I wonder if this is a take-off of the similar poem about the Printing Press.

Whoever wrote that certainly made his/her point well.

Stephen is referring to Beatrice Warde’s manifesto, of sorts, while at Monotype.

Really beautiful, Ben. Thanks for sharing.

Sorry folks I should have posted the quote as text earlier; it’s a little small and pale in the picture.

If anyone recognises it please could they let me know?

PAUSE STRANGER: YOU STAND IN A

COMPOSING ROOM

HERE METAL STAMPS CALLED TYPES
ARE ASSEMBLED BY SKILFUL HANDS
INTO THE MASTER-PATTERNS
FROM WHICH THE VISIBLE WORD IS MULTIPLIED

FIVE CENTURIES AGO
THE INVENTION OF MOVABLE TYPE
OPENED A NEW EPOCH IN HUMAN HISTORY
BY RELEASING THE COMMON PEOPLE
FROM THE THRALLDOM OF ILLITERACY
AND SETTING THEIR FEET UPON THE ROAD
TO SELF-GOVERNMENT

YOU WHO TRAVEL THAT HIGH ROAD
TOUCH NOT WITHOUT REVERENCE
THESE LEADEN SYMBOLS OF YOUR FREEDOM
REMEMBER YOUR INCALCULABLE DEBT
TO THE COMPOSITOR
WHOSE PATIENT, NIMBLE FINGERS BUILT FOR YOU
LETTER UPON LETTER

A THOUSAND STAIRWAYS TO THE STARS

What a lovely text to test capitals with. Here is KLIM’s Feijoa:

ChrisL

According to this link the poem is by “Huib” Van Krimpen, the author of the book.
Pause Stranger

Here’s more info on him and his work, the link is too long to make a hyperlink, so you’ll have to cut and paste. It’s from a book on Dutch Type by Jan Middendorp:
http://books.google.com/books?id=sR9g5xPPJVQC&pg=PA199&lpg=PA199&dq=
%22huib+van+krimpen%22&source=web&ots=V3s5cawtDK&sig=cZVJb2VCJeLyeP6
xaWtyPjQFnPI#PPA199,M1

Thanks Dan! The rest of the book is in Dutch, which is why I thought the poem had been ‘bought in’ from another source.