ELZEVIRS, THE. The real name of this family, who are supposed to have come originally from Liege or Louvain, was Elzevier. They were printers and booksellers at Utrecht, the Hague, Amsterdam, and Leyden, but especially at the two latter places. They were inferior in learning, and in their Greek and Hebrew works, to the Stephens, but surpassed them in the neatness, elegance, and delicacy of their small types. The distin guished members of this family flourished between 1592 and 16So. The name is first found on an edition of Eutropius, published in 1592 by Louis, who was a bookseller at Leyden. He was the first to mark the distinction between the vowels i and a, and the consonants j and v, though to do so had been recommended by others before him. He did not, however, distinguish these letters in capitals ; this practice was introduced by Louis Zetzner of Strasburg. About 1617 Louis Elzevir retired from business, and was succeeded by his eldest son Matthew, who was born in 1565. The most famous members of the family were two sons of Matthew, Bonaventura and Abraham, who formed a partnership in printing at Leyden in 1626, which lasted till 1652. It was from their press that the elegant editions proceeded which rendered their family so celebrated. Their Vir gil, Terence, and other Latin classics, as well as their New Testament, and Psalter adorned with red letters, are masterpieces of typography for ac curacy and beauty. It is said that they employed
women to correct their proofs as a means of in suring greater accuracy, as it was supposed that they would be less likely to introduce any arbi trary alteration of the text. Abraham and Bona Ventura both died 1652. Their business was carried on by John the son of Abraham, and b)/ Daniel the son of Bonaventura. At the death of John his widow continued the business. But Daniel, who left his cousin, in 1655 set up at Amsterdam, and died in 168o, leaving his business to the care of his widow. Daniel was the last of the Elze virs who was noted as a printer. Descendants of the family still remain, and one of them was go vernor of Curacoa in IS2o. Several catalogues of the Elzevir works were put forth, but the last and best was that by Daniel in 1674. Brunet's Manuel du Libraire, contains a copious list of their works. The individual names of the Elzevirs do not ap pear on the title-pages of their books, but generally Aped Elzevirios, Ex officio& Elzeviriorunz or Else viriand. The motto of the Batavian republic was also adopted, Concordid res parva crescunt ; and in some editions the name Elzevir was symbolised by the design of a pile of wood burning, Els or Elzen in Dutch meaning alder, and vain-, fire.S. L.