- H. C.]
[Sidenote: Alleged introduction of Block-printed Books into Europe by
Marco Polo.]
87. Before concluding, it may be desirable to say a few words on the
subject of important knowledge other than geographical, which various
persons have supposed that Marco Polo must have introduced from Eastern
Asia to Europe.
Respecting the mariner's compass and gunpowder I shall say nothing, as no
one now, I believe, imagines Marco to have had anything to do with their
introduction. But from a highly respectable source in recent years we have
seen the introduction of Block-printing into Europe connected with the
name of our Traveller. The circumstances are stated as follows:[20]
"In the beginning of the 15th century a man named Pamphilo Castaldi, of
Feltre ... was employed by the Seignory or Government of the Republic,
to engross deeds and public edicts of various kinds ... the initial
letters at the commencement of the writing being usually ornamented with
red ink, or illuminated in gold and colours
"According to Sansovino, certain stamps or types had been invented some
time previously by Pietro di Natali, Bishop of Aquiloea.[21] These were
made at Murano of glass, and were used to stamp or print the outline of
the large initial letters of public documents, which were afterwards
filled up by hand.... Pamphilo Castaldi improved on these glass types,
by having others made of wood or metal, and having seen several Chinese
books which the famous traveller Marco Polo had brought from China, and
of which the entire text was printed with wooden blocks, he caused
moveable wooden types to be made, each type containing a single letter;
and with these he printed several broadsides and single leaves, at
Venice, in the year 1426. Some of these single sheets are said to be
preserved among the archives at Feltre....
"The tradition continues that John Faust, of Mayence ... became
acquainted with Castaldi, and passed some time with him, at his
Scriptorium,... at Feltre;"
and in short developed from the knowledge so acquired the great invention
of printing. Mr. Curzon goes on to say that Panfilo Castaldi was born in
1398, and died in 1490, and that he gives the story as he found it in an
article written by Dr. Jacopo Facen, of Feltre, in a (Venetian?) newspaper
called Il Gondoliere, No. 103, of 27th December, 1843.
In a later paper Mr. Curzon thus recurs to the subject:[22]
"Though none of the early block-books have dates affixed to them, many
of them are with reason supposed to be more ancient than any books
printed with moveable types. Their resemblance to Chinese block-books is
so exact, that they would almost seem to be copied from the books
commonly used in China. The impressions are taken off on one side of
the paper only, and in binding, both the Chinese, and ancient German, or
Dutch block-books, the blank sides of the pages are placed opposite each
other, and sometimes pasted together.... The impressions are not taken
off with printer's ink, but with a brown paint or colour, of a much
thinner description, more in the nature of Indian ink, as we call it,
which is used in printing Chinese books.
