation to Spanish ñ ?
  - dhosek 4y ago
    W, v and j were still pretty novel letters at that point. j was typically used as a final form for i/j so you will see things like the roman numeral for 3 represented as iij. V tended to be used for U/V in capitals and u for u/v in lowercase. W was often not a letter that was part of a typefont and writing VV or vv was the only way to represent it in print. The sixteenth century was the point where u and i became the vowel forms and V and j became the consonant forms. Later Latin is inconsistent in its use of u/v and i/j, right down to dictionaries. I remember having difficulty with my pocket Latin dictionary in college because I would often forget that iam was listed as jam in it (and similar instances of an initial consonantal i).
    - b3morales 4y ago
      Yes, but there are 'w's in the text. Mixed in the same sentence in one case with a 'vv'. > ...we ſend you here...you receiued the New...therof shal not now... > ...impediments, which hitherto haue long hindered this vvorke...
      - veltas 4y ago
        I would guess it's to justify the text. People would also add/remove unnecessary vowels to fit a line better.
        dhosek 4y ago
        That seems likely. Some early typefaces included wider and narrower versions of some letters to enable justification. Arabic typography does this by allowing, e.g., ﻧـﺪ in place of ﻧﺪ (not a real word, in case you’re puzzling over it, I know more about the letters than the language), where there is an extension to the connecting line between letters. I think, that Gutenberg’s type had multiple versions of letters for this purpose, but I’m going by vague decades-old memories now.
andrepd 4y ago
Why do pages end on a line with a single word set flush right?
- anon_123g987 4y ago
  That's a preview of the first word of the next page. I guess it helps to switch between pages more smoothly.
- pdw 4y ago
  That's the catchword, the first word of the next page. It helps with keeping the pages in the correct order when binding the book. It could also be an aid when reading aloud, to give the reader one word of "buffer" when turning the page.
- pimlottc 4y ago
  I would guess it is to aid a speaker reading aloud so as not to have an awkward pause between pages.
- DemocracyFTW2 4y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reclamans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reclamans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catchword https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catchword https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kustode_(Buchherstellung) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kustode_(Buchherstellung)

sph 4y ago

Not sure what am I looking for, but damn, the typography and typesetting of this 400 year old book is mind blowing.

b3morales 4y ago
On page 3 the mix of double 'V's for 'W', 'u' for 'v', and 'V' for 'U' ('IESVS' at the top) is quite intriguing.
- yencabulator 4y ago
  The printer likely had a limited set of types[1] from which to construct the page. If a page was unusually W-heavy, they probably ran out of W blocks, and substituted VV. Also, V was considered "just another shape for U" for a long time. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sort_(typesetting) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sort_(typesetting)
- kwk1 4y ago
  Interesting to note also the use of ã as shorthand for an, i.e. "the reſidue is in hãd" -> "the residue is in hand"
  - euroderf 4y ago
    Any relation to Spanish ñ ?
- dhosek 4y ago
  W, v and j were still pretty novel letters at that point. j was typically used as a final form for i/j so you will see things like the roman numeral for 3 represented as iij. V tended to be used for U/V in capitals and u for u/v in lowercase. W was often not a letter that was part of a typefont and writing VV or vv was the only way to represent it in print. The sixteenth century was the point where u and i became the vowel forms and V and j became the consonant forms. Later Latin is inconsistent in its use of u/v and i/j, right down to dictionaries. I remember having difficulty with my pocket Latin dictionary in college because I would often forget that iam was listed as jam in it (and similar instances of an initial consonantal i).
  - b3morales 4y ago
    Yes, but there are 'w's in the text. Mixed in the same sentence in one case with a 'vv'. > ...we ſend you here...you receiued the New...therof shal not now... > ...impediments, which hitherto haue long hindered this vvorke...
    - veltas 4y ago
      I would guess it's to justify the text. People would also add/remove unnecessary vowels to fit a line better.
      - dhosek 4y ago
        That seems likely. Some early typefaces included wider and narrower versions of some letters to enable justification. Arabic typography does this by allowing, e.g., ﻧـﺪ in place of ﻧﺪ (not a real word, in case you’re puzzling over it, I know more about the letters than the language), where there is an extension to the connecting line between letters. I think, that Gutenberg’s type had multiple versions of letters for this purpose, but I’m going by vague decades-old memories now.

andrepd 4y ago

Why do pages end on a line with a single word set flush right?

anon_123g987 4y ago
That's a preview of the first word of the next page. I guess it helps to switch between pages more smoothly.
pdw 4y ago
That's the catchword, the first word of the next page. It helps with keeping the pages in the correct order when binding the book. It could also be an aid when reading aloud, to give the reader one word of "buffer" when turning the page.
pimlottc 4y ago
I would guess it is to aid a speaker reading aloud so as not to have an awkward pause between pages.
DemocracyFTW2 4y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reclamans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reclamans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catchword https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catchword https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kustode_(Buchherstellung) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kustode_(Buchherstellung)