Milestones in Colour Printing 1457–1859: With a Bibliography of Nelson Prints

In this book, derived from his 1994 Sandars lectures, Bamber Gascoigne concentrates on those areas in the history of colour printing that have yet to receive critical attention. This broad historical survey covers the intaglio colour printing of the seventeenth and eighteenth century, the inventive attempts of nineteenth-century British publishers to achieve cheap, effective colour printing, and the pioneering work of the firm Thomas Nelson and Sons. A catalogue of more than 1,000 British and foreign views published by the firm in their own distinctive technique, the Nelson print, is also provided. Gascoigne links these developments to the wider scientific, cultural, and social currents during the period. This lavishly illustrated book presents with clarity and wit an extensive overview of the emergence of colour printing. It will be of interest to all students of publishing and printing history and bibliography, as well as art historians.