1968 - In this ad, ML is trying to get decent copies of its own library from the public. According to ML specialist bibliographer Bary Neavill, this was the period when Random House was converting the Modern Library from letterpress (relief) printing plates to the less pricey offset lithography process. To do that, they took clean copies of backlist titles, photographed the pages, and made offset plates from the negatives. They wanted to photograph copies of first or very early printings since later printings tended to show wear from the well-used and sometimes battered plates. As to why ML didn't have decent copies of its own library, Barry said in an e-mail to the ML Mailing List on 12/10/06, "These guys were publishers whose focus was *selling* books. They weren't librarians!" |