A British-ism: Monks and Friars. This was a printers' term used in the 18th century that described errors in the printing process. Letters with too much ink that smudged on a page were called "monks". Letters that did not have enough ink and came out faint were called "friars." Who knew?

The St. Bride Library is a "how to" guide to printing. At St. Bride we were met by Nigel, who told us all about the history of printing — from how the ink and paper are made, to the arrival of the printing press and the first books in England.

I took many photos of printing presses, font types, and old books.

There is a lot to be learned at St. Bride. I loved seeing the wooden blocks and all of the different font types stored in drawers. They all had familiar font names, just like the ones you find on your computer today. Funny how things evolve, isn't it? As we learned about the printing press I quickly realized that this invention was one of the most important inventions in history. It created a literate and more educated society and changed the way people received information forever. I think it must be similar to the impact the internet had on the way people get news and information.

Our hosts at St. Bride – Nigel, Kristina, and Clare – also spent some time telling us what it was like to live in London. In fact, Kristina is an American living in London. I would love to be able to live and work in London for a year or so. Perhaps I will look into that before our expedition ends.

Your friend (and future Londoner?),

Part 1: History of Printing	Part 2: How a Press Works

For Extra Credit:
Learn about Shakespeare's First Folio.

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