ELZEVIR, the name of a celebrated family of Dutch printers belonging to the 17th century. The original name was Elsevier, or Elzevier, and their French editions mostly retain this name; but in their Latin editions, which are the more numerous, the name is spelt Elzeverius, which was gradually corrupted into Elzevir. The family originally came from Louvaine, and there Louis, who first made the name Elzevir famous, was born in 1540, He learned the business of a bookbinder, and having been compelled in 1580, on account of his political opinions, to leave his native country, he established himself as bookbinder and bookseller in Leyden. His Eutropius, which appeared in 1592, was long regarded as the earliest Elzevir, but the first is now known to be Drusii Ebraicarum qucestionum ac responsionum libri duo, which was produced in 1583. In all he published about 150 works. His typographical mark was the arms of the United Provinces—an eagle on a cippus holding in its claws a sheaf of seven arrows, with the inscription Concordia res parvae crescunt. He died February 4, 1617. Of his five sons, Matthieu, Louis, Gilles, Joost, and Bonaventure, who all adopted their father’s profession, Bonaventure, who was born in 1583, is the most celebrated. He commenced business as a printer in 1608, and in 1626 took into partnership Abraham, a son of Matthieu, born at Leyden in 1592. Abraham died 14th August 1652, and Bonaventure about a month afterwards. The fame of the Elzevir editions rests chiefly on the works issued by this firm. Their Greek and Hebrew impressions are considered inferior to those of the Aldos and the Estiennes, but their small editions in 12mo, 16mo, aud 24mo, for elegance of design, neatness, clearness, and regularity of type, and beauty of paper, cannot be surpassed. ...