WilliamCloweswasthefounderofthevastprintingestablishmentfromwhichthesesheetsareissued；andhiscareerfurnishesanotherstrikingillustrationoftheforceofindustryandcharacter。Hewasbornonthe1stofJanuary，1779。HisfatherwaseducatedatOxford，andkeptalargeschoolatChichester；
butdyingwhenWilliamwasbutaninfant，helefthiswidow，withstraitenedmeans，tobringupherfamily。AtaproperageWilliamwasboundapprenticetoaprinteratChichester；and，afterservinghimforsevenyears，hecameuptoLondon，atthebeginningof1802，toseekemploymentasajourneyman。HesucceededinfindingworkatasmallofficeonTowerHill，atasmallwage。Thefirstlodgingshetookcosthim5s。aweek；butfindingthisbeyondhismeanshehiredaroominagarretat2s。
6d。，whichwasasmuchashecouldaffordoutofhisscantyearnings。
Thefirstjobhewasputto，wasthesetting-upofalargeposter-bill——akindofworkwhichhehadbeenaccustomedtoexecuteinthecountry；andheknockedittogethersoexpertlythathismaster，Mr。Teape，onseeingwhathecoulddo，saidtohim，“Ah！Ifindyouarejustthefellowforme。“Theyoungman，however，feltsostrangeinLondon，wherehewaswithoutafriendoracquaintance，thatattheendofthefirstmonthhethoughtofleavingit；andyearnedtogobacktohisnativecity。Buthehadnotfundsenoughtoenablehimtofollowhisinclinations，andheaccordinglyremainedinthegreatCity，towork，topersevere，andfinallytoprosper。HecontinuedatTeape’sforabouttwoyears，livingfrugally，andevencontrivingtosavealittlemoney。
Hethenthoughtofbeginningbusinessonhisownaccount。Thesmallscaleonwhichprintingwascarriedoninthosedaysenabledhimtomakeastartwithcomparativelylittlecapital。
Bymeansofhisownsavingsandthehelpofhisfriends，hewasenabledtotakealittleprinting-officeinVilliersStreet，Strand，abouttheendof1803；andtherehebeganwithoneprintingpress，andoneassistant。Hisstockoftypewassosmall，thathewasunderthenecessityofworkingitfromdaytodaylikeabanker’sgold。Whenhisfirstjobcamein，hecontinuedtoworkforthegreaterpartofthreenights，settingthetypeduringtheday，andworkingitoffatnight，inorderthatthetypemightbedistributedforresettingonthefollowingmorning。Hesucceeded，however，inexecutinghisfirstjobtotheentiresatisfactionofhisfirstcustomer。
Hisbusinessgraduallyincreased，andthen，withhisconstantlysavedmeans，hewasenabledtoincreasehisstockoftype，andtoundertakelargerjobs。Industryalwaystells，andinthelong-runleadstoprosperity。Hemarriedearly，buthemarriedwell。Hewasonlytwenty-fourwhenhefoundhisbestfortuneinagood，affectionatewife。Throughthislady’scousin，Mr。
Winchester，theyoungprinterwasshortlyintroducedtoimportantofficialbusiness。Hispunctualexecutionoforders，theaccuracyofhiswork，andthedespatchwithwhichheturneditoutsoonbroughthimfriends，andhisobligingandkindlydispositionfirmlysecuredthem。Thus，inafewyears，thehumblebeginnerwithonepressbecameaprinteronalargescale。
Thesmallconcernexpandedintoaconsiderableprinting-officeinNorthumberlandCourt，whichwasfurnishedwithmanypressesandalargestockoftype。Theofficewas，unfortunately，burntdown；
butalargerofficeroseinitsplace。
WhatMr。Clowesprincipallyaimedat，incarryingonhisbusiness，wasaccuracy，speed，andquantity。Hedidnotseektoproduceeditionsdeluxeinlimitednumbers，butlargeimpressionsofworksinpopulardemand——travels，biographies，histories，blue-books，andofficialreports，inanyquantity。
Forthispurpose，hefoundtheprocessofhand-printingtootedious，aswellastoocostly；andhenceheearlyturnedhisattentiontobookprintingbymachinepresses，drivenbysteampower，——inthismatterfollowingtheexampleofMr。WalteroftheTimes，whohadforsomeyearsemployedthesamemethodfornewspaperprinting。
Applegath&Cowper’smachineshadgreatlyadvancedtheartofprinting。Theysecuredperfectinkingandregister；andthesheetswereprintedoffmoreneatly，regularly，andexpeditiously；andlargersheetscouldbeprintedonbothsides，thanbyanyothermethod。In1823，accordingly，Mr。Cloweserectedhisfirststeampresses，andhesoonfoundabundanceofworkforthem。Buttoproducesteamrequiresboilersandengines，theworkingofwhichoccasionssmokeandnoise。Now，astheprinting-office，withitssteampresses，wassituatedinNorthumberlandCourt，closetothepalaceoftheDukeofNorthumberland，atCharingCross，Mr。Cloweswasrequiredtoabatethenuisance，andtostopthenoiseanddirtoccasionedbytheuseofhisengines。Thishefailedtodo，andtheDukecommencedanactionagainsthim。
ThecasewastriedinJune，1824，intheCourtofCommonPleas。
Itwasludicroustoheartheextravaganttermsinwhichthecounselfortheplaintiffandhiswitnessesdescribedthenuisance——thenoisemadebytheengineintheundergroundcellar，sometimeslikethunder，atothertimeslikeathrashing-machine，andthenagainliketherumblingofcartsandwaggons。TheprinterhadretainedtheAttorney-general，Mr。Copley，afterwardsLordLyndhurst，whoconductedhiscasewithsurpassingability。
Thecross-examinationofaforeignartist，employedbytheDuketorepaintsomeportraitsoftheCornarofamilybyTitian，issaidtohavebeenoneofthefinestthingsonrecord。Theslyandpungenthumour，andthebanterwithwhichthecounselderidedandlaugheddownthiswitness，wereinimitable。Theprinterwonhiscase；butheeventuallyconsentedtoremovehissteampressesfromtheneighbourhood，ontheDukepayinghimacertainsumtobedeterminedbytheawardofarbitrators。
Ithappened，aboutthisperiod，thatasortofmurrainfellupontheLondonpublishers。AfterthefailureofConstableatEdinburgh，theycamedownoneafteranother，likeapackofcards。Authorsarenottheonlypeoplewholoselabourandmoneybypublishers；therearealsocaseswherepublishersareruinedbyauthors。Printersalsonowlostheavily。Inoneweek，Mr。
ClowessustainedlossesthroughthefailureofLondonpublisherstotheextentofabout25，000L。Happily，thelargesumwhichthearbitratorsawardedhimfortheremovalofhisprintingpressesenabledhimtotideoverthedifficulty；hestoodhisgroundunshaken，andhischaracterinthetradestoodhigherthanever。
InthefollowingyearMr。ClowesremovedtoDukeStreet，Blackfriars，topremisesuntilthenoccupiedbyMr。Applegath，asaprinter；andmuchmoreextensivebuildingsandofficeswerenowerected。Therehisbusinesstransactionsassumedaformofunprecedentedmagnitude，andkeptpacewiththegreatdemandforpopularinformationwhichsetinwithsuchforceaboutfiftyyearsago。Inthecourseoftenyears——aswefindfromthe’EncyclopaediaMetropolitana’——thereweretwentyofApplegath&
Cowper’smachines，workedbytwofive-horseengines。FromthesepresseswereissuedthenumerousadmirablevolumesandpublicationsoftheSocietyfortheDiffusionofUsefulKnowledge；thetreatiseson’Physiology，’byRoget，and’AnimalMechanics，’byCharlesBell；the’ElementsofPhysics，’byNeillArnott；’ThePursuitofKnowledgeunderDifficulties，’byG。L。
Craik，amostfascinatingbook；theLibraryofUsefulKnowledge；
the’PennyMagazine，’thefirstillustratedpublication；andthe’PennyCyclopaedia，’thatadmirablecompendiumofknowledgeandscience。
Thesepublicationswereofgreatvalue。Someofthemwereprintedinunusualnumbers。The’PennyMagazine，’ofwhichCharlesKnightwaseditor，wasperhapstoogood，becauseitwastooscientific。Nevertheless，itreachedacirculationof200，000copies。The’PennyCyclopaedia’wasstillbetter。Itwasoriginal，andyetcheap。Thearticleswerewrittenbythebestmenthatcouldbefoundintheirspecialdepartmentsofknowledge。Thesalewasoriginally75，000weekly；but，astheplanenlarged，thepricewasincreasedfrom1d。to2d。，andthento4d。Attheendofthesecondyear，thecirculationhadfallento44，000；andattheendofthethirdyear，to20，000。
ItwasunfortunateforMr。KnighttobesomuchundertheinfluenceofhisSociety。HadtheCyclopaediabeenunderhisownsuperintendence，itwouldhavefoundedhisfortune。Asitwas，helostover30，000L。bytheventure。The’PennyMagazine’alsowentdownincirculation，untilitbecameanon-payingpublication，andthenitwasdiscontinued。ItiscurioustocontrastthefortunesofWilliamChambersofEdinburghwiththoseofCharlesKnightofLondon。’Chambers’sEdinburghJournal’wasbeguninFebruary，1832，andthe’PennyMagazine’inMarch，1832。
ChamberswasperhapsshrewderthanKnight。Hisjournalwasasgood，thoughwithoutillustrations；buthecontrivedtomixupamusementwithusefulknowledge。Itmaybeaweakness，butthepublicliketobeentertained，evenwhiletheyarefeedinguponbetterfood。HenceChamberssucceeded，whileKnightfailed。The’PennyMagazine’wasdiscontinuedin1845，whereas’Chambers’sEdinburghJournal’hasmaintaineditspopularitytothepresentday。Chambers，also，likeKnight，publishedan’Encyclopaedia，’
whichsecuredalargecirculation。ButhewasnottrammelledbyaSociety，andthe’Encyclopaedia’hasbecomeavaluableproperty。
Thepublicationofthesevariousworkswouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheaidofthesteamprintingpress。WhenMr。
EdwardCowperwasexaminedbeforeaCommitteeoftheHouseofCommons，hesaid，“TheeasewithwhichtheprinciplesandillustrationsofArtmightbediffusedis，Ithink，soobviousthatitishardlynecessarytosayawordaboutit。Hereyoumayseeitexemplifiedinthe’PennyMagazine。’Suchworksasthiscouldnothaveexistedwithouttheprintingmachine。“Hewasasked，“Infact，themechanicandthepeasant，inthemostremotepartsofthecountry，havenowanopportunityofseeingtolerablycorrectoutlinesofformwhichtheynevercouldbeholdbefore？“
Towhichheanswered，“Exactly；andliterallyatthepricetheyusedtogiveforasong。““Istherenot，therefore，agreaterchanceofcallinggeniusintoactivity？““Yes，“hesaid，“notmerelybybookscreatinganartisthereandthere，butbythegeneralelevationofthetasteofthepublic。“
Mr。Cloweswasalwayswillingtopromotedeservingpersonsinhisoffice。Oneoftheserosefromsteptostep，andeventuallybecameoneofthemostprosperouspublishersinLondon。Heenteredtheserviceasanerrand-boy，andgothismealsinthekitchen。Beingfondofreading，hepetitionedMrs。Clowestolethimsitsomewhere，apartfromtheotherservants，wherehemightreadhisbookinquiet。Mrs。Clowesatlengthentreatedherhusbandtotakehimintotheoffice，for“JohnnieParkerwassuchagoodboy。“Heconsented，andtheboytookhisplaceataclerk’sdesk。Hewaswell-behaved，diligent，andattentive。Asheadvancedinyears，hissteadyandsteadfastconductshowedthathecouldbetrusted。Youngfellowslikethisalwaysmaketheirwayinlife；forcharacterinvariablytells，notonlyinsecuringrespect，butincommandingconfidence。Parkerwaspromotedfromoneposttoanother，untilhewasatlengthappointedoverseerovertheentireestablishment。
AcircumstanceshortlyafteroccurredwhichenabledMr。Clowestoadvancehim，thoughgreatlytohisowninconvenience，toanotherimportantpost。TheSyndicsofCambridgeweredesirousthatMr。
Clowesshouldgodowntheretosettheirprinting-officeinorder；theyofferedhim400L。ayearifhewouldonlyappearoccasionally，andseethattheorganisationwaskeptcomplete。
Hedeclined，becausethemagnitudeofhisownoperationshadnowbecomesogreatthattheyrequiredhisunremittingattention。
He，howeverstronglyrecommendedParkertotheoffice，thoughhecouldillsparehim。Buthewouldnotstandintheyoungman’sway，andhewasappointedaccordingly。HedidhisworkmosteffectuallyatCambridge，andputtheUniversityPressintothoroughworkingorder。
Asthe’PennyMagazine’andotherpublicationsoftheSocietyofUsefulKnowledgewerenowmakingtheirappearance，theclergybecamedesirousofbringingoutareligiouspublicationofapopularcharacter，andtheywereinsearchforapublisher。
Parker，whowaswellknownatCambridge，wasmentionedtotheBishopofLondonasthemostlikelyperson。Anintroductiontookplace，andafteranhour’sconversationwithParker，theBishopwenttohisfriendsandsaid，“Thisistheverymanwewant。“Anofferwasaccordinglymadetohimtoundertakethepublicationofthe’SaturdayMagazine’andtheotherpublicationsoftheChristianKnowledgeSociety，whichheaccepted。Itisunnecessarytofollowhisfortunes。Hisprogresswassteady；heeventuallybecamethepublisherof’Fraser’sMagazine’andoftheworksofJohnStuartMillandotherwell-knownwriters。Millneverforgothisappreciationandgenerosity；forwhenhis’SystemofLogic’hadbeenrefusedbytheleadingLondonpublishers，Parkerprizedthebookatitsrightfulvalueandintroducedittothepublic。
ToreturntoMr。Clowes。Inthecourseofafewyears，theoriginalhumbleestablishmentoftheSussexcompositor，beginningwithonepressandoneassistant，grewuptobeoneofthelargestprinting-officesintheworld。Ithadtwenty-fivesteampresses，twenty-eighthand-presses，sixhydraulicpresses，andgavedirectemploymenttooverfivehundredpersons，andindirectemploymenttoprobablymorethantentimesthatnumber。Besidestheworksconnectedwithhisprinting-office，Mr。Clowesfounditnecessarytocasthisowntypes，toenablehimtocommandonemergencyanyquantity；andtothisheafterwardsaddedstereotypingonanimmensescale。Hepossessedthepowerofsupplyinghiscompositorswithastreamofnewtypeattherateofabout50，000piecesaday。Inthisway，theweightoftypeinordinaryusebecameverygreat；itamountedtonotlessthan500