This well-written and fully illustrated history of mechanical copying before Xerox reveals the importance of the humble copy press from its origins in England in 1770 to its demise in the 1930s. The work is divided into two parts; in Part One, historian Barbara Rhodes discusses the social impact of the copy press in the office place and the traditions, materials, and methods that were used. In Part Two, William Streeter takes the reader into early development and manufacturing of the copy press. With over a thousand line drawings, photographs, and actual U.S. Patent Office documents, Streeter presents an incredible array of copying equipment. This work is an important addition to the libraries of copybook, and early industrial equipment collectors, conservators, and historians of British and American business history.
