Culture · 6 pages · 12 min
How a colophon used to be the publisher's mark
The closing colophon once named the printer, often beside the shop's own device.
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From the opening
A colophon is the note, once usually at the end of a book, that says who printed it, where, and sometimes when. In the first generations of print that closing note, often beside a printer's device, was how the book announced its maker. The opening covers a closing note that names the press, the device beside that note, and what the title page took over.
The rest of the brief — the later sections and the reading notes — opens after Stripe confirms payment.
Inside
- A closing note that names the press
- The device beside that note
- What the title page took over
- Fine-press notes at the back
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- The printer's colophon in early printed books
- Printer's devices and the rise of the title page