Twilight of the Velocipede: Typesetting Races before the Age of Linotype

Before Linotype revolutionised typesetting in the 1880s, compositors set texts by hand — and they set them *fast*. Alex Wright rediscovers the thrilling world of typesetting races, which drew crowds in the thousands, offered huge cash prizes, and helped women "Swifts" fight for workplace equity.

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