The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXXXIX, Part 1-2 ... - Khamkoo

On Books from the ~i n eteen th Century
Add r~ ss by Michael Smi1h1cs, I I Ocwber 200 I
AI m~ la;,l kcturc, I b;:g;tn "uh ,, quote from
~h .. ~~ .. pcan: conccmmg one of the carlic.st
Ira\ cllcr; 10 Siam repro>onlc-d in1his collec•ion,
Ro lph Htch. Titis 1i mc I >hould hkc 1o sian by
consldcrnlg 1hc book trade and I he t'enchng public
m the 1hrce cel)tunes CV\ 1 t.:J't.:d hy the cotlcction.
ln thi..' 17th and 18' 11 centuries. book!t were
hennufully pnnlcu lin rng M linen paper and
hand;;omely bound m lcath-.:r They were not
cheap ami the read in~ pubhc \\"' limned 10
1ho~c '' ho wen: '"calthv and cduc:ucd. Uut this
changed in ihc 19': ccnrur) bccau>c of
lcchnology introduced bel\\ ccn I S20 and 1840.
By I S50 ''irlually all hooks \\crc made w i1h
wonct hnsed ac.idtc paper. which was fnrcheapcr
and ca"'ier 10 produce. 'fhls pHpcr gave books a
lununl ,hclflili: (I he pages lend w fu ll ro hits in
)Our hands afrer a umc) Co\'ers were board lor
p;.lpcr tn France. whcr\!' reuUcr' \\ere C\~""Cted
tO get thc1r \·olumes bot•nd. lnghsh- languag:e
publishers onl~ bc-g-.m produclllj! p.1pcrb:.ck.., in
large numbers in !he I'JJQ,).
1111' meant tha1 )l):JI ccniUI') btx)ks ..::ould be
mad"" a' ai lablc to a far wider n u c.hc n c~: Lhan
nrcviously {D icke n ~· fin.t cdili,1n:,, fo llowing
s~.: rial puhlica1ion. could ru n into tens of
thvusanc.l:t of copic~) 1-.ducnuonn l rcl(mns m
the \\'es1 led 10 greater lirentc) ond ohc crcauon
uf a larger market for book>. rmd the new
rcduuqu~'S on book producuon promil'd the
cducared noassc~ '"'h books dtc) could arTord.
Anmh!!C change \\hu.:h uccurr~:d in the I~
ccniUry was thai hooks "ere no Iunger dc-conned
'' ich Jargely imaginary cngra' 1ng~ on copper
rl111cs. From llte middle urI he ccmury us~ was
llHt..h: of ph()tngraphs, tll tir'!lot reproduced as
c n ~rnvings . and thi.!n II1CI'CU~111g l y. as the
h:chnoi,1SY improvcU. tl!f Dideror ~nmercd
mfonno111on :1bo111 dbl3nt land~ they were unhJ..cl~
to 'hit t3 trndilton wh1ch contmUI:d Ill
the early p:.trt nfth~: 19'' century. as cnn bl! !-~