In 1799 Robert John Thornton released the first installment of the book “The Temple of Flora.” This book was the first large color floral volume ever produced. Inspired by Linnaeus, the founder of modern botany, Thornton set out to represent the newly discovered sexual systems of plants through commissioned paintings. …

In 1865 Wild Bill killed Dave Tutt in the town square in Springfield, MO. This quick-draw style duel was recorded and portrayed to the public in a Harper’s Monthly article in 1867. Full of tall tales straight from Wild Bill’s mouth, this article played into the creation of the mythology …

Theodore Low De Vinne is one of the fathers of book publishing in America. He was one of the nine founders of the Grolier Club, the commissioner of the font Century, and the most prolific writer on book publishing methods in the late 19th century. In 1904, De Vinne wrote “Modern …