TYPE SPECIMENS. FRY, STEELE, AND CO.. A Specimen of Printing Types, By Fry, Steele, and Co. Letter-Founders to the Prince of Wales, Type-Street.1799

London: Printed by T. Rickaby, Small 4to (250 x 155 mm), title with vignette, 2 ff. adverts, 126 ff. (i.e., 100ff. type specimens, 26 ff. ornaments, numbered 1-130) all printed on rectos only, printed on thick paper stock, 'Lepard' watermark, occasional spotting and turned corners, cont. calf, rubbed, joints cracked, black morocco spine label. The Fry's were a Bristol family, and Joseph Fry (1728-87) established the foundry at Bristol in 1764, in partnership with William Pine and Isaac Moore as manager and type-designer. By 1766 the foundry had moved to London, with Moore retiring in 1776 and Pine shortly after. In 1782 Fry took his sons Edmund (especially interested in exotic founts) and Henry into partnership, and made considerable purchases of Greeks and Orientals at the sale of James' foundry. Joseph retired in 1787 and in 1794 Isaac Steele joined as partner until 1808, when Edmund Fry was left in sloe control until he admitted his son to partnership. In 1829 the foundry was acquired by William Thorowgood. A very good copy of this extremely rare and substantial specimen book. Following an introduction, the specimens proceed from Ten line Pica to Diamond: 'the smallest Letter in the World. It gets in considerably more than the famous Dutch Diamond.' There are type in Hebrew and Greek, ornamental, Blacks, Exotics, Ships, Bands, frames, & decorative pieces composed of flowers continuing to a priced section of cast ornaments. This edition not listed by ESTC, Berry & Johnson and Mosley both cite the St. Bride copy only. Berry & Johnson, p. 46; Mosley, 122.