The "founder" (Kelly's term) of the wood type industry in America. He developed a "lateral router" (not yet pantographic) for making wood type by machine. In business as Darius Wells 1828-1839 using hand and pre-pantograph machine techniques. Partner with Ebenezer Russell Webb from 1839-1854 as Wells & Webb using pantographic engraving. Sold his interest to Webb in 1854 but continued managing until 1856. He left the business of making wood type in 1856. His youngest son, Heber Wells and partners repurchased E. R. Webb in 1864. See {Kelly 1969}
A portrait of Darius Wells was reprinted in 1907 in:
No. 13 (August, 1907)
Quadrat [Henry Lewis Bullen]. "Discursions of a retired Printer," No. 13. The Inland Printer, Vol. 39, No. 5 (August, 1907): 674 (frontis), 675-683. Subjects: "An Ideal American Citizen - The Inventor of Wood Types and the Routing Machine, and His Successors and Competitors."
{Kelly 1969} Kelly, Rob Roy. American Wood Type: 1828-1900. NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1969.
Reissued in April 2010 by Liber Apertus Press, Saratoga, CA.
The copyright on the 1907 volume of The Inland Printer was not renewed, as was then required. It therefore entered the public domain upon the expiration of its initial copyright. The extracts from it reprinted here remain in the public domain.
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