Horace Hart’s working day - Previous Editions

(recounted in 1953 by Philip Bennett, Horace Hart’s former secretary; my comments are in square brackets)

Mr. Charles Batey the present Printer to the University asked me recently to give him a brief description of the methods and business routine in the daily life of Mr. Horace Hart.

The day's proceedings opened by the Controller’s Secretary (it was Mr. Frederick Hall [who would succeed Hart] in those days) opening the morning’s post at 8 a.m. As opened the Entry Clerk would seize upon it, entering and numbering each letter under name and subject in what was known as the “Letter Index” while all new copy and incoming proofs were entered up in the “Copy and Proofs” ledger. The joint work of opening up and entering the post continued until 9 o’clock when Mr. Hart would arrive. All the “entered” letters & proofs would be placed in one basket, while that still to be dealt with by the Entry Clerk would go into another. Hart would go through the whole of the post marking certain letters with the initials of overseers or departments to which they had to go for consideration and report. Letters of a personal nature or relating to important matters he would retain to be dealt with by himself. Having dismissed the morning’s post Mr. Hart would turn his attention to those letters demanding his personal attention and dictate replies or indicate the manner in which a reply should be couched.

After this he would interview managers and other members of the staff who had matters for his personal consideration and decision. Then there would be a constant stream of callers—perhaps the Vice-Chancellor [of Oxford University], or possibly Prof. Sir Frederick Max Müller, Lewis Carroll, Dr. J. A. H. Murray, Editor of the N.E.D. [later renamed the OED], or Dr. Joseph Wright, Editor of the English Dialect Dictionary, and other important clients. Thus things would go on to Lunch time. To the Entry Desk in the main office was fixed a wire cage divided into two parts. As succeeding posts or letters by hand came in during the day they were opened and their contents placed in the left-hand side of the cage for the Controller to see: he would after seeing them transfer all things to the right-hand division of the cage. The entry clerk would be continuously engaged in entering up & passing forward the letters and proofs

After lunch, Mr. Hart would look into the Office and “clear the cage” before either going out for a walk, cycle ride, or return to the House [his home in the Press]. He generally returned to his Office about 4 o’clock when he would consider and sign whatever letters were ready. About 5 o’clock he would go into the House for a cup of tea, returning at 5.30 to sign up the remaining letters.

He made great point (if it were possible for him to do so) of paying a daily visit to one or other of the various departments, spending a few minutes chatting with the Father of the Chapel or with this man or that man inquiring on what particular work the man was engaged.

In order to obtain outside work for the Press it was Mr. Hart’s custom to go to London every Thursday, visiting not only his Publishing colleague, Mr. Henry Frowde [Publisher to the University], at our London House to discuss various problems and projects and then to visit the great London Publishing Houses—Macmillans, Longmans, George Bell, Routledge, the B.&F.B.S. [British & Foreign Bible Society], the R.T.S. [Religious Tract Society], the S.P.C.K. [Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge], the British Museum, and others. He certainly proved a most able and successful ambassador.

Naturally after having held managerships at Woodfall & Kinder, Ballantyne Hanson & Co., and William Clowes, he was very well-known in London: and he had made many friends in the Publishing Houses, Religious Societies [a major source of printing work] and in the British Museum. He had a great personality, was a good mixer, and a good general talker. He was also a very hard worker and his greatest interest in life was the University Press.

The working-day, remember, in that by-gone age was a long one commencing at 6.30 a.m.–8.15 a.m., then a break for breakfast; 9–1 o’clock, then dinner, 2–4.30, then half-an-hour for tea; 5–7 p.m. Those on the staff closely connected in their duties with the Controller & main office rarely got free before 7.30 or 8 p.m. and 1.30 or 2.30 p.m. on Saturdays.