University of Mississippi eGrove Haskins and Sells Publications Deloitte Collection 1968 Fine bookmaker to the world Anonymous Brian Seed Roy Stevens Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/dl_hs Part of the Accounting Commons, and the Taxation Commons Recommended Citation H&S Reports, Vol. 05, (1968 spring), p. 04-09 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Deloitte Collection at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Haskins and Sells Publications by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. It is a rare company that can say of its book from a press at Oxford, a com­ products that Presidents and Kings mentary in Latin on the Apostles' Creed have sworn by them for centuries—that attributed to St. Jerome, appeared in they consoled Abraham Lincoln, 1478. This was about twenty-five years crossed the American continent in after Johann Gutenberg's first work countless prairie schooners, sailed the printed from movable type appeared, seven seas, and still stand today beside and just one year after William Caxton almost every literate user of the English produced the first book printed in Eng­ language as his source of knowledge land. The Oxford book was the press- and inspiration. There can't be many work of Theodoric Rood, who had organizations that can make such a journeyed to Oxford from Cologne, claim, but one is the Oxford University Germany. The Press then languished Press. through a century of intermittent activ­ The oldest publishing house in the ity, this being a time when the crown English-speaking world, Oxford Uni­ closely controlled the use of the print­ versity Press with its many overseas ing press because rulers considered it a branches is a global enterprise that has danger to the stability of the realm. played an important part, though a Finally the Earl of Leicester, a favor­ quiet one, in the unfolding drama of ite of Queen Elizabeth I and Chancel­ our civilization. For books accumulat­ lor of Oxford University, obtained a ing man's knowledge and expressing his court decree in 1586 authorizing the aspirations have exerted a force as University to print. From that date to mighty as armies in changing men's this, the Oxford University Press has beliefs and their way of life. In produc­ been in continuous operation. And how ing such books the Oxford University it has grown! Today the New York Press has helped to establish our mod­ branch of the Press offers 6,000 titles ern world. in its annual catalog. In England it Now approaching its 500th anniver­ offers 10,000 titles of Oxford books in sary, the Press in England and else­ print, ready for shipment. In addition, where in the British Commonwealth the Press in England distributes many has been a client of Deloitte, Plender, books originating in other publishing Griffiths & Co. since 1939. The Ameri­ houses abroad, so that its total offerings can branch of the Press, operating as a in Britain run close to 18,000 titles. separate company with headquarters Until 1880 the only office of the Press in New York, has been a New York was at Oxford, except for the Bible client since 1940. warehouse in London. Then Henry The Press is by no means an ordinary Frowde, warehouse manager, was ap­ book publisher. In many publishing pointed the first "Publisher to the Uni­ houses, merchandise ranging from the versity," with the function to distribute Copyrighted -- License finest to the most sleazy can all pass books issued by the Press in Oxford. from Black Star under the name of "book," provided Before long the London department be­ only that it has printed pages and a gan to originate books outside the fields cover. Oxford, however, has won world­ of academic scholarship, to which the wide fame as a publisher of the highest Press had confined itself. Now the quality books, noted for the lasting London department is one of the largest value of their contents, beauty of de­ publishers in Britain. Its books bear the sign and excellence of manufacture. imprint "London, Oxford University The Press did not win its reputation Press," to distinguish them from those overnight; it took a few centuries to produced in the city of Oxford, which reach the top. The first known printed read: "At the Clarendon Press." Copyrighted -- License from Black Star Copyrighted -- License from Black Star Going over the books in the Oxford office are Mr. A. H. Rippington (I.), Auditor of the Press, and Mr. J. Ness Prentice (r.), partner of Deloitte, Plender, Griffiths 6- Co. Books line the Oxford office of Mr. C. H. Roberts, chief executive officer of the Oxford University Press and Secretary to the Delegates. The University scholars who are appointed as Delegates act as the board of directors of the Press. (extreme left) Hand inker, from the collection of early printing tools maintained at the Oxford University Press. 5 Since the founding of the New York the Bible for which Abraham Lincoln branch in 1896, its first branch over­ thanked the donor by sending her a seas, the Press has established others portrait photograph from the White in Toronto, Melbourne, Wellington, House, inscribed: Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Karachi, "For Mrs. Lucy G. Speed, from Lahore, Dacca, Cape Town, Salisbury, whose pious hand I accepted the present Ibadan, Nairobi, Lusaka, Addis Ababa, of an Oxford Bible twenty years ago. Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Washington, D.C., October 3, 1861. A number of the newly independent A. Lincoln." nations continue to use English in gov­ Even today, with many thousands ernment and higher education because of titles on the Oxford list, the manu­ Copyrighted -- License their leaders were educated for several facture and sale of the King James from Black Star generations with Oxford and other Version remains a most important part English books. But overseas branches of its operations. Oxford in England of the Press now publish books in many had the honor of designing and print­ languages other than English. In India, ing the Bible used at the Coronation of Two early homes of the Press in Broad Pakistan and East Asia, Oxford pub­ Queen Elizabeth II. The Press keeps Street, Oxford. The Clarendon Building (r.) lishes in fifteen languages, ranging the only other two exact replicas as was built in 1713 and housed the Press alphabetically from Assamese to Urdu. until 1830. Its older neighbor, the museum pieces. Offices of the Press in South, West and Sheldonian Theatre (I.), was designed by More than one hundred different Christopher Wren, England's greatest East Africa publish in Afrikaans, Zulu styles of Oxford Bibles are available, architect, and dates from 1664. When the and seventeen languages in between. ranging in price from $2.50 to $150.00 Press was centered in the Sheldonian The most widely distributed of all and in binding from plain cloth to the Theatre it occupied the basement. titles have been the many editions of finest leather available. In 1967, Ox­ Oxford Bibles. As early as the 1630s, ford New York, using its special India William Laud, Chancellor of the Uni­ paper, published The New Scofield versity and later Archbishop of Canter­ Reference Bible (so named after the bury, secured a Royal Charter granting scholar who prepared the notes) which to the Press the privilege to print the was only seven-eighths of an inch thick, Authorized King James Version of the even though it had 1,600 pages. An Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. American telephone directory of that For some years the Press leased out its thickness would contain only half as privilege to print these books. But in many pages. 1675 Dr. John Fell, Bishop of Oxford A distinguishing mark of Oxford and Vice-Chancellor of the University, books has been the beauty of the negotiated the return of the privilege, printed pages, in typeface and layout, and forthwith directed the publication thanks largely to the initiative of Dr. of the first Oxford Bible. Since its ap­ John Fell. In the mid-1600s he fur­ pearance, the Press has grown and nished the Press with the great collec­ prospered on the sound base laid by a tion of type punches and matrices, tremendous production and sale of brought from Holland, from which Bibles and Prayer Books. graceful types known by his name are Certainly the Oxford editions of the still cast and used at Oxford. Fell also King James Version were widely used had the foresight to encourage the in the American colonies after 1675, establishment of a papermill at Wolver- when they appeared in England. By cote, on the outskirts of Oxford, to man­ the time Oxford New York was founded ufacture paper for Oxford books. The in 1896, weekly shipments of Bibles to Press purchased the mill in 1870, and the U.S. often exceeded five tons. An it still produces paper for Oxford pub­ earlier shipment must have included lications, though in modern buildings. Being an old publisher, and a big Others are scattered through the years one, Oxford can claim its share of great too numerous to count, like a literary publications and "firsts." In 1612 it Milky Way. reproduced Captain John Smith's his­ Of all projects the Press has under­ toric Map of Virginia, which served as taken, the greatest is the multi-volume guide to the Atlantic coast of North Oxford English Dictionary, on which America for many explorers and set­ work began in 1882. Its editors planned tlers for decades afterward.