NYC – New York Public Library Main Building: McGraw Rotunda – The Story of the Recorded Word – The Linotype-Mergenthaler and Whitelaw Reid

I found today’s story quite intriguing since I had never heard of this inventor nor his machine.  On this date in 1886, the New York Tribune first used Ottmar Mergenthaler’s linotype machine.  Although Guttenberg’s machine was absolutely essential to the publishing world, but due to the slowness of the machine, no more than eight pages could be included in an issue.  It was called a linotype machine because an entire line could be cast at one time, thus speeding up the process.  His machine was declared the “eighth wonder of the world” by Thomas Edison, and it ushered in the modern era of publishing.  It also meant that thousands of journeyman typsetters became unemployed.

With this major accomplishment, one would think Mergenthaler would have died a rich man.  Not so!  He was no businessman, and there was much greed in the publishing industry.  Once he invented this wonderful machine, a group of newspaper bigwigs (similar to William Randolph Hearst) bought the machine and forced the poor inventor out.  His machine was also limited in scope and vision–it was not used in every household.

He contracted tuberculosis in 1894, and in 1899 (at the age of 44) he died.  While his machine was essentially replaced in 1950’s and 1960’s with photographic typesetting and offset lithography, but it is easy to argue that his invention set into motion the beginning of modern publishing.

For more information:

https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/technology-and-society/ottmar-mergenthaler

http://www.nndb.com/people/097/000206476/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottmar_Mergenthaler

http://famousdaily.com/history/new-york-tribune-first-to-use-linotype-machine.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70323761@N00/2616651631