"Correct Composition" by Theodore Low De Vinne is a meticulous treatise on typography and printing standards, addressing the complexities of spelling, hyphenation, and error correction in the printing process. Focusing on the roles of compositors, proof-readers, and the reliance on authoritative dictionaries like Stormonth’s, the work underscores the challenges of maintaining consistency in typesetting.
De Vinne emphasizes the necessity of standardized rules, the risks of early corrections, and the enduring influence of usage over strict prescriptions. Through detailed analysis, the text reveals how the interplay between human oversight and mechanical processes shapes the accuracy of printed works.
Theodore Low De Vinne,
Correct Composition
(1901)
“ The demigods of typography are like the demigods of so-called history: the greatest are those who are at the greatest distance. Not much research is needed to show that demigods of all kinds do not belong to history but to fiction, and that errors of the press were, to say the least, quite as common in the early days of typography as they are now. ”
Theodore Low De Vinne,
Correct Composition
(1901)
“ As there is no book of generally accepted authority that lays down a full code of explicit rules for orderly printing, every printing-house that strives for consistency as well as accuracy has found it necessary to make its own code for its own work. ”
Theodore Low De Vinne,
Correct Composition
(1901)
“ He notices blemishes in the composition of types more quickly than lapses or oversights made by the author in written expression. Not every reader assumes to be a critic of style in literature, but the reader of to-day is more or less a critic of style in type-setting. ”
