Typographia, or The Printers' Instructor

Johnson's 1824 history of printing and study of contemporary practices is still of interest to historians, bibliographers and printers.

John Johnson (1777–1848) produced this study of the history and art of printing in 1824. Volume 1 deals with the history of printing, and is chiefly derived from the work of other writers, although is still of interest to bibliographers. It contains details of early English books and printers, with illustrations.John Johnson (1777–1848) worked for a private press at Lee Priory, Kent, which published limited editions of poetry, prose and pamphlets, but was not financially successful. Moving to London in 1824, Johnson produced this two-volume work on printing, which had become a popular topic in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. As with Hansard's Typographia of 1825 (also available in this series), his knowledge of the history of printing is largely derived from secondary works, particularly those of Dibdin. The work was published in several formats, and contemporary reviewers noted Johnson's highly ornate typography and use of engravings more than the contents. Volume 1, in which Johnson was assisted by Richard Thomson, Librarian of the London Institution, covers the history of printing. It lists printers working in England up to the end of the sixteenth century, with bibliographical details of titles known to have been published by them.