Dei Donum celebrating 500 years of printing in Scotland and learning in Dundee
An exhibition was held in Dundee Central Library, from 31st March to 26th April, 2008.
Dundee has one of the oldest public library services in the western world. A fine collection of classical and theological works, originally maintained for their use by the monks of Lindores, was transferred to the Town Council as early as 1442. All but a few of the works were destroyed by fire in 1841, the devastating effects of which were largely overcome with the assistance of Victorian benefactors. The rich collections within Dundee Central Library bear eloquent testimony to their generosity, and Dundee thereby regained a literary collection befitting its status as a leading Scottish city.
The exhibition will feature priceless works such as the “Good and Godly Ballads” [1567?], Biblia Sacra (1476), and the illuminated Antiphon [c. 1550]. Dundee City Archives will contribute the “Buke of the Howlat” (fragment from the press of Chepman and Myllar), plus a number of pre-reformation liturgical works and archival material from local printers.
Printing in Dundee
The first mention of a printer in Dundee is in the Register of the Privy Council for 1547. An Edinburgh printer, John Scot, took refuge in the town and presumably set up his printing press but none of his work is known to survive. Apart from two limited occurrences the trade seems to have languished until the early eighteenth century.
Not until 1755, when Henry Galbraith & Co. set up in the town is there evidence of printing of books on any scale. They seem to have been important Forfarshire printers since their publications included school texts for Monifieth and Montrose. Amongst many publications, the firm produced Galbraith’s Dundee Bible in 1763.
The next printer of note was Thomas Colvill whose books, periodicals and newspapers did a great deal to spread the printed word in Dundee. His Dundee Magazine of 1775 was the first publication in that format. Over half a century the firm produced many ephemeral publications. Thomas Colvill published the ‘Dundee Register of Merchants and Trades’ in 1782 but did not print a second Directory until 1809.
The Directory story was picked up by William and James Chalmers, contemporaries of Thomas Colvill, who had begun as book sellers but expanded into printing and ink manufacturing. James would become renowned as the designer of the first adhesive stamp in 1834. They issued their first Directory in 1829.
Thereafter the ‘Dundee Directories’ record the growth of the printing industry in the city from 11 printers listed in the 1856–57 edition, to 13 in 1874 and 25 by the end of the century. Among major firms were McCosh, Park & Dewars and Messrs Charles Alexander & Co.
James P. Matthew & Co., printers, publishers, bookbinders, and stationers, had been founded in 1854 and became best known as printers and publishers of the ‘Dundee Directory’ which they produced from 1864. Trading as Paul and Matthew they ceased trading around 1927 and Burns & Harris purchased the publishing rights to the ‘Dundee Directory’. The Directory was published annually until the last edition went to press in 1974.
As firms, such as William Kidd, developed rapidly they needed larger accommodation and Kidd built the handsome block in Whitehall Street known as the ‘Palace Buildings’ in 1885.
Valentines deserve special mention since, beginning in 1840 and over three generations, the firm became known internationally. H. J. Valentine mastered the production of picture postcards and the firm could claim some 25% of the market when the postcard craze was at its height. After the market became less profitable they merged with Waddington and closed finally in 1994.
William Burns and his friend William Harris established a flourishing stationers, booksellers and printers business in 1886.One of their most successful developments was the printing of coloured labels for distillers and the preserves and confectionery trades.
Newspapers have been significant in the story of printing in the town since the printers usually became involved in other aspects of the trade such as book production. The first, the ‘Dundee Weekly Intelligencer’, produced by Galbraith in 1755 soon failed. Thomas Colvill also started several newspapers including the first regular one in 1778 and the ‘Dundee Courier’ in 1816. David Hill took over the latter in November 1823 and, successively Hill & Alexander and Charles Alexander & Co. continued to publish the ‘Courier’ until it was taken over by. William Thomson, a shipowner, in 1886. He made his son D. C. Thomson responsible for the firm, now W. & D. C. Thomson, publishing the ‘Dundee Courier and Argus’ and the ‘Weekly News’.
The ‘Advertiser’, edited and printed by Mr. R. S. Rintoul for seventeen years from 1808, was then printed by Alexander Macdonald. In July 1851 John Leng moved north from Hull to become the new editor, printer and publisher and soon part proprietor of the newspaper. Throughout the years there was fierce competition between John Leng & Co and what had become D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. By 1905, when the latter was the more successful, the two businesses merged, eventually under the management of the Thomson family. In 1926 the ‘Dundee Advertiser’ merged with the ‘Dundee Courier’. After the First World War, the firm had expanded its magazine business to use presses more fully. The company entered the children’s market its first comic, ‘Dandy’, appearing in 1937.
Jerry Wright, Friends of Dundee City Archives
