author
William Skeen
d. 1872
A 19th-century printer and writer in Ceylon, he is best remembered for exploring how printing developed from its earliest forms into the modern press. His work opens a window onto the world of typography at the moment industrial printing was transforming it.
1 Audiobook
Early Typography
by William Skeen
About the author
William Skeen was a British printer and author associated with Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, where he served as the colony's first officially appointed Government Printer. He died in 1872, the same year his best-known book, Early Typography, was published.
Early Typography traces the history of printing and letterpress technology from its beginnings through later technical improvements. The book's focus fits closely with Skeen's professional life in printing, and it remains the main reason he is remembered today.
Reliable biographical details about his personal life appear to be limited in the sources available online. What is clear is that he was an important figure in 19th-century printing in Ceylon and a writer with a strong interest in the history of the press.