Re: paper query

["kim whale" <rocks@sprint.ca>]

Greetings Gene,

I believe what you have is a Queen's Printer edition of the pamphlet, and I
doubt that its printed on 'bankers linen'. The King's (or Queen's Printer)
editions were single offprints printed before the trimmed and bound edition
you describe.

They, the King's Printer editions,  were usually tossed out by the law
firms, government departments and others receiving them once the smaller
and cheaper pamphlets were issued with others in an annual offering.

>From the description of the paper, "brown, like cloth, with chainmarks,"  I
would guess that it's simply browned with age but an original KP edition.

The most rare would the two (or three?) copies printed to be sent to the
various archives of the Crown.

Cheers, Kim Whale
Rockland Books
1706 Rockland Avenue
Victoria, B.C.
rocks@sprint.ca   

----------
> From: Gene G. Freeman <genefree@speed.net>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <exlibris@library.berkeley.edu>
> Subject: Re: paper query
> Date: Thursday, October 29, 1998 10:14 AM
> 
> >Ex-Librans,
> >
> >A bookseller brought a curiosity into the library, and I wonder if I
could
> >draw on the expertise of the list a bit.
> >
> >This was a pamphlet (we actually have a copy, but not one which is
> >identical) with the following title-page:
> >
> >His Majesty's | MOST GRACIOUS | SPEECH | TO BOTH HOUSES OF | PARLIAMENT,
|
> >On Thursday, October 26, 1775. | [rule] | [ornament] | [rule] | LONDON:
|
> >Printed by CHARLES EYRE and WILLIAM STRAHAN, | Printers to the King's
most
> >Excellent Majesty.  1775.
> >
> >Now, our copy is trimmed, fairly clean, and bound with a few other like
> >items.  The bookseller's copy is on loose sheets (quite large--lots of
> >"wasted" space), the ink is *very* shiny (high metal content?), and the
> >watermark on the paper, according to the bookseller, says "Banker's
Linen".
> >The paper is very brown, and feels more like cloth, although chainlines
are
> >visible.  Another curiosity is that the signatures and catch-words are a
> >bit different (I don't have both in front of me, so I can't remember the
> >exact differences).
> >
> >I've done a bit of checking, but thought I'd post a query to see if I'm
> >missing something obvious before I dig into it.  Anyone out there have
> >experience with "banker's linen"?
> >
> >Thanks in advance,
> >
> >Rick
> 
> The date and the paper don't match, so it must be a much later facsimile
> reprint. Bankers linen is machine paper where the linen pattern is
applied
> by linen wrapped rollers as the last step in the process. It does not
imply
> a linen content and the browning usually means too much acid in wood pulp
> paper.
> 
> Gene Freeman
>