Print, Relief

Description

Shaker Village in Hancock is a view from the northwest of the Church Family, Hancock, Massachusetts. The wood engraving was created by John Warner Barber (1798-1885) and included in his book, Historical collections: being a general collection of interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, &c., relating to the history and antiquities of every town in Massachusetts..., first published by Dorr, Howland & Company, Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1839. Barber's article on the town of Hancock, Massachusetts, including his comments on the Shakers is found on pages 73-75 with the illustration of the Shaker Village on page 74. This book was printed from stereotyped plates. This process allows a printing house to hand set the type for a section of a book, make molds of the pages, cast type metal plates of the pages, redistribute the individual pieces of type, and repeat the process until all the pages needed are ready to print the book. These plates were then stored in anticipation of printing additional editions of the book. Barber's book was stereotyped at the New England Type and Stereotype Foundry in Boston. The first edition (1839) was printed by M. Spooner and R. J. Howland in Worcester. A second "edition" was published from the stereotype plates by Dorr, Howland & Company and printed by M. Spooner and R. J. Howland in 1840. A third "edition" was published from the stereotype plates by Dorr, Howland & Company and printed by M. Spooner and R. J. Howland in 1841. A fourth "edition" was published by Warren Lazell, Worcester in 1844 and a fifth "edition" was published by Warren Lazell in 1848. None of these editions are identified except by their successive dates and since they were all printed from the same plates, they are technically not editions but rather second, third, fourth, and fifth printings. As a result of having been printed from stereotype plates it may not be possible to determine from which printing each example of "Shaker Village in Hancock" was excised. Only those copies still in the books can be identified as being printed for that "edition."