Wikipedia says “from the 1400s through the victorian era, typesetting was referred to as the “black art”.”

Perhaps is has to do with ink...

Looks like it... also from Wiipedia

“In Germany, the art of typesetting was termed the “black art” in allusion to the ink-covered printers.”

Interesting. I thought that “the black art” referred to type design rather than typesetting.

—K

If you want to read Fust and his Friends by Robert Browning (Gutenberg’s former partner, Faust was called the Devil with the ink-bottle -> the black art)

In Germany we speak about the Black and the White Art:
“Von der Schwarzen und der Weißen Kunst”.
The Black Art is printing, the White Art is paper production.

http://cgi.zvab.com/SESSz133977815711177842305/cgi-bin/n_xsearch.cgi?uc=...

Georg

Is there a connection to “Black Art” as in alchemy, sorcery, and witchcraft along the way?

ChrisL

no that is the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogwarts_subjects#Defence_Against_the_Dark_...

Thanks Georg!

Chris, probably the phrase ’black art’ as you & I know it is an English specific literary/poetic device coined by an overwrought romantic Victorian. Or something similar. I’ll look into it.

There is also this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printer’s_devil

I suspect that there is no simple answer. Still I will see if I can find an origin point.

My Prof pal says:

“The OED’s first example is from Christopher Marlowe’s Faust in 1591: “I have heard strange report of thy knowledge in the black art”. Obsolete usage from the same time period: lock-picking. “I can set downe the subtiltie of the blacke Art, which is picking of lockes”.”

Thanks Eben! So “The Black Art” does not refer to type design at all?

—K

> “The OED’s first example is from Christopher Marlowe’s Faust in 1591

This is not right. The first one was in 1587 — Frankfurt am Main — Das Faustbuch’ (The Faust Book). That inspired Christopher Marlowe to write the play ’The Tragicall History of D Faustus’ .

David: My pal has reminded me that “the OED doesn’t necessarily present the “first usage” of a word, but does try to track significant examples of “original” usage.”

Kris, clearly there is some prescedent for associating the phrase ’The black art’ with