Bookmen

As long as civilization exists there will always be a few people with a taste for luxury not only in the usual objects of fashion but also in books. For every one of their number, certainly, there are hundreds of wealthy men who would never wear a ready-made suit or cheap machine-made shoes, but who, when it comes to books, cannot recognize the difference between factory and hand production.

Hermann Hesse; The German novelist was commenting on the establishment in 1922 of Giovanni Mardersteig's hand press, the Officina Bodoni, named for an 18th-century printer whose typefaces are still widely used. I wish I had been a printer from my mother's womb.

William Morris; The 19th-century poet and artist eventually turned to fine printing with his Kelmscott press. Whoever you are, Aldus begs you once and for all to state briefly what you want, and then leave quickly, unless you have come, like Hercules, to support the weary Atlas on your shoulders, for that is what you will do when you enter this workshop.

Aldus Manutius; The 16th-century scholar-printer posted this notice on the door of his office ''not from pride or rudeness, but simply so that I may use whatever time I have in publishing good books.''