E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Col’ophon.
The end of a book. Col’ophon was a city of Lo’nia, the inhabitants of which were such excellent horsemen that they would turn the scale of battle to the side on which they fought; hence, the Greek phrase, To add a colopho’nian, means “to put a finishing stroke to any matter.” (Strabo.) In the early times of printing, the statement containing the date, place, printer, and edition was given at the end of the book, and was called the colophon.
1
Now called the “imprint.”
2
“The volume was uninjured … from title-page to colophon.”—Scott: The Antiquary.
Now called the “imprint.”
