Reprint edition: concept, properties and features of book reproduction

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The word reprint in French literally translates as "reprint" or "reissue". In Russian, a reprint means the release or reprinting of a book by reproduction, that is, scanning.

What are the rules for reprinting original sources?

Reprint and facsimile

In a reprint edition, scanning with the further release of a circulation of various books, folios or any other reproduced sources is carried out with the exact preservation of the text, up to the features of the fonts, but without the possibility of reproducing the subtleties of the former printing industry - the paper of the folio, its binding, etc.

Thus, if the book was made in a metal or leather setting, then this reprint will graphically show the image of the features of the setting, projecting in the present time old graphic images or drawings that adorned the previous edition. If, for example, a book was adorned with precious stones and specialdrawings, intricate ornaments, multi-colored ligature, then the new edition will fix all the design features of the previous one. That's what reprint edition means.

In the photo below you can see the old book "Coronation Collection", in the appearance of which all the features of the binding of the original source are preserved, up to the image of coins with portraits of Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra. This book at one time caused a storm of admiration in Europe, as it showed the brilliant skill of Russian printers.

What doesn't change

In order to know exactly what a reprinted edition of a book is, you need to understand that this type of printing does not reproduce various defects of the original: abrasions, textual errors, all kinds of valid corrections or typos of the previous edition. In this respect, reproduction differs from facsimile, which maintains an exact copy of the original with all the flaws and features.

Often, such reproduction is dictated by the demands of the times or the requirements of science, because it is in the scientific community that reprints of scientific articles under the cover of the journal where they were published are especially in demand, with the obligatory preservation of printing features and time of release.

This is an important process in the scientific data exchange system, the ability to link to reprinted electronic versions of old scientific journals, which, for example, store important and relevant information for today..

Facsimile features

In turn, the facsimile (the word in translationmeans "do like this") is often in demand when publishing exact copies of the originals, in order to preserve rare ecclesiastical and scientific books that bear artifacts of the time. For example, old geographical maps, atlases, descriptions of the animal world of remote corners of the planet by famous scientists and travelers.

In the photo below - a facsimile edition of 1912 of the Archangel Gospel of 1092; facsimile, not a reprint reproduction of the edition. This is the preservation of all the features of the source, down to the type of paper and binding material.

You can ask a second-hand book dealer, or you can buy at a publisher

Books that are stored in museums, libraries or secondhand bookshops are not always available to read, and even more so not always available for personal use.

But I really want to touch the first edition, to feel the unique picture of Russian typographic art of the past. In this case, the reprint reproduction of the edition comes to the rescue.

This is, in fact, a prototype that makes it possible to read accurate scans of old and rare texts. At the same time, the former special font style, arrangement on pages, illustrations, sometimes rare and valuable, are preserved. In the absence of an imitation of the original, a great way was found to acquire and read it.

Specialized in reprint editions, publishers achieve such an accurate reproduction of the atmosphere of the original sources.

In fact, there is a revival of the book,which guarantees the reader to enjoy all the features of vintage printing from the time of its release.

What does the reprint edition mean in terms of aesthetics:

• books are beautifully designed in view of new achievements in printing;
• often provided with special cases, special bindings;
• there is always an indication of the original source, the importance of the publication is emphasized;
• ensures the preservation of the book in the new time.

Various gift copies are especially popular with readers, which are distinguished by their original design, relevant content and affordable price compared to second-hand rarity.

The photo below shows an example of a deluxe reprint edition.

History on chalk paper

Currently, regardless of prices and market conditions, any reader can afford a book rarity.

Updated story, no torn or missing pages, seems to breathe and live on contemporary prints.

For example, the people of Russia have always been interested in stories related to the creation and construction of Moscow. The capital attracts readers from all over the world with its special world, captured in old guidebooks and eyewitness accounts.

Here is one of many examples of what a reprint edition of a historical book means. The reproduced book is based on the original source of 1891, published in St. Petersburg. The travel author, well-known journalist and everyday writer Pylyaev M. I., takes the reader into Russian antiquity, saturating the stories with pictures of the ancient Mother See from pre-Petrine times. The reprint edition was released in the original gift box and, preserving the atmosphere, life and customs of old Moscow through the eyes of contemporaries, at the same time allows you to safely use it today.

The book is decorated with gold and color embossing, silk-screen printing, and is bound in two types of leather. The text is printed on fine modern paper. At the same time, the historical and guide value of the publication has been fully preserved.

In the photo below - a gift reprint of the book "Old Moscow" by M. I. Pylyaev, based on the publication "Stories from the past life of the capital city".

What is written in pen

In order to get a full-fledged reprint of the book, any publisher who has undertaken to reproduce it will have to work hard.

What features can be changed and what should be left:

1. Open space for the typographer in the selection of binding materials and the text itself; that is, you can select a cheaper or more expensive type of material. The main thing is that it be without physical or natural wear and tear.
2. It is possible to adapt the text part of the reprint edition to the requirements of modern grammar. You can remove all typos or errors; supplement old texts with translations.
3. Editor's comments are allowed. Within the reprint goals, you can modernize the layout - pick up morereadable fonts, change the placement of text on pages and their illustrations.
4. It is allowed to change the previous format of the book to obtain the desired consumer effect - more convenient reading, storage, transportation of the artifact.

Thanks to the reprint edition, not only a modern and understandable book for the current reader can turn out, but also a real object of research without the shortcomings and defects usually inherent in old editions.

The reader does not always have the opportunity to access the original, in this case a reproduction edition comes to the rescue.

The photo below shows a reprint edition of the Bible. It contains all the engravings by Gustave Dore, which were printed when the original was published from the author's prints. It must be admitted that without the reprint technology, the opportunity to see these engravings dedicated to biblical subjects would hardly have been presented.

Not a hint of fake

Readers are always interested in reproduced books published during the lifetime of their favorite writer or poet.

The advantages of reprint publications include the fact that they allow you to save these lifetime editions, and the reader - to plunge into the world of the creator, to hear how the writer's pen squeaks.

In addition, typographic art itself is of genuine interest, which was different during revolutions, peace, war or some kind of global transformation of the state.

The reprint of such samples of typography allows you to fully feel the breath of time, changein technology and culture. As, for example, in the photo below, it is clearly seen that the publication of Pushkin's poems and puns in its external design gravitates towards futurism. And these are all symbols of time and different eras, which are always interesting to a thoughtful reader.

In order to acquire original second-hand books, a person may take years, and sometimes a lifetime is not enough.

But reprint books allow you to immediately purchase an atmospheric book of a bygone era or a rare edition, a small edition, but valuable and dear to the reader.

The home library will be replenished with a rare book, which, thanks to modern technology, will live a long and beautiful life and will be able to please posterity.