I was wondering this myself. I think that they were still tiling little metal blocks, according to this picture: http://www.datadeluge.com/2010/09/how-maths-wa

I was wondering this myself. I think that they were still tiling little metal blocks, according to this picture: http://www.datadeluge.com/2010/09/how-maths-was-typeset-before-latex.html http://www.datadeluge.com/2010/09/how-maths-was-typeset-befo... Which makes it all the more impressive--each page took considerable craft and attention to detail. For more information on this, you'd have to get a book like this one--I can't find anything more online: http://www.worldcat.org/title/printing-of-mathematics-aids-for-authors-and-editors-and-rules-for-compositors-and-readers-at-the-university-press-oxford/oclc/220341904 http://www.worldcat.org/title/printing-of-mathematics-aids-f...