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John F. Trow
| Name | John F. Trow |
| Ortssitz | New York City |
| Art des Unternehmens | Druckerei |
| Anmerkungen | - |
| Quellenangaben | [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 1 (1868) 668] |
| Zeit |
Ereignis |
| 1810 |
Geburt von John F. Trow in Andover, Massachusetts |
| 1824 |
Im Alter von 14 Jahren beginnt Trow eine Buchdruckerlehre bei "Flagg and Gould" in Andover. |
| 1831 |
Trow gibt den "The Nashua Herald" heraus. |
| 1832 |
Trow hat kein Glück bei der Herausgabe des "The Nashua Herald, und er kehrt für einige Monate nach Andover zurück. |
| 1833 |
Trow geht von Andower nach New York. |
| 01.05.1833 |
Trow beginnt in New York City, ermutigt und später unter dem Patronat von Jonathan Leavitt, ein Geschäft mit John T. West unter der Firma "West & Trow" in der No. 144 Fulton Street. Zwei eiserne Handpressen, eine eingebracht durch West und auf welcher er den "New York Observer" gedruckt hatte, und die andere Presse von Trow |
| 1836 |
Die Partnerschaft mit West wird aufgelöst, und das Geschäft wird in der 36 Ann Street weiterbetrieben. |
| 1836 |
Trow importiert komplette der Oriental Type von der berühmten Tauchnitz-Schriftgießerei: Griechisch, Hebräisch, Arabiisch, Syrisch, Ethiopisch, Koptisch, Samaritan usw.. Damit übertrifft er an Menge und Vielfalt die berühmte "Codman press" und jede andere Druckerei im Lande. |
| 1840 |
Partnerschaft mit seinem früheren Freund und Förderer unter dem Namen "Leavitt & Trow", Herausgeber und Buchhändler, und "John F. Trow & Co.", Drucker |
| 1840 |
Einführung der Stereotypie |
| 1848 |
Die Verbindung mit Leavitt wird aufgelöst. |
| 1849 |
Beginn der Herausgabe von "Wilson's Business Directory" |
| 1852 |
Die Herausgabe von "Trow's New York City Directory" und "Wilson's Copartnership Directory" beginnt, beide zusammengestellt von Mr. Wilson. |
| 1854 |
William Mitchell patentiert 1854 eine Setzmaschine. Trow kauft eine dieser Maschinen und sieht darin einen Erfolg, sie spart viel Satzkosten. - Er fügt weitere hinzu, bis er später fünf Maschinen davon hat. |
| 1855 |
Ein Feuer zerstört die Anlage in der Ann Street, und Trow zieht an den Broadway 379. |
| 1860 |
Umzug von Broadway 379 in die erworbenen Gebäude Green Street 46-50 |
| Produkt |
ab |
Bem. |
bis |
Bem. |
Kommentar |
| Druckerzeugnisse |
1868 |
[Bishop: Hist. of Amer. manuf. I (1868)] |
1868 |
[Bishop: Hist. of Amer. manuf. I (1868)] |
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| ZEIT | 1868 |
| THEMA | Firmenbeschreibung |
| TEXT | Is one of the oldest established and most extensive printers in the city of New York. He was born at Andover, Massachusetts, in the year 1810, and was descended from one of the best families in New England. Until he was ten years old, his life was spent upon his father's farm, and in 1824, at the age of fourteen, he commenced his apprenticeship at the printing business, with Flagg and Gould, of Andover. Their office, known as the "Codman Press" (from the fact of its possessing an outfit of Oriental type, furnished by the then late Rev. Dr. Codman, of Dorchester, Massachusetts), was noted in those days as doing the best Oriental printing in the country, excelling even the Cambridge Press, from which it had originally emanated. It was from this "Codman Press" that the first printing and publishing were executed for the now great American Tract Society, when the present venerable Dr. Halleck commenced his editorial labors in the preparation of the series of tracts which have found their way not only to every corner of our own land, but it may be truly said, to every portion of the known world. Here Mr. Trow industriously spent his apprenticeship, receiving thirty-five dollars per annum for clothing and board and lodging, in the family of his employer, Mr. Flagg, who was also his brother-in-law. In addition to this he had a "privilege" of a "stint" of four thousand ems per day, and twenty cents per thousand for all overwork. In this way the boys of that day were enabled to earn their spending-money and to procure the luxuries of dress. By rising early, often at two or three o'clock in the morning, a boy could earn by overwork some six dollars per week, which was quite a sum in those old-fashioned times. On these terms he served out his seven years, mostly engaged on the Oriental works published at Andover under the authorship and supervision of such literary and theological notabilities as Stuart, Robinson, Gibbs, Edwards, and others. He remained in the same office for a short time after his majority, but, receiving a proposition to establish a weekly newspaper at Nashua, N. H., he repaired to that place, where, during the winter of 1831-32, he printed and published The Nashua Herald; but the enterprise not proving satisfactory to him, he returned to Andover, and, after remaining there for a few months, he came to New York city, in the spring of 1833, under the encouragement, and afterward under the patronage, of the late Jonathan Leavitt. On the 1st of May, 1833, he commenced business with Mr. John T. West, whose issues were among the best typographical specimens of that day under the firm style of West & Trow, at No. 144 Fulton street. Two iron hand-presses, one furnished by Mr. West and upon which he had printed the New York Observer, and the other by Mr. Trow with a supply of type correspondingly extensive - constituted the office with which they commenced business. This partnership, however, only lasted a few years, and in 1836 the business devolved upon Mr. Trow, and was continued by him at No. 36 Ann street until about the year 1840, when he formed a partnership with his early friend and patron, under the name of Leavitt & Trow, publishers and booksellers, and John F. Trow & Co., printers. This connection lasted until about 1848, during which time they published the complete works of the elder Jonathan Edwards and the classical series of the Rev. Prof. John J. Owen, besides many minor works. During the time that Mr. Trow carried on business at 36 Ann street, he introduced Tufts' press, worked by mule power. This press and mule power, however, not proving satisfactory, were soon dispensed with, and when the improved "Adams press" was introduced, Mr. Trow adopted it, and in this anticipated all his cotemporaries in New York. As early as 1840 he introduced stereotyping in connection with the printing business, and his foundry, to which an electrotyping department has been added, is now one of the largest in that city. Mr. Trow has always been foremost in introducing improvements to facilitate the manufacture of books. About 1854, William Mitchell patented a machine for setting and distributing type, which was the first practical machine of the kind ever used in the world. Mr. Trow purchased one of these machines, and finding it a success, saving largely in the cost of composition, he added others until now he has five machines in constant use in setting the type for the publications of many of the leading publishers. In 1855 a fire destroyed the premises in which he was then located and he removed to 379 Broadway, where he remained until 1860, when he took possession of his present buildings Nos. 46, 48, and 50, Green street. Here he has one of the largest printing offices and stereotype foundries in this country. A fire proof vault under the sidewalk, extending the width of the building, is used for storing stereotype plates: and one room is devoted to the storage of paper. On the second floor is the counting-room, the balance of the same floor, and the first, being occupied by the bindery. The third floor is occupied by the book and job press rooms, containing seventeen presses, besides hydraulics and screw presses for pressing sheets, and a large steam cutting press. On the fourth floor are the stereotype and electrotype foundries and finishing rooms. The fifth floor is occupied by the book and job composition rooms, the type-setting machines, and reading room. The number of workmen employed varies from one to two hundred - the latter number, more especially, during the printing of the City Directory. For many years Mr. Trow has been prominently connected with the publication of directories. In 1849 he embarked in the issue of Wilson's Business Directory, and on the death of the late John Dogget, he purchased the type which had been used on Dogget's City Directory, and commenced in 1852 the issue of Trow's New York City Directory and Wilson's Copartnership Directory, both compiled by Mr. Wilson. These works have been continued to the present time, becoming more and more a necessity to thousands of merchants and citizens of the great metropolis of New York, and affording an amount of printed matter equal to eighteen volumes per annum, or during the whole time of their previous publication, of two hundred and seventy twelvemo, volumes of three hundred and fifty pages each. Within the last year Mr. Trow has issued an immense volume, called the United States Business Directory, an undertaking of greater magnitude than had ever before been attempted in this country. As early as 1836 Mr. Trow had imported complete fonts of Oriental type, from the celebrated Tauchnitz foundry, viz.: Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Ethiopian, Coptic, Samaritan, etc., and far surpassing in quantity and variety the famous "Codman press" or any other establishment in the country. His specimen book, published in 1855, a beautiful production of typographic art, contains specimens of these various and elegant fonts. In recognition of the beautiful and accurate classical and Oriental productions that have issued from his press, the University of New York has conferred upon him the title of University printer. It is said that his is the only establishment in the city where this peculiar class of work is done, and in the variety and elegance of its fonts, is unsurpassed by any press in the country. |
| QUELLE | [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 1 (1868) 668] |
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