Transcriber's Note:

The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.

The ART & PRACTICE of

TYPOGRAPHY

THE FIRST PRINTED DECLARATION
Fac-simile in reduced size (original type form about twelve by seventeen inches) of the Declaration of Independence officially printed about July 5, 1776. It was this setting of the Declaration that was read before Washington’s army. Reproduced direct from the original in the Congressional minute book of July 4, 1776

The ART & PRACTICE of
TYPOGRAPHY
A Manual of American Printing
INCLUDING A BRIEF HISTORY UP TO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, WITH REPRODUCTIONS OF THE WORK OF EARLY MASTERS OF THE CRAFT, AND A PRACTICAL DISCUSSION AND AN EXTENSIVE DEMONSTRATION OF THE MODERN USE OF TYPE-FACES AND METHODS OF ARRANGEMENT

Second Edition

EDMUND G. GRESS

EDITOR THE AMERICAN PRINTER

AUTHOR THE AMERICAN HANDBOOK OF PRINTING

NEW YORK·OSWALD PUBLISHING COMPANY·1917

Oswald Publishing Company

TO THE TYPOGRAPHERS OF THE PAST WHO MADE THE ART HONORED AMONG MEN AND TO THE TYPOGRAPHERS OF THE PRESENT WHO ARE RESTORING TO PRINTING ITS ANCIENT DIGNITY THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED

	PAGE

Author’s Preface	[vii]

Synopsis of Contents	[ix]

List of Reproductions	[xvi]

List of Designers	[xx]


WHEN BOOKS WERE WRITTEN	[1]

THE ORIGIN OF TYPOGRAPHY	[7]

THE SPREAD OF TYPOGRAPHY	[13]

TYPOGRAPHY IN COLONIAL DAYS	[19]

TYPOGRAPHY IN THE 19TH CENTURY	[27]

THE “LAYOUT” MAN	[35]

HARMONY AND APPROPRIATENESS	[41]

TONE AND CONTRAST	[47]

PROPORTION, BALANCE AND SPACING	[53]

ORNAMENTATION	[59]

THE TYPOGRAPHY OF BOOKS	[67]

BOOKLETS, PAMPHLETS, BROCHURES, LEAFLETS	[75]

CATALOGS	[83]

PROGRAMS	[91]

ANNOUNCEMENTS	[99]

TICKETS	[107]

LETTERHEADS AND ENVELOPS	[111]

BILLHEADS AND STATEMENTS	[119]

PACKAGE LABELS	[123]

BUSINESS CARDS	[127]

THE BLOTTER	[131]

POSTERS, CAR CARDS, WINDOW CARDS	[135]

ADVERTISEMENTS	[139]

NEWSPAPERS	[147]

PERIODICALS	[151]

HOUSE-ORGANS	[161]

TYPE-FACES	[169]

IMPRINTS	[195]


Appendix—[GREETING CARDS]

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

In the preface to the first edition of “The Art and Practice of Typography,” the author stated that he did not “anticipate again having the pleasure of producing a book as elaborate as this one,” but the favor with which the volume was received made another edition advisable, and in consequence he has had the additional pleasure of enlarging and revising it and of producing a volume even more elaborate and with a better selection of examples.

The task of rewriting and replanning the second edition was near completion when America entered the war against Germany, and now, a few months later, the book is presented to the public. The first edition was published in February, 1910. Work on the new edition was begun by the author in the latter part of 1913, and so great has been the task, in addition to his customary editorial labors, that almost four years have passed.

The extent of the work will be comprehended when it is mentioned that there are twenty-eight chapters, in which the illustrations or typographic arrangements, numbering six hundred and fifteen, include forty full-page specially-printed inserts. Most of these illustrations or typographic arrangements are in color. The text matter, which makes direct reference to the examples, totals nearly one hundred thousand words.

That these examples are mostly high-class and by many of the best typographers in America (Europe also being represented), is due to the fact that the author during his connection with The American Printer has received several thousand pieces of printing, from which selections were made for this work.

Great care was exercised in the choice of examples in order that the book would not become obsolete, and it is believed that most of the type arrangements shown will be considered good for a hundred years to come. That this is possible is proved by the Whittingham titles on page [32], one of which is sixty-eight and the other seventy-three years old at this writing. These titles were set up when most typography was poor, yet few other type arrangements of that time would meet approval today; which indicates that it is not when printing is done, but how it is done that makes it good or bad.

Attention should be called to the plan of this volume. There are two parts, the first having to do with typography of the past and the second with typography of the present. Good printing of the present has a basic connection with that of the past, and for this reason one part is incomplete without the other.

The entire first part should be studied before any of the ideas in the second part are applied to present-day problems, and especially should the chapter on Type-Faces be patiently read and studied. The printer should first know type-faces and then learn how to use them.

In the chapters on Harmony, Tone, Proportion, Ornamentation and other art principles the author does not intend to advocate that his readers shall make pictures with type or build pages that are merely beautiful. The first requirement of typography is that it shall be easy to read; the second is that it shall be good to look at. The efficient typographer studies the copy and arranges it so that the reader’s task is an easy and pleasant one.

In planning the second edition the general style of the first edition was retained. However, an effort was made to change the style, especially of the binding, but so satisfactory was the original that it was again adopted.

The historical chapters in the first part have been revised and slightly altered, but they are practically as before. Extensive changes have been made in the second part. The text has been thoroly revised, and better typographic examples substituted in many cases. These chapters especially have been greatly altered: Booklets, Catalogs, Announcements, Letterheads, Billheads, Business Cards, Posters, Advertisements, Imprints.

The chapter on Type-Faces is all new and has been enlarged from ten to twenty-four pages. New chapters on the following subjects have been added: Package Labels, Blotters, Newspapers, Periodicals, House-Organs. In place of the medley of contest specimens in the appendix of the first edition, there are halftone reproductions of more than one hundred attractive holiday greetings.

No one realizes more than does the author the minor defects in typography, presswork and other details that are present in this volume, yet the effort of a Hercules and the patience of a Job have been expended in making everything as correct as possible. As the book now stands, it is a reaching after the ideal, with human inability to attain perfection. It is needless to point out imperfections; the reader will discover them.

In his selection of examples and recommendation of type-faces the author has been entirely free from pressure from any source. If certain type-faces are favored, it is because the author believes he is doing something for the cause of good printing by favoring them. What has been written has been written with sincerity.

It is well to mention that the “Pilgrim’s Progress” title on page [21] is not genuine. Having seen the book on exhibition at the New York Public Library, the author arranged to have it photographed and included in this work. The sequel to this is interesting and rather humorous. When the chapter on Type-Faces was being written and Caslon types were being studied, the author was startled to find that the types used on the “Pilgrim’s Progress” page were the same as those William Caslon was supposed to have designed forty-four years later. Greatly puzzled, the author made a trip to the library and examined the original. He immediately saw that the type-face used on the body of the book differed from that on the title. Discovering a note on the fly-leaf signed by William Pickering, the explanation dawned on him. The book was probably owned by Pickering in the middle of the last century and the title-page being missing a new one was set up, printed and inserted when the book was rebound. It was Whittingham, Pickering’s printer, who revived the Caslon types about that time, and he naturally used these types as the nearest approach to the English types of the period, 1678, when “Pilgrim’s Progress” was first published.

It is impossible to mention by name all of those who have in one way or another assisted and encouraged the author in the production of this volume. A list of acknowledgments would include typographers of international note and typographers-to-be whose prentice hands need guidance. It would include office associates and those of the workrooms whose interest and attention to technical details helped much in the effort to make the work worthy.

There is one, however, were such a list printed, whose name would lead all the rest, the man who, back in 1903, conceived the idea of this book; without whose business support this elaborate and costly work would have been impossible; whose ideals have been an inspiration; whose confidence and encouragement generated the energy and enthusiasm that have attended the author during the fourteen years in which this work has been building. It is a privilege to pay this tribute to John Clyde Oswald.

Edmund G. Gress.

New York, July, 1917.

SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS

PART ONE

WHEN BOOKS WERE WRITTEN

Page [1]

The printer and typography—Definitions and derivations of trade words—Printing with separate types practiced between 1450–1455—Books previously written by hand or printed from wood—The Middle and Dark Ages—Latin in written books kept knowledge alive—Meaning of “manuscript”—Writing materials—Arrow-shaped writing of the Chaldeans—Papyrus rolls of the Egyptians—Ink, paper and block-printing supposedly invented by the Chinese—Dressed skins and palm leaves used by Hindoos—The Hebrews wrote upon stones and animal skins—We owe the present Roman alphabet to the Phœnicians—The word “alphabet” derived from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Beta—The bards of Greece—Manuscripts written by slaves—Papyrus imported from Egypt—Development of parchment, and what it is—The great Alexandrian library—Length of rolls—Story of “Septuagint”—Destruction of the Alexandrian library—Rome supersedes Alexandria as an intellectual center—Cæsar credited as the founder of the first newspaper—“Short-hand” writing—The period of Emperor Augustus a memorable one in literature—Producing large editions of manuscript rolls—Books were plentiful and cheap—Elaborate parchment rolls—Origin of flat-sheet books—Hinged waxed tablets—Destruction of the library at Constantinople—Drift of literature toward the East—Transcribing and decorating holy writings in the monasteries of Europe—Monopoly of learning gave power to Church of Rome—Since the seventh century monastery manuscripts in Latin, the official language of that church—Translation of Bible into “Vulgar tongue” forbidden—William Tyndale’s English translation—Martin Luther’s German translation—Making of manuscript books in the Middle Ages—St. Benedict sets the monks to work copying manuscripts—Popularity of cloisters—The scriptorium and the rules governing scribe or copyist—Tools and materials—Rubrics—Illuminating—The copyist at work—A beautiful Irish book—Illuminators’ colors and binding of manuscript books—Missal, Psalter, Book of Hours—Donatus, books associated with the Middle Ages—First types were imitations of current Gothic lettering—Types cut in style of Roman lettering—Ancient Roman writing all capitals—Evolution of Roman capitals into small or lower-case letters—The uncial and half-uncial—Minuscule and majuscule—Development of writing toward both heavy pointed Gothic and the Roman style used by Nicholas Jenson—Cursive, a “script” letter.

THE ORIGIN OF TYPOGRAPHY

Page [7]

The invention of typography marked the beginning of a new civilization—The beginning and end of the Middle Ages—Printing with separate metal types an evolution—Demand for playing cards and sacred pictures—Engraved wood blocks—Block books, and method of printing them—Coloring cards and pictures by means of stencils—The oldest dated specimen of printing—The first block books probably Latin grammars—The “Art of Dying,” the “Bible of the Poor,” and the “Mirror of Human Salvation”—When, where and by whom was typography invented?—The inventor failed to print his name on his product—Almost every European country claimed the honor—All claims disproved excepting those of Germany and Holland—Weight of evidence is with Germany—Typography was practiced by Gutenberg at Mainz some time during 1450–1455—Claims of priority for Coster of Haarlem—Story of the invention by Ulrich Zell the earliest testimony on the subject—Dierick Coornhert’s version—The unfaithful servant—Dignified gray heads point out the house of “the first printer”—Hadrian Junius and his “Coster Legend”—Fashioning the bark of a beech tree in the form of letters—Changing the letters to lead and then to tin—Old wine flagons melted into type—A workman, John Faust, steals the type-making instruments—Cornelis, an old book binder—The story dissected—Peter Scriverius has another version—A clap of thunder—Confusion of dates—A statue erected to Coster in Haarlem—“True and rational account” by one Leiz—Gerard Meerman’s story—The sheriff who printed with wooden types—Robbed by a brother of Johann Gutenberg—Jacob Koning awarded a prize for his essay on the invention—Makes researches in Haarlem archives—Corroborates some details in preceding stories—For many years Coster given equal honor with Gutenberg—Investigations by Dr. Anton Van der Linde—Forgeries and misrepresentations revealed—Haarlem practically surrenders its claim and alters its school books—Records of Louwerijs Janszoon and Laurens Janszoon Coster—Van der Linde goes to Germany, alters his name and writes a book—Hessels translates the book into English, and afterward becomes a Haarlem advocate—Coster proofs are weak—Haarlem claimants unable to agree as to Coster’s identity—Gutenberg a tangible human being, and probable inventor of the art—Parentage of Gutenberg—The family removes from Mainz presumably to Strassburg—Was the new art practiced at Strassburg?—Records of a lawsuit—Gutenberg agreed to teach Andrew Dritzehen certain trade secrets—Fust lends money to Gutenberg and takes a mortgage on his printing office—Fust seizes all types, presses and books—Records of this suit evidence of Gutenberg’s invention—The famous Forty-two Line Bible—Gutenberg again establishes himself as a printer—An appointment from the Bishop of Mainz—Dies about 1468—H. Noel Humphrey’s tribute—Peter Schœffer—Copies books at the University of Paris—Becomes Gutenberg’s assistant—Assumes charge after his master’s death—Marries Fust’s daughter—The new firm publishes a Psalter—First book with a printed date—Features of the book.

THE SPREAD OF TYPOGRAPHY

Page [13]

The city of Mainz—A conflict between two archbishops—The city is set afire—Fust and Schœffer’s printing office burned—The workmen flee to various parts of Europe—A table of the spread of typography from Mainz—In Germany—John Mentel at Strassburg—Albrecht Pfister at Bamberg—Ulrich Zell at Cologne never printed a book in the German language—Arnold Ter Hoorne first to use Arabic numerals—Gunther Zainer at Augsburg first in Germany to print with Roman characters—Heinrich Keffer at Nuremberg—John Sensenschmidt at Nuremberg and Bamberg—The Bamberg Missal—Anthony Koburger at Nuremberg had twenty-four presses in operation—In Italy—First type printing done in the monastery at Subiaco—Conrad Schweinheim and Arnold Pannartz brought from Germany—Ulrich Hahn first printer in city of Rome proper—John de Spira first typographer at Venice and had exclusive right—Nicholas Jenson comes to Venice and uses a new Roman type-face—Story of his introduction to the art—The first page of displayed type composition—J, U and W not in books printed by Jenson—His office passes to Aldus Manutius—Italic introduced—Aldus reduces the size of books and suggests the printing of a polyglot Bible—Works of Peter Paul Porrus and Augustin Justinian—Aldus assisted by scholar-refugees from Constantinople—His complete name—Venetian printing offices and their product—Bernardo Cennini at Florence—Johann Numeister at Foligno—In Switzerland—Bertold Ruppel at Basel—This city gave France its first typographers—John Froben at Basel—Erasmus has him print his books—In France—Ulrich Gering, Martin Crantz and Michel Friburger at Paris—Gering becomes rich—Sectional wood border on book printed by Philip Pigouchet for Simon Vostre—Henry Estienne at Paris—First of illustrious family of typographers—Robert Estienne best known and most scholarly—Flees to Geneva, Switzerland, for safety—Dies there after a labor of love—In the Netherlands—A press erected at Utrecht—Colard Mansion and William Caxton at Bruges produce the first book printed in English—Van der Goes at Antwerp—Christopher Plantin at Antwerp gave renown to that city—His printing office now a museum—A polyglot Bible his greatest work—Louis Elzevir, founder of a family of learned printers, at Leyden—The second Louis Elzevir at Amsterdam—Johannes Andriesson at Haarlem—In England—William Caxton the first to set type in that country—Apprenticed to a merchant and goes to Bruges—Becomes Governor—Enters the service of the Duchess of Burgundy—Translates a “Historie of Troye” and learns how to print it—Returns to England and sets up a press at Westminster Abbey—Peculiarities of Caxton’s work—Wynken de Worde succeeds to Caxton’s business—Introduced the Roman letter into England—Richard Pynson at London—Richard Grafton as a printer of English Bibles translated by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale—Tyndale suffers death—Grafton imprisoned for printing the “Great Bible”—Edward Whitechurch his partner—John Daye also imprisoned—Fox’s “Acts and Monuments”—In Scotland—Androw Myllar and Walter Chepman at Edinburgh—In Ireland—Humphrey Powell at Dublin—In North America—John Cromberger at Mexico City—In the United States—Stephen Daye at Cambridge, Mass.

TYPOGRAPHY IN COLONIAL DAYS

Page [19]

Martyrs in typographic history—Ecclesiastical and political conditions in Europe from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries—A book of treaties on the intended marriage of Queen Elizabeth—Oliver Cromwell encourages printing and literature—First edition of Milton’s “Paradise Lost”—Thomas Roycroft prints Brian Walton’s Polyglot Bible—The first book published in England by subscription—Paper for the work allowed to come in duty free—Cardinal Mazarin discovers a copy of Gutenberg’s Forty-two Line Bible—Chap-books and something about them—Poor representatives of the art of typography—Woodcuts and type battered and worn—Peddled by chapmen—Dicey books—Broadsides—Puritans land at Charlestown and begin to settle Cambridge and Boston—Rev. Jesse Glover solicits money for press and types—Contracts with Stephen Daye to come to new country—Rev. Glover dies—Daye reaches Cambridge with outfit—Begins printing in 1639—The first work—The first book—Poorly printed—President Dunster of Harvard College appoints Samuel Green to succeed Daye—Another press and types added—An inventory—The printing office discontinued—Printing in the colonies of Massachusetts and Virginia—Pennsylvania second English colony to have typography—William Bradford prints an almanac—Bradford arrested in Philadelphia for printing an address—Type pages as evidence—“Pied” by a juryman—Bradford goes to New York—First printshop there—Official printer—Publishes the first New York newspaper—Benjamin Franklin—Indentured to his brother James—The New England “Courant”—James is imprisoned—Benjamin becomes the publisher—The brothers disagree—Benjamin ships to New York—Meets William Bradford and goes to Philadelphia—Secures employment with Samuel Keimer—Leaves for England to buy printing equipment—Goes to work in London—Returns to Philadelphia and starts a printing office—One of the first jobs—Publishes “Poor Richard’s Almanack”—Proverbs widely quoted—Sells his shop to David Hall—Quaintness of Colonial typography—Comments on reproductions—Page from a Caslon specimen book of 1764—The work of Bodoni.

TYPOGRAPHY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

Page [27]

William Morris’s declaration—The first printed book a testimony to genius—The first cylinder press and first linotype were crudely constructed—Typography at its highest point—Italian and German styles contrasted—These styles blended into the Colonial—Franklin as a typographer compared to Aldus and Plantin—Beginning of the nineteenth century—Utility and art—William Nicholson plans a cylinder press—Dr. Kinsley constructs a model—A new roman type-face designed—Ornaments and borders discarded—Style of typography becoming uninteresting—Transition illustrated by four title-pages—Charles Whittingham and William Pickering—Artistic qualities introduced—Punches of Caslon Oldstyle recovered—A page in Colonial style—Punctuation marks omitted—Fifty years ahead of their time—Job printing of modern development—Newspaper, book and job work—Typography should be based upon art foundations—A Book of Common Prayer—Title-pages without ornamentation—Job printers take to fancy typography—Imitations of copperplate engravers’ work—A business card and a bill of fare—Changing styles applied to commercial headings—MacKellar, Smiths & Jordan—A card with apologies—A longing for pictures, color and decoration—Brass rule and tint blocks—Remarkable skill exhibited—The “Modern Renaissance”—Machinery led typography away from art—Printers thought they were doing artistic work—Inspiration wrongly interpreted—Forming of a curious chain of events—The Kelmscott Press—William Morris, artist, poet, designer and craftsman—Franklin and the Franklin stove—Morris and the Morris chair—The influence of Morris on house furnishing and typography—His home—Learned to print and to make paper—Designs type-faces—“Golden”—“Troy”—Draws decorative initials and borders—Additional designs by Burne-Jones—Morris criticised—Revolutionizes typography—Aubrey Beardsley—Will Bradley—A country printer—Studies art in Chicago—The “Wayside Press”—“Bradley: His Book”—Inspired by both past and present—A new typography—Combines with the University Press—Becomes an interesting subject for discussion—An opinion by George French—Attempts another new style of typography—Profuse ornamentation—Works rapidly—Bradley and his clients—His personality—Influence upon the American style of typography—Other influences-Theodore L. De Vinne—Has a college degree—Apprentice in a country printshop—Job compositor with Francis Hart—Takes charge of the business—A writer on printing subjects—Exponent of the conservative and dignified in typography—Should be no conflict between the styles of Morris, De Vinne and Bradley—For different purposes—The compositor must decide—De Vinne a leader in perfecting modern methods—Designs a type-face—Persuades printers to group wording—Charles T. Jacobi—Has done much for typography in England—Responsibilities of the modern typographer—Underrating the value of history—All knowledge is valuable.

[The chapters following are devoted to the consideration of typography as practiced in the twentieth century.]

PART TWO

THE “LAYOUT” MAN

Page [35]

Typography in the twentieth century—Compared with the past—Perfection not attainable—The spirit of the master craftsman—Inspired work—The necessity of careful preparation—Every printshop should have a layout man—When a building is erected—Quality printing is not accidental—Shop style—Layout men in large and small shops—Please the customer—Typography essentially a business vocation—Orders obtained thru “dummies” submitted—Selecting a layout man—Type equipment should be appropriate and sufficient—A working outfit for the layout man—Portfolio of sample sheets—Laying out a small booklet—Paper, margins, type page and size of type—Words to a square inch—Arrangement of title-page—Specimen pages in available body type—Use of crayon and pencil—Dummy submitted to customer—Duplicating it in the workrooms—Dummy sheets for periodicals and large catalogs—Incorporating illustrations in the text matter—Marking copy for machine composition—The average stationery job—A patchwork of typographic styles—Different results if handled by a layout man—Studying color harmony—Determining color combinations—The colder color should predominate—Indicating the finished result—Proofs in the colors and on the stock to be used—Blending paper stock—Laying out advertisements.

HARMONY AND APPROPRIATENESS

Page [41]

“Leit-motif”—The central idea in composition—Harmony and appropriateness—Undervaluing their importance—What is appropriate?—Discriminating judgment required—Discreet selection of type, ink and paper—It makes a difference—As to type-faces—As to inks—As to papers—Simplicity synonymous with good typography—The ideal printshop—Harmonious type-faces, ink colors and paper stock—Certain amount of contrast desirable—All capitals or all lower-case—Harmony of type-faces and borders illustrated—Typographic sins—In typography there should be a motive—“Is it appropriate?”—An architectural motive—In which strength is the motive—Design suggested by an old lock-plate—Typographic motive found in woodcut borders and initials of early printers—A millinery booklet cover—A page severely plain and non-sentimental—A program for a church service appropriate to the environment—A page in keeping with a festive spirit—Typographers should give support to artists—The Colonial arch and a title-page—The better the typographer, the more restraint will he exercise.

TONE AND CONTRAST

Page [47]

A story of white and black—A combination popular with writers, printers and readers—Uniformity of tone or depth of color—A mixture of irregular gray and black tones inexcusable—Art principles too often ignored—Contrast necessary, but uniformity should not be sacrificed—Art makes concession to utility—A right way and a wrong way—Unjust blaming of the customer—A German example of uniform tone—Practical demonstration of uniform tone—Four ornaments, upon which four pages are constructed—Contrast, from the viewpoints of art and utility—Lessening the contrast between print and paper—A compromise—Impressing the print firmly on antique paper—Setting the print daintily upon glossy paper—Lack of artistic feeling responsible for unpleasant contrasts—Great contrast is eccentricity—Mark Twain and contrasts—Cover-page should be darker than title-page—The tone of a massed page—Controlled by spacing—Duplicating the tone of a pen-and-ink illustration—A spotted black tone—Equalizing the tone by using lighter ink—Spaced capitals and open-line illustration—A classic interpretation of uniform tone—Characteristics and tone superbly blended—Initial and headpiece should approach the tone of the type page—Uniform tone between display line and border—Catalog illustrations should stand out in relief—Outline type-faces to obtain gray tone on newspaper page—Letterspacing—All lines should be similarly spaced—An unusual heading.

PORTION, BALANCE AND SPACING

Page [53]

Symmetry is necessary to beauty—What has art to do with printing?—Two views—The book printer and the job printer—Pleasing the few or being all things to all men—Printing as a business and as an art—Art is essential to printing—Study of art arouses ambition—Unfolds a new world—Proportion—Book pages—The width and length of a page—Position of the page—Margins—The job printer and proportion—Relation of shape of type-face to page—Condensed types for narrow pages—Extended types for wide pages—Architecture as an example—Vertical and horizontal lines—The relation of lines to proportion—A page with ornament, type-face and page design in proportion—Irregularity and when it may be introduced—A type line large or small by contrast—The happy medium—Balance, an important subject—Type lines horizontally centered—Safety from blunders—Out-of-the-center balance—The point of vertical balance above center—Testing balance to the limit—Diagonal arrangements show lack of imagination—Spacing—Its proper apportionment—An important feature when letters are designed—The capital L—Emphasis by means of spacing—The effect of separate lines—Should be an even page tone—Distributing display lines over the entire page—Grouping them at the point of balance—Spaced words in narrow measures—A good sign when one recognizes imperfections.

ORNAMENTATION

Page [59]

The human race has a liking for ornamentation—Natural and artificial beauty—Nature furnishes motives for man’s work—The average man giving thought to art—Beautiful things all about—Privileges of museums and art galleries available to printers—Take less thought of food and raiment and these things shall be added—Is ornamentation necessary to art typography?—Paper as embellishment—Covering poor stock with decoration—Ornaments under lock and key—Revising ideas of art—Abstinence—Using ornaments with discrimination—Study of significance and appropriateness—Motive or reason in ornamentation—Italian and German influences—Harmony because of sympathy between arts and crafts—Inharmonious ideas of several persons—Relation of typography to architecture shown in alphabets—Roman and Gothic—Ornamentation both inventive and imitative—Conventionalized ornament—With or without perspective—Things which have inspired the decorator—Artists’ work full of meaning—Leaves, mythical beings, sacred animals—Architectural designs on title-pages—Egg-and-dart and bead ornaments—Results of observation—Designs thousands of years old—Typographic borders—Triple division of taste—The severely plain, Doric—The slightly ornamental, Ionic—The elaborately ornamental, Corinthian—Sturdiness and grace—Difference in ideals and preferences—Some delight in magnificence, others in plainness—The three divisions of taste applied to typography—The style of architecture and home furnishings influence typography—The “mission” style and straight lines—The frivolous rococo style and curved lines—Rococo type ornamentation not successful—A style to please those who like neither the severely plain nor the elaborately ornamental—Ornament secondary—Should not distract attention—Excess of embellishment—Chippendale first made furniture serviceable, then added ornament—Regularity and variety in repetition—Four classes of ornament—Based upon geometrical lines, upon foliage, upon the inanimate, and upon the animate—Initials as means of ornamentation—Corner ornaments—Decoration with a motive—Reversing half of a design—A page with but a single ornament—Present-day preferences are for Gothic rather than for Italian type ornaments—The reason—Ornamentation.

THE TYPOGRAPHY OF BOOKS

Page [67]

Good taste important in production of books—Judgment perfect in one respect and erratic in others—Good taste and conservatism—Catering to fashion leaves unsalable stock—Conservatives are few—Printed things that please for the moment—Art reasons in book typography applicable to job typography—The job compositor drawing closer to his book brother—The book typographer governed by precedent—The conservative man constructive—The radical destructive—Masterpieces discarded for frivolous things—Morris set out to change book typography—He offered the good things of the old masters—Age not proof of merit—Good typography always good—Book industry in America tremendous—Carnegie at first ridiculed, now acknowledged a benefactor—The need of good books well printed—Majority of books poorly printed—Rarely do reading pages, title-page and cover harmonize—Cover only part given artistic attention—Should be honestly what it seems—A book model in its way—Not a line in capitals—Only two sizes of type on title-page—Chapter headings cling to type page—Margins—Surface covered—Proportion—Bruce Rogers—Designs books for the Riverside Press—Regard for the appropriate—The literary motive the cue—Suggesting a product of the middle nineteenth century—Two pages with faults—Inharmonious typography—The cost of an appropriate title-page ridiculously small—Provide display faces to match machine letters—Artist and typographer and the literary motive—Composite Colonial and modern—Unfinished effect—Books that lend themselves to decoration—Serious books—Typographic results exceptionally good—General use of border—Title page an excellent example—Reading matter close to border—One margin—Style of the modern novel—Modern book composition set on the linotype—An unconventional page—Page from a book written and illustrated by Will Bradley—Harmony between type-face and decoration—Effectiveness of a plain initial—Title-page of classic design—Dignified beauty—Classic feeling in a modern title-page—A serious effort by the Roycrofters—Page from a book by De Vinne—An ecclesiastical book by Updike—Improving typography in America—A book with a French motive—Avoiding commonplace types—Fonts from old matrices—Specially designed faces—Arrangement of a book—Fly leaf, sub-title, title-page, copyright notice, imprint, table of contents and illustrations, preface, frontispiece, dedication, index—Numbering the pages—The space under running titles—Lowering of the chapter headings—The space around initials—Position of a book page—Em-quad or en-quad between sentences?

BOOKLETS, PAMPHLETS, BROCHURES, LEAFLETS

Page [75]

Misuse of the word “booklet”—Definitions of booklet, pamphlet, brochure, leaflet—Chap-books—The booklet’s mission educational—Users—Ideas of writer and artist should be blended—Harmonious and complete—Printers have many artists to select from—The connecting link between job typography and book typography—Blending the typography with a lettered title-page—Pure typographical effects—Approved faces—Three series only—A page one likes to read—Reluctance to explore the past—Understanding of typography—Type alone can be effective—Good typography to be preferred to poor art work—Distinctive features—Space between sentences—Dignity in lettering and decoration—Title labels—A small amount of reading matter—Placing an illustration that is out of proportion—Care in the details of typesetting—Results of careless typography—Buyers slaves to conventionality—Newness and bright coloring that gets attention—Lower-case letters for capitals—Interesting decorative headings—The initial furnishes a spot of black—No decoration of any kind—Depending on type-faces and paper for results—Swash italic capitals and letterspaced capitals—Chapter heading not sunk—Suggestions from lettered designs—A standard type for old-style effects—Lettering in Caslon style on blue-prints—A memorial volume—Strict typographic harmony—Suggesting such volumes-Japanese paper printed on one side—Simple typography—Living in an artistic atmosphere—Printing journals—Specimen booklets for study purposes—Printers depend too much on artists—Possibilities of type arrangement never exhausted—Working together.

CATALOGS

Page [83]

Three branches of architectural virtue applied to the catalog—Act well, speak well, look well—The days when the catalog was a heterogeneous collection of woodcuts and type-faces—Now care and taste shown—The catalog a portable show case—Proper display of goods makes selling easier—Playing up the ordinary—A block of marble, rough and carved—Standardizing the dimensions of catalogs—Engineers recommend standard sizes—Other suggestions—Overlapping covers—Titles on exposed backs—Date—Index card inclosed—Copy should be legible—A dummy should be passed on—Decoration supplemental—Expressing personality—The penalty of being an average typographer—The envy of master printers of old—Horizontal position of illustration—Brass rule well used—A design full of character—Description facing illustration—Small amount of reading matter—Red borders—Variety and interest by simple means—Cover-page built on an illustration—Modern German typographic ideas—Bold type desirable when color is to be shown—An art museum catalog—Securing value from background—Technical details kept orderly—A book-catalog page—Rule border adds decorative quality—Typography seldom receives the attention it deserves—An uncommon catalog page—Tabular treatment for a high-class wine list—The stone rejected by the builder—A dainty German page—A legible ornamental letter—Absence of roman lower-case—Appropriate woodcut—Marginal distribution—Realistic pictures—Gloves well shown—Usual method of selling—Tabular matter.

PROGRAMS

Page [91]

“Let all things be done decently and in order”—Four classes of programs—Programs of sacred services—Offer opportunity for artistic treatment—Significance an important element—The key to ecclesiastical printing—Rubrics—A modern interpretation of the historic—Pointed Gothic type-face—Uncial rubricated initials—Red lines—A significant device—Prejudices among clergymen—A churchly aspect by rubrication—Arranging numerous small titles—Economizing space—An almost perfect specimen of church program printing—A specialist on church typography—Program of lenten services—A small program, with a page for each event—Arranging a program with little matter—The dance program—Should be dainty—Stock folders—Must “look like a dance program”—A typographic dance card—Centered dots in place of periods—Uniform border treatment on an outing program—An unconventional dance program—Banquet programs and varied treatments possible—Value of the decorative border—Arrangement of type matter—A background in olive—The menu program in small booklet form—Menu dishes in the form of checks—“Hash” and “Rehash”—A bit of fun—A classic menu-page—A style appropriately humorous—Eating in a foreign language—Side hits—Artistic treatment simulating woodcut decoration—A simply constructed menu page—Unique arrangement—Titles at the left—Symmetrical arrangement—Programs for entertainments and exercises—The commonplace program a disappointment—Artistic programs—A refined page by Updike—Features of interest in a page by Rogers—Admirable treatment of a brief program—Appropriate decoration overprinted by type—A page dominated by the Gothic style—List of characters unusually displayed—A neat page in Caslon type—The program containing small advertisements—Theater programs exert influence on public taste.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Page [99]

Publicity essential to success—Announcements the modern representative of the public crier—Not confined to any size or shape—Often consists of only one page—The most personal of printed mediums of publicity—The printer depended on for suggestions and advice—Confidence of the customer an asset—Imitation engraved announcement the most common—Allows of no original or decorative treatment—The cobbler and tinker—Satisfaction from work well done—The uncommon typographer not governed by usual warnings—An announcement folder of a quality seldom attained—Points of interest in a Caslon page—Black text letter and a generous size of sheet—Sturdy masculine lettering—The human quality of imperfection—A cartoonist’s task—Broad strokes make a liberal showing of color possible—Classic dignity—Ornaments as eye-attractors—A postal-card announcement—One-tenth manual labor and nine-tenths brain exercise—Mistake to make type-face very large or very small—Obtaining variety and emphasis by use of italic and small capitals—Spacing of lower-case—One size of type only—Division into two type groups—A study in tone values—Harmony of type-face and decoration—A brief announcement—Colonial effects—Appropriate typography based on an early newspaper—Lack of margins and absence of print—Heavy- and light-faced rule—Greater legibility when lines are separated—A misplaced initial—A blotter announcement—Printers’ own announcements.

TICKETS

Page [107]

Good results by accident—A good job of printing should be an everyday occurrence—Lack of interest reason for non-development—Any man not interested in his vocation to be pitied—Thought concentrated on typography—Efficiency a guarantee—Accept responsibilities—The first observations of a student—“None perfect, no not one”—Tickets afford practice of art printing—Many themes and styles in typography—Resourcefulness a valuable characteristic—Ticket forms especially designed—One based upon a classic motive—An idea from ancient Rome—Capitals slightly spaced—The historic Gothic or church style—Contrast by the use of color—A modern conception with a masculine motive—The margins of two styles—An odd and striking effect—Modern treatment based upon the Colonial—A bookish effect—An idea for a lecture course—White or colored stock?—A ticket of peculiar interest to women—The geometric or secession style—Enthusiasm over new styles—Building a house in the sands—Square-faced type and square ornaments—An adaptation of the missal style—Inspiration from William Morris and Italian printers—For educational and art functions—A motive from the art workers of the Middle Ages—A modern application of classic type effects—A purely Colonial effect—Dainty, refined treatment and symbolic decoration—Typography that is distinctly masculine—Orange is lighter than black in tone—An arrangement dictated by an ornament—A ticket not easily duplicated—Color background—Corner decoration in keeping with the subject—A motive from early French books—Typographers should go thru the world with eyes open.

LETTERHEADS AND ENVELOPS

Page [111]

Standard sizes—Single leaves and the folded note sheet—Official envelops—Folding the sheets—Printing on fourth page—Society stationery—Ruled sheets seldom called for—Paper and typographical treatment of letterhead and envelops should have relation—Style of professional stationery seldom changes—Simple, neat, refined typography—Color seldom well used—Styles furnished by lithographers and steel-die printers—Work along standardized lines—A letterhead one form of advertising—Two tones of type-face for much copy—Elaborate treatment seldom advisable—All matter in one group—Blank space a factor—Brief copy—Use of a decorative device—A harmonizing border—A meeting announcement—Suggesting an architectural panel—Appropriate to the business—All lines of same length—For a general store—Resetting of a “brick” letterhead—Too literal—Injection of individuality—Something different—Attractive club stationery—Typographic neatness—A copperplate letterhead—Two distinct groups—Italic on a heading—Inclosing type matter in a panel—A line border finishing off the edges of a letter sheet—A spot of decorative color—The cross-line panel—German treatment—Notehead by a book typographer—Humor—Envelops a convenience—Its purpose and use—Advertising possibilities—“After five days return to”—Medieval character—Bringing out the business—An envelop corner that is artistic—Elaborate treatment.

BILLHEADS AND STATEMENTS

Page [119]

Suitable and dignified type composition—Should correspond in style to that of letterhead—Standard sizes—Allowance for head portion—Window envelops—Change in arrangement—Billheads of a quarter of a century ago—Features of the average billhead or invoice—Composition of a billhead—Transforming a letterhead into a billhead—Classic typography—Typographic art and good taste on a billhead—Stationery of a book dealer—Printing on colored stock—Lower part divided into columns—A decorator’s stationery—Business stated in firm name—Credit bills—Use of the statement—Other forms used in business.

PACKAGE LABELS

Page [123]

Effectiveness of an attractive package label—Good clothes and the package—Selection of wrapping stock—Appreciation of neat wrapping—Druggists excel—The art of making a good impression—Twine, gummed-paper tape, corrugated board—The printed label as a spot of attraction—The wrapping paper as a background—Two labels of contrasting treatment—Stronger label striking—Labels not usually seen at close range—No standard size—Stock that pastes easily—Hand lettered labels as studies—Italic with a decorative quality—A label design with no border—Suggestion of Italian art—Closely-spaced black-toned lettering—Artistic quality and interest by means of typography—A study in black and white—The Aldine combination—Border, decorative device and lettering in the same key—A label design that could be improved—A Goudy type arrangement—Label with address printed in—Stock labels should be studied.

BUSINESS CARDS

Page [127]

Courtesies of business—The business card as an introduction—Sizes of cards—White cards predominate—An attempt at standardization in arrangement—A model of dignity—Featuring the individual’s name—Contrast in tone—A specimen of hand lettering—A design of strength and interest—An attractive black monogram—Decorative device in color—An interesting contrast—High-hat and frock-coat treatment in French style—Arrangement in blocked Caslon capitals—Decorative device in tint—Roman capitals with italic—A representative German card—The word “decorators” furnishes the cue—Italic for dainty effects—A strong, simple arrangement—Classic arrangement in one size of type—Much information on a card—Decorative treatment that could be merged with the stock—Horizontal rule lines—A card in Bodoni—More than one right way—Styles available for all likes and dislikes—Character and personality expressed typographically—More individuality now permissible—Copperplate engravers set the style for much business-card printing—How to obtain results.

THE BLOTTER

Page [131]

Business cards and blotters—Less restraint and dignity—Coarseness should be avoided—No longer an experiment—Advertising values—The size—Enameled surfaces—A model typographic blotter with calendar—Treatment should be simple—One design of type-face—Blank space liberally distributed—Natural freedom—Most blotters contain too much type matter—Relief from sledge-hammer advertising—Blotter for personal checkbook—Good taste—For a convention—Pleasing factors—Strong contrasts—Reading the message as the signature is blotted—Masculine treatment—The character of an architectural panel—Pleasure in using—Material that is used and material that is not used—A model of good taste in blotter typography—The test of time—A neat, refined arrangement—The use of large type—The narrow way—Gray features—A touch of appropriateness—Other features.

POSTERS, CAR CARDS, WINDOW CARDS

Page [135]

Poster printing a specialty in large cities—Type equipment well selected, but not elaborate—Blend of type-faces—Standard job faces duplicated—Sizes of posters, car cards and window cards—Color and lettering—What the poster should be—Viewed at closer range—Typographic effects in poster printing—A poster that measures up—A study of composition—Contrast of color—Card in conversational style—Using types in a sane, simple manner—Strong simplicity—Refinement in theatrical printing—A strong poster in gothic and “secession” border—Making the typography appropriate-Shakespearean typography—Decoration reproduced from original sources—Usefulness of a library of books—A hanger in one size of type—The Colonial style of type arrangement—Why cardboard is used—Suggested arrangement for excursion card—Printers and poster printing—The best sale-bill compositor in the country—Work should be done profitably—Poster printing on a large scale.

LIST OF REPRODUCTIONS

The first printed Declaration of Independence, [frontispiece]

PART ONE

WHEN BOOKS WERE WRITTEN

Page [1]

The scribe at work, opp. p. [1]
Assyrian clay tablet, p. [1]
Ancient Roman reading manuscript, p. [2]
Roman waxed tablet, p. [3]
The Egyptian “Book of the Dead,” p. [3]
Evolution of the alphabet, p. [4]
Capital letters of the ancient Romans, p. [4]
Uncial letters of the sixth century, p. [5]
Half-uncial letters, p. [5]
Gothic letters of the fifth century, p. [5]
Page from the “Book of Kells,” p. [6]

THE ORIGIN OF TYPOGRAPHY

Page [7]

Portion from Fust and Schœffer’s Psalter of 1457, opp. p. [7]
French playing card, a block print, p. [7]
Image print of 1423, p. [7]
Bible of the Poor, from block book, p. [8]
Text page from the block book “Ars Moriendi,” p. [8]
Page from an engraved wood block, p. [9]
Page from separate metal types, p. [9]
Two pages from the Huntington copy of Gutenberg’s Bible, p. [12]
Decorated page from Gutenberg’s famous Bible of Forty-two Lines, opp. p. [12]

THE SPREAD OF TYPOGRAPHY

Page [13]

The Venetian style of typography and decoration, opp. p. [13]
The spread of typography (table), p. [13]
Page printed by Koburger, p. [14]
The first displayed composition, p. [14]
A page from the famous Bamberg Missal, opp. p. [14]
The first italic, a page by Aldus, p. [15]
Specimens from Plantin’s Polyglot Bible of 1569, pp. [16], [17]
Gothic ornamental pieces, from a “Book of Hours,” p. [16]
Page by England’s first printer, p. [17]
Page in English by John Daye, p. [18]
The first Psalter in English, p. [18]

TYPOGRAPHY IN COLONIAL DAYS

Page [19]

A title-page of 1655, with much type display, opp. p. [19]
First book printed in English America, p. [19]
Title-page of a Shakespeare book, p. [20]
First edition of “Pilgrim’s Progress,” (reset by Whittingham), p. [21]
First issue of the London “Times,” p. [21]
Page from a chap-book, p. [22]
Page from “Description of Trades,” p. [22]
French specimen of 1742, p. [23]
Caslon types and ornaments, p. [23]
First edition of “Paradise Lost,” p. [24]
Two pages from “Poor Richard’s Almanack,” p. [25]
Italian specimen of 1776, p. [26]
Pages from Bodoni books of 1789 and 1806, p. [26]

TYPOGRAPHY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

Page [27]

A Morris title-page and text page, opp. p. [27]
Page from a “Book of Common Prayer,” p. [27]
A design of the rule-curving period, p. [28]
Title-page of 1810, p. [28]
Title-page of 1847, p. [28]
Title-page of 1872, p. [28]
Title-page of MacKellar’s “American Printer,” p. [29]
A banquet program of 1865, p. [29]
From a type-foundry specimen book of 1885, p. [30]
A business card of 1865, p. [30]
A business card of 1889, p. [31]
Stationery composition of 1870, p. [31]
The panel as used in 1893, p. [31]
A neat letterhead of 1897, p. [31]
Title-pages by Charles Whittingham, p. [32]
Bradley’s adaptation of the Colonial style, opp. p. [32]
A Jacobi page of 1892, p. [33]
A Bradley page in lower-case, p. [33]
A Bradley page in Caslon capitals, p. [34]
A De Vinne page, p. [34]

PART TWO

(The index figures refer to the number of the example)

THE “LAYOUT” MAN

Page [35]

Booklet cover-page laid out with pencil and crayon, [1]
Anticipating the appearance of the printed page, [2], [3]
Ascertaining color combination with crayons, [5], [6]
Laying out copy for machine composition, [4-a], [4-b]
Table for ascertaining the number of words to square inch, [7]
Notehead set without instructions, [8]
Business card set without instructions, [9]
Label set without instructions, [10]
Notehead laid out for compositor, [11]
Business card laid out, [12]
Label laid out, [13]
Layout of a cover-page, [14]
Cover-page as set from instructions, [15]
Layout sketch for a cover, [16] (insert)
The cover printed as indicated, [17] (insert)

HARMONY AND APPROPRIATENESS

Page [41]

Harmony by the use of lower-case, [18]
Harmony of type-faces and borders, [19]
An architectural subject treated appropriately, [20] (insert)
A booklet cover suggestive of the subject, [21] (insert)
Cover suggested by old lock-plate, [22]
An old lock-plate, [23]
Inscription on a Roman arch, [24]
Cover-page for a catalog of books, [25]
A plain page for a plain purpose, [26]
Treatment appropriate for a church program, [27-a]
Portion of a page of an old manuscript missal, [27-b]
Cover-page for a catalog of decorative materials, [28]
The Colonial arch, [29]
Title-page in semi-Colonial style, [30]

TONE AND CONTRAST

Page [47]

Contrast in color and tone, [31]
Uniform tone and contrast of black and white, [32]
Four ornaments, each of a different depth of tone, used in the construction of four pages, [33], [34], [35], [36], [37]
Extremes of tone on book pages, [38], [39]
Blending of illustration and text, [40]
Spotted black tone of border and text, [41]
Blending of illustration and type-face, [42]
Uniform tone in classic typography, [43] (insert)
A study in uniform tone, [44] (insert)
Tone-blending of initial, headpiece and text, [45]
Emphasis of parts to be printed in light color, [46], [47]
Display lines should match the border in tone, [48]
Uniform tone by equal spacing, [49]

PROPORTION, BALANCE AND SPACING

Page [53]

One method of determining the page length, [50]
Another method, [51]
Three widths of type-faces, [52]
Type page in which vertical lines predominate, [53]
An architectural comparison, [54]
The conventional page shape, [55]
Type page in which horizontal lines predominate, [56]
An architectural comparison, [57]
Page in which ornament, border and type-face are in proportion, [58] (insert)
Pages in which the type-face is not in proportion, [59], [60]
Mismated type-faces and borders, [61]
Vertical lines proper, [62] (insert)
Horizontal lines not suitable, [63]
A display line surrounded by other type lines must be larger, [64], [65]
Type proportionately too large, [66]
Type proportionately too small, [67]
A proportion that is about right, [68]
Out-of-center balance on a card, [69]
Type grouped unusually high, [70]
Exact center is too low, [71]
The point of vertical balance, [72]
An architectural example of out-of-center balance, [73]
A disorderly arrangement, [74]
An ornament that balances with the design, [75]
Out-of-center balance on an announcement, [76]
The effect of horizontal lines in a type page, and how it is avoided, [77], [78]
Spacing letters to obtain even tone, [79]
Emphasis obtained by letterspacing, [80]
The obsolete practice of spreading the lines over the page, [81]
The modern practice of grouping the type lines, [82]

ORNAMENTATION

Page [59]

The egg-and-dart ornament, [83]
The bead ornament, [84]
The egg-and-dart ornament as a typographic border, [85]
The bead ornament as a typographic border, [86]
Conventionalized papyrus plant, [87]
The winged ball, [88]
The acanthus leaf, [89]
Palm-like Greek ornament, [90]
The Doric pillar, [91]
The Ionic pillar, [92]
The Corinthian pillar, [93]
Ornamentation on an entablature, [94]
Square-lined, ornamentless furniture, [95]
Square-lined, ornamentless typography, [96]
Dainty, elaborate rococo ornament applied to furniture, [97]
Similar treatment of a program title-page, [98] (insert)
Slightly ornamental furniture, [99]
Slightly ornamental typography, [100]
Monotony and variety in strokes and shapes, [101], [102], [103], [104], [105]
Roman architectural border and roman type-face, [106]
Gothic pointed ornament and Gothic type-face, [107]
Natural and conventionalized ornament, [108]
Extravagant wall border ornamentation, [109]
Roman scroll ornament cut in stone, [110]
Type ornament based upon geometric lines, [111]
Type ornament based upon foliage, [112]
Ornament based upon the inanimate, [113]
Ornament based upon the animate, [114]
Ornamental hand-lettered effect, [115]
Corner ornaments, from bolts on inscription plates, [116]
Decoration from a manuscript book, [117]
Filling blanks with ornamentation, [118]
Semi-ornamental ecclesiastic style, [119]
Initials of various kinds, [120]
Simple ornamentation applied to letterhead, [121]
Appropriate ornamentation on a modern booklet, [122]
Effect of alternating colors, [123]
An ornament based upon the animate, [124]
The significance of ornamentation applied, [125] (insert)

THE TYPOGRAPHY OF BOOKS

Page [67]

Two model specimens of book typography, [126], [127] (insert)
Title-page of a book of classic poems, [128]
Title-page with a nineteenth-century motive, [129]
Two book pages inharmoniously treated, [130], [131]
Two pages, composite Colonial and modern, [132], [133]
Two pages constructed with care for detail, [134], [135]
A text-page in modern roman, [136]
A text-page in old-style type-faces, [137]
Title-page with an Italian motive, [138]
Page from a children’s book, [139]
Harmony in tone of type-face and decoration, [140]
A title-page of classic design, [141]
Classic feeling in a modern title-page, [142] (insert)
Text-page of a Roycroft volume, [143]
Text-page from a book by De Vinne, [144]
Two pages from a small ecclesiastical book, [145], [146]
Gothic treatment of a book of poetry, [147]
Title-page with a French motive, [148]

BOOKLETS, PAMPHLETS, BROCHURES, LEAFLETS

Page [75]

Title-page by Goudy, [149]
Two pages from leaflet in simple typography, [150], [151]
Three easily-read pages by Sherbow, [152], [153], [154]
Two typographic leaflet pages, [155], [156]
Three pages in which rules are factors, [157], [158], [159]
Label on a brilliant cover, [160]
Admirable treatment for small amount of matter, [161]
Adopting a photograph of wrong proportions, [162]
Two artistic pages from type and rule, [163], [164]
Rear and front cover designs of unconventional booklet, [165], [166]
A prospectus page by Bradley, [167]
Dignified typographic beauty, [168], [169]
Hand-lettered cover page, [170]
Representative page from a commemoration book, [171]
Unconventional arrangement of a booklet page, [172]

CATALOGS

Page [83]

Page from an automobile catalog by Cleland, [175]
Unusual treatment of a page, [176]
Architectural title treatment, [177]
Effective results obtained in a simple way, [178], [179]
Inside page and cover of a publication catalog, [180], [181]
German poster type on a catalog, [182]
Title-page and inside page of a museum catalog, [183], [184]
Rules on a book catalog, [185]
Type matter prominently treated, [186]
Unusual automobile catalog page, [187]
Tabular rules in a wine list, [188]
German wine-list treatment, [189]
Title-page of an exhibit catalog, [190]
Capitals and italic for descriptions, [191]
Page from a sewing-machine catalog, [192]
An attractive background, [193]
Artistic catalog treatment, [194]
Tabular matter in a catalog page, [195]

PROGRAMS

Page [91]

Program cover-page in ecclesiastical style, [200] (insert)
Economizing space on a program, [201]
Missal style of church program, [202]
Classic treatment of a church program page, [203]
Program page in semi-missal style, [204]
Generous margins on a program, [205]
A dance card, [206]
Page from a booklet program, [207]
Unconventional treatment of a dance program, [208]
The decorative border on a banquet program, [209]
A halftone decorative background on a program, [210]
A booklet program, [211]
The banquet program in the form of a check book, [212]
Humorous treatment of titles and odd arrangement, [213]
Suggestion for a menu page, introducing a bit of fun, [214] (insert)
A classic menu page, [215]
Program used by master printers, [216]
Dignified style for menu page, [217]
Treatment simulating woodcut decoration, [218]
The missal style adapted to a menu program, [219]
Unique arrangement of a menu page, [220]
Excellent typographic treatment, [221]
Refined entertainment program page, [222]
Two pages from an entertainment program, [223], [224]
Program page in lower-case, [225]
The decoration was in color, [226]
Program in Gothic style, [227]
A well-arranged page, [228]

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Page [99]

Classic capitals combined with rules, [229] (insert)
Two pages from an announcement folder, [230], [231]
Announcement in Colonial style, [232]
Odd treatment of an announcement, [233]
Announcement in poster art, [234], [235]
Invitation based on inscription plate, [236]
Ornaments as eye-attracters, [237]
Postal-card announcement, [238]
Good advertising typography, [239]
An announcement, [240] (insert)
Announcement in two groups, [241]
Study in tone values and margins, [242]
Harmony of type and decoration, [243]
A brief announcement, [244]
Colonial style of treatment, [245]
Literal treatment in Colonial style, [246]
Two pages from an announcement circular, [247], [248].
From a convention announcement, [249]
Liberal leading of type lines, [250]
Harmony in gray tones, [251]
Blotter in rugged style, [252]

TICKETS

Page [107]

Classic, refined treatment for art and literary purposes, [256]
The historic Gothic, or pointed style, [257] (insert)
Strong treatment, the motive of modern origin, [258] (insert)
A striking effect for the college student, [259] (insert)
Modern treatment based upon the Colonial, [260]
Suggestion for course tickets, [261]
Daintily appropriate in type-face and illustration, [262]
The mission style applied to ticket composition, [263]
The ecclesiastical or missal style well adapted, [264]
Perhaps Morris would have set a ticket this way, [265]
The medieval art worker furnished this motive, [266]
Modern application of classic type effects, [267]
Patterned after Colonial treatment of title-pages, [268]
A dainty, refined effect suited to many occasions, [269]
Robust treatment of an outing ticket, [270]
The cab ornament dictated the type formation, [271]
Treatment that should prevent easy counterfeiting, [272]
Decoration suitable for the subject, [273]
Arrangement with French motive, [274]

LETTERHEADS AND ENVELOPS

Page [111]

A large amount of copy conventionally treated, [275] (insert)
Small type for professional stationery, [276] (insert)
Church stationery of the conventional kind, [277] (insert)
A change in style of professional stationery, [278] (insert)
Elaborate border around letter sheet, [279]
Symmetrical arrangement, [280]
Squared effects, [281]
Simple treatment of little copy, [282]
Character in letterhead design, [283]
Colonial rule border panel, [284]
Advertising a meeting, [285]
A well-treated panel heading, [286]
Suggestion of the ecclesiastic, [287]
Three lines of equal length, [288]
For the general store, [289]
Treatment suggesting the business, [290]
Novel and dignified treatment, [291]
A distinctive heading, [292]
Decorative initials in heading, [293]
Just a neat typographic arrangement, [294]
Dignity in letterhead designing, [295]
A heading in two groups, [296]
Uncommon distribution of color, [297]
Double-panel treatment, [298]
Distinction in letterhead design, [299]
An ornament with a touch of color, [300]
A cross-lined panel, [301]
A German idea, [302]
Note-sheet typography, [303]
Humor in a notehead, [304]
Conventional treatment of an envelop corner, [305]
Artistic envelop treatment, [306]
Envelop corner in text letter, [307]
Harmony of device and typography treatment, [308]
Elaborate envelop corner, [309]

BILLHEADS AND STATEMENTS

Page [119]

Features of the average invoice, [310]
Converting letterhead into billhead, [311]
The non-stock-ruled type of billhead, [312] (insert)
Italic lower-case and Roman capitals, [313] (insert)
Billhead suggesting early printing, [314]
Good taste on billheads, [315]
Interesting border treatment, [316]
Large setting of a billhead, [317]
Invoice with many columns, [318]
Decorative type treatment that is suitable, [319]
An uncommon arrangement, [320]
Credit bill made from billhead, [321]
Professional bills, [322]

PACKAGE LABELS

Page [123]

Catching attention at a distance, [323] (insert)
Emphasizing daintiness and delicacy, [324] (insert)
Lettering for typographic study, [325]
A label rich in suggestion, [326]
Ruled line for the address, [327]
Black lettering with contrasts, [328]
Artistic quality thru typography, [329]
Study in black and white, [330]
A Caslon specimen, [331]
Harmony of border and lettering, [332]
Possible of typographic improvement, [333]
Freedom of treatment, [334]
Label used for a special list, [335]

BUSINESS CARDS

Page [127]

Standardizing the arrangement, [336]
Dignified treatment for a well-known house, [337]
Forceful card treatment, [338] (insert)
An unconventional effect, [339] (insert)
A black monogram that is attractive, [340] (insert)
The monogram in color, [341]
An uncommon typographic effect, [342]
High-hat-and-frock-coat treatment, [343]
Business card in blocked capitals, [344]
An underprinting decorative device, [345]
Roman capitals with italic lower-case, [346]
Modern German card treatment, [347]
Decorative style suited to business, [348]
Italic is sometimes pleasing, [349]
A strong design for special purposes, [350]
Classic arrangement in one size, [351]
A large amount of copy, [352]
Highly decorative, [353]
Horizontal lines well employed, [354]
For general purposes, [355]

THE BLOTTER

Page [131]

A model blotter, [356] (insert)
Modest amount of copy, [357]
A convention-hall blotter, [358]
Strong but pleasing contrasts, [359]
Suggestive of an architectural panel, [360]
Treatment that survives the test, [361]
Neat, refined arrangement, [362]
Type matter that fills the blotter, [363]
A blotter arranged the narrow way, [364]
Harmonizing typography, [365]

POSTERS, CAR CARDS, WINDOW CARDS

Page [135]

Typographic poster in Roman capitals, [366] (insert)
Lettered poster worthy of study, [367]
A car card that has suggestion, [368]
Little copy and strong contrasts, [369]
Unique insurance advertising, [370]
Simplicity worthy of adaptation, [371]
Refined theatrical printing, [372] (insert)
A strong poster on plain lines, [373] (insert)
Type treatment that suggests Franklin’s time, [374]
Poster in Shakespearean typography, [375]
Simple typographic treatment, [376]
Colonial style on a window card, [377]
Suggestion for an excursion card, [378]

LIST OF DESIGNERS

PART ONE

Aldus Manutius, p. [15]
Barker, Christopher, p. [18]
Bodoni, John Baptist, p. [26]
Bradley, Will, opp. p. [32], [33], [34]
Caxton, William, p. [17]
Daye, John, p. [18]
Daye, Stephen, p. [19]
De Vinne, Theodore L., p. [34]
Franklin, Benjamin, p. [25]
Fust and Schœffer, opp. p. [7]
Gutenberg, Johann, p. [12], opp. p. [12]
Jacobi, Charles T., p. [33]
Jenson, Nicholas, p. [14]
Koburger, Anthony, p. [14]
MacKellar, Thomas, p. [29]
Morris, William, opp. p. [27]
Newcomb, Thomas, opp. p. [19]
Parker, Peter, p. [24]
Plantin, Christopher, p. [16], [17]
Rand, George C., and Avery, p. [29], [30]
Roberts, James, p. [20]
Sensenschmidt, J., opp. p. [14]
Thomas, Isaiah, p. [28]
Whittingham, Charles, p. [21], [32]

PART TWO

(Figures refer to the example numbers)

Adams-Brander Company, [301]
Advertisers Press, [300]
Anger, Harry A., [121], [292], [296]
Baker, William Henry, [155], [156], [239], [340], [457], [458], [462]
Bartlett-Orr Press, [335]
Becker, August, [362]
Beran, C. R., [207]
Blanchard Press, [170]
Bradley, Will, [62], [76], [100], [139], [167], [211], [219], [237], [339], [409], [425], [430]
Bradley, William Aspenwall, [141]
Cadillac Printing Company, [187]
Calkins & Holden, [384]
Calumet Press, [241], [245]
Capon, Charles R., [283], [311], [326], [454]
Carr, Horace, [252], [361]
Chasmar-Winchell Press, [195]
Cleland, T. M., [49], [160], [175], [176], [188], [233], [250], [394]
Colonial Press, [136], [137]
Cook Printing Company, [124]
Cooper, Frederick G., [338]
Cooper, Oswald, [234], [235], [328]
Corday & Gross, [172], [295]
Crittenden, Lee L., [204], [351]
Currier, Everitt R., [230], [231], [448]
De Vinne Press, [217]
De Vinne, Theodore L., [144]
Douglas, Lester, [423]
Dunn, H. H., [367]
Dwiggins, Will, [177], [435]
Fell Company, William F., [289], [325]
Fleming & Carnrick, [96]
French, George, [126], [127], [294]
Frommader, E. A., [363]
Gilliss, Walter, [183], [184], [410], [411]
Glover, John, [304]
Goudy, Frederic W., [142], [149], [170], [334], [366]
Government Printshop, Berlin, [118]
Gress, Edmund G., [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [20], [21], [22], [25], [26], [27-A], [28], [30], [34], [35], [36], [37], [38], [39], [46], [48], [58], [64], [65], [68], [69], [82], [85], [86], [106], [107], [115], [116], [119], [168], [169], [171], [200], [205], [208], [214], [218], [220], [240], [242], [243], [246], [256], [257], [258], [259], [260], [261], [262], [263], [264], [265], [266], [267], [268], [269], [270], [271], [272], [273], [274], [276], [277], [278], [282], [285], [287], [289], [291], [307], [310], [313], [316], [317], [319], [322], [323], [324], [329], [330], [336], [337], [343], [345], [348], [352], [355], [356], [357], [358], [364], [365], [372], [373], [374], [375], [376], [377], [378], [391], [393], [399], [400], [415], [416], [426], [427], [428], [438], [439]
Greenleaf, Ray, [308]
Gress, Walter B., [346]
Griffith-Stillings Press, [210], [213], [443]
Haime, Harry, [221]
Hall-Taylor Company, [193], [393]
Heintzemann Press, [45], [281]
Jacobson, E. G., [165], [166]
Kehler, J. H., [40]
Kleukens, F. W., [32]
Lang, Fred S., [226]
Leader, Leon I., [288], [297]
Lewis, Barnard J., [157], [158], [159]
Mackay, A. F., [232], [244]
Marchbanks Press, [150], [151], [331], [460], [461]
Matthews-Northrup Works, [125], [178], [179], [192]
Munder-Thomson Company, [122]
Nash, J. H., [134], [135], [147], [185], [279], [442], [450], [451]
Neal Press, [306]
Nelson, Arthur, [138], [249], [284], [286], [290], [440]
Peabody, Charles Edward, [342]
Radcliffe, B. Walter, [360]
Rogers, Bruce, [43], [128], [129], [148], [223], [224], [449-B], [451]
Roycroft Shop, [143], [456]
School of Printing, Boston, [42], [75], [335]
Seaver-Howland Press, [433], [434]
Sherbow, Benjamin, [152], [153], [236], [238], [247], [248], [380], [412], [413], [414], [420]
Smith Company, Eugene, [452]
Stetson Press, [225], [228]
Stillson Company, Robert L., [186]
Stutes, Edward W., [206], [350]
Taft, Henry D., [353]
Tapley Company, J. F., [344]
Taylor & Taylor, [163], [164], [194], [445], [446]
Trow Press, [140]
University Press, [41]
Updike, D. B., [70], [145], [146], [180], [181], [190], [191], [203], [215], [222], [227], [303], [314], [315]
Warde Press, [447]
Winchell, Edward Everett, [161], [162], [209]

PART ONE

THE SCRIBE AT WORK
Representing a secretary to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy and patron of learning, copying manuscript books at the Hague about the time typography was invented

WHEN BOOKS WERE WRITTEN

To many persons the words “Printing” and “Typography” are synonymous. The Standard dictionary, in its leading definition of the word “Printer,” says: “One engaged in the trade of typographical printing; one who sets type or runs a printing press; specifically a compositor.”

But in these days there are so many kinds of printers (lithographic printers, steel- and copper-plate printers, linotype printers, textile printers, etc.) that to define the sort of printer who does his work with type the use of the adjective “typographic” is necessary.

The word “typography” is derived from the Greek typos, or type; and graphe, or writing—type-writing. Typography, then, as I shall use it, means printing from movable, or separate, types.

The origin of typography may be open to dispute, but it is an undeniable fact that the art of printing with separate types was practiced at Mainz, Germany, during the years 1450–1455, and from there spread over Europe.

Before that period books were written by hand or printed from crudely engraved blocks of wood.

The thousand years preceding the invention of printing (the fifth to the fifteenth century) are known in history as the Middle Ages, and the first six centuries of this period (the fifth to the eleventh) are called the Dark Ages, because during those years civilization in Europe relapsed into semi-barbarism, and scientific, artistic and literary pursuits were almost entirely abandoned.

Latin had been the language of intellectual Europe up to the time of the fall of Rome (476 A.D.) and one of the influences that led up to this benighted period was that Southern Europe was overrun by so-called barbarians from Germania in the north—the Angles and Saxons, who settled in Britain; the Franks, Burgundians and Goths, who settled in Gaul (now France) and Germany; the Vandals who settled in Spain, and the Lombards, who settled in Italy.

In Italy, Spain and Gaul the Latin-speaking natives far outnumbered the invaders, and the Germanic conquerors were forced to learn something of Latin. The present languages of those countries are the result of that attempt. The language of the Germanic Angles and Saxons was used in Britain after their invasion of that country, but was modified by the French-speaking Normans who conquered England in the eleventh century. Thus Latin as a common language died.

Altho dead to most of the population of Europe, Latin was made the official language of the Christian church, and, during that period of the Middle Ages when French, Spanish, Italian and English were in a state of evolution, it afforded a means of keeping alive in written books the knowledge the world had gained before the dark curtain of ignorance was rung down.

Manuscript books are so-called from the Latin words manu scripti, meaning “written by hand,” and the initials of these two Latin words are frequently used for the word manuscript, i.e., “MS.”

The materials upon which books were written have at various times been clay, stone, wood, lead, skin, papyrus and paper.

ASSYRIAN CLAY TABLET
Showing the cuneiform (arrow-shaped) writing

Looking back six thousand years to the beginning of recorded time we find the Chaldeans (Babylonians and Assyrians) writing arrow-shaped characters with a sharp tri-pointed instrument upon damp clay, which was then made permanent by baking. In 1845 a library of baked clay tablets was discovered among the ruins of Nineveh. Thousands of these tablets have been collected in the British Museum, the most interesting of which is one which had been broken in eighteen pieces, containing an account of the Flood.

Twenty-five hundred years before the Christian era, when the great pyramids were being built, the Egyptians wrote upon papyrus, a plant growing on the banks of the Nile. The inner portion of the plant was stripped, the strips laid across each other, pressed and dried. The squares of material thus made were then joined together to form a long strip which was rolled around a rod.

Upon papyrus is written one of the oldest “books” in the world, “The Book of the Dead,” now in the British Museum. This is a literary work of a semi-sacred character, and copies were placed in the tombs with deceased Egyptians, whence its name. A reproduction of a portion of this book is given on page three.

Supposedly under the patronage of the Egyptian ruler, Rameses II., about thirteen hundred years before Christ, many books on religion, law, medicine and other subjects were written, and a great library was accumulated.

The Chinese wrote with a stylus or brush upon tablets of bamboo fiber. It is impossible accurately to determine the antiquity of Chinese methods, as the extravagant and often unsubstantiated claims of historians antedate those of modern discovery. Ink, paper, and printing from blocks were all supposedly invented by the Chinese early in the Christian era, and even the first use of separate types is credited to Pi-Shing, a Chinese blacksmith. It may be relevant to suggest that the old-time “blacksmith” joke and the printing-term “pi” are derived from this source.

Dressed skins and palm leaves were used by the Hindoos, and writings in Sanscrit were probably done in the temples by the Brahmins, the priests and philosophers of early India. The Vedas, sacred writings as old as 2000 B.C., formed a big portion of the Hindoo literature.

The Hebrews wrote upon stones and animal skins. In this manner they preserved the Old Testament portion of the Bible, and gave to posterity one of the most wonderful books ever written.

The ancient Phœnicians were commercial people, and being such did very little in producing literature; yet it is to them that we owe the present Roman alphabet. The illustration on a following page shows how this transition probably came about. There is a slight resemblance between some of the twenty-one characters in the Phœnician alphabet and certain picture writings of the Egyptians, whose hieroglyphic alphabet consisted of several hundred characters and was as cumbersome as is the Chinese alphabet with its several thousand characters.

The Greeks received their alphabet directly from the Phœnicians, there being a tradition that one Cadmus introduced it into Greece. Some writers claim that “Cadmus” merely signifies “the East” and does not refer to an individual. The names of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Beta, are similar to those of many other languages, and the word “alphabet” is derived from these two words.

In Greece, especially at Athens, before manuscripts became numerous, lectures and public readings were important features of intellectual life.

The poems of Homer, supposed to have been composed about 880 B.C., were not put into writing until 560 B.C., and during this period of more than three hundred years they were retained in the memory of bards, by whom they were sung or recited.

“Plutarch’s Lives,” one of the best known Greek literary works, was written in the second century, A.D.

The Greek nation is generally acknowledged to have been one of the most intellectual of ancient times, yet it is a peculiar fact that only the boys were given an education, the intellectual development of women being considered unnecessary.

Copying of manuscripts was often a labor of love. Demosthenes, the great philosopher, is said to have transcribed with his own hands the eight books of Thucydides on the history of the Peloponnesian War.

Many of the Greek manuscripts were written by scribes and copyists who were slaves, and some of these slaves developed much talent of a literary kind.

The Greeks imported papyrus as a writing material, until one of the Ptolemies, in the interests of the Alexandrian library, decreed that no papyrus should go out of Egypt. This led to the development of parchment, so named from the city of Pergamus, where it was first made. Parchment is the skin of calves, goats or sheep, cleaned and smoothed.

In the days of militant Greece, Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, and in the year 332 B.C. founded Alexandria. When at his death Alexander’s empire was divided among his generals, Egypt fell to the lot of Ptolemy, surnamed Soter. Thus began a dynasty of Egyptian kings known as Ptolemies, ending in 30 B.C. with the death of Cleopatra, the last of the line. The second Ptolemy, surnamed Philadelphus, founded the great Alexandrian library, which accumulated over five hundred thousand rolls of manuscript, mostly brought from Greece. The length of the rolls varied from small ones of two hundred lines to massive scrolls of one hundred and fifty feet when unwound.

There is a legend that Ptolemy Philadelphus was so impressed with the appearance of a roll of parchment containing in gold letters the sacred scriptures of the Hebrews, that, about 270 B.C., he caused their translation to be made into Greek. This, it is said, was done in Alexandria in seventy-two days by seventy-two learned Jews from Jerusalem. Hence the name “Septuagint,” which has always been applied to that Greek version of the Old Testament.

ANCIENT ROMAN READING A MANUSCRIPT ROLL
From a painting found at Pompeii

Julius Cæsar, the Roman conqueror, whom Shakespeare designated “the foremost man of all this world,” about the year 30 B.C. visited the city of Alexandria and became interested in Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen. This led to a war with King Ptolemy, and during a fierce battle Cæsar set fire to the Egyptian fleet. Unfortunately the flames extended to the Alexandrian library and destroyed the greater part of its magnificent collection of manuscripts.

Gradually after that, Rome superseded Alexandria as an intellectual center, as Alexandria had previously superseded Athens. The conquest of Greece, over a hundred years before, had been the cause of many Greek scholars and philosophers taking up their abode in Rome. This, with the fact that a great number of scribes and copyists had involuntarily come to the Eternal City because of the fortunes of war, helped to develop in the Romans an interest in literature.

During the period of Roman history identified with Julius Cæsar there were customs in manuscript making that are interesting in their suggestion of modern newspaper methods. In fact, Cæsar is credited with having been the founder of the newspaper.

He introduced the daily publication of the news of the Roman Senate and People, a radical change from the previous custom of issuing yearly news-letters known as the Annals. The acts of the senate were reported by trained writers known as tabularii, or inscribers of tablets, and were revised and edited before publication by a senator appointed to that duty. Abbreviated forms of writing were used in “reporting,” a sort of short-hand which enabled the scribe to write as rapidly as a man could speak. Cæsar himself wrote his letters in characters which prevented them being read by his enemies.

ROMAN WAXED TABLET
The present method of binding flat books might have originated with these old tablets

The “Acts of the Senate” grew into a diary of general news, known as the “Acts of the City,” and it is likely that the educated slaves in the families of public men were called into service to duplicate copies for circulation.

Altho the Emperor Augustus, who reigned in Rome at the beginning of the Christian era, discontinued publishing the Acts of the Senate, he encouraged the writing and copying of books to such extent that the period is a memorable one in literature. The classic authors, Virgil and Horace, wrote at that time, and many other important manuscripts were produced.

Slave labor was utilized for copying, and large editions of manuscript rolls were produced with an ease that rivaled the later method of the printing press. In such instances it was the custom for a reader to read aloud, to, say, one hundred trained writers. The possibilities of this process may be imagined. Horace allowed his slaves rations which were so meager that the entire cost of production, including papyrus and binding, of a small book was equivalent to about twelve cents in United States coin.

Thus it will be seen that in the days of the Roman Empire books were plentiful and cheap because of slave labor, just as they are cheap in modern times because of machinery.

For most of their books the Romans, as had the Egyptians and Greeks before them, used rolls of papyrus wound about rods.

Ordinarily these rods were made of wood, but for highly-prized manuscripts, rods made of ivory with gold balls at the ends were used, and the writing in such cases was on purple-colored parchment, elaborately decorated with gold or red ink.

The present style of flat sheet books might have originated with the use by the Romans of tablets of wood or metal, wax-coated, on which memoranda were scratched with the stylus. Several tablets were hinged together and the wax surface was protected by raised edges in the manner of the modern school slates (see illustration). This led to the use of several leaves of vellum fastened together and enclosed by richly carved ivory covers, a form that came into use about 300 A.D., shortly before Constantine removed the Roman capital to Constantinople. Constantinople naturally became the center of civilization, and the work of transcribing manuscripts was taken up in that city. In the eighth century the reigning emperor, in order to punish the transcribers for insubordination, caused the library at Constantinople to be “surrounded by vast piles of fagots, which being fired at a given signal, the whole building was totally destroyed, along with its twelve scribes and chief librarian and more than thirty thousand volumes of precious manuscripts.” It seems to have been a favorite method of punishment during the Middle Ages for those in authority to destroy valuable manuscripts.

While, as we have seen, with the fall of the Western Empire of Rome, the drift of literature was toward the East, there remained in the West a dim light that was kept burning thru the six hundred years so fittingly called the Dark Ages. This light came from the monasteries of Europe, in which little bands of devoted men were transcribing and decorating the holy writings used by the Christian church.

THE FAMOUS “BOOK OF THE DEAD”
Part of the seventeenth chapter of the “Book of the Dead,” showing hieroglyphics and illustrations. This book was written upon papyrus, and copies were placed by ancient Egyptians in tombs with their dead

The Christian church as an organization became powerful after the Roman Empire declined, and the monopoly of learning which the church possessed during the Dark Ages gave it such a superior knowledge and power that the Church of Rome granted authority to kings, and took it away, at its pleasure. A memorable instance of this power took place in the eleventh century, when Hildebrand, who as head of the church was known as Pope Gregory VII., forced Henry IV. of Germany, who had offended him, to seek pardon in a most humiliating manner. Henry stood barefoot in the snow for three days, before Hildebrand would pardon him.

On one occasion previous to the event mentioned above, Charlemagne (Charles the Great), king of the Franks, who was crowned by Pope Leo III. and saluted as Emperor of the West, was so mistakenly zealous in extending along with his own kingdom that of the Lowly Nazarene, that he ordered the hanging of more than four thousand prisoners before the Saxons would consent to be baptized and conquered.

EVOLUTION OF THE ALPHABET
This table shows how the present-day Roman alphabet came to us from the ancient Phœnicians

Latin as a language is dead, so far as the secular world is concerned, but since the seventh century it has been the official language of the Church of Rome. All manuscripts produced by monks after that time, whether written in Britain, Germany or Italy, are in Latin, and the services of the Roman Catholic Church are conducted in that language even today. In the year 1080, the King of Bohemia asked Hildebrand, the Papal head of the church, for permission to have the services performed in the language of the people. This request Hildebrand refused, saying: “It is the will of God that his word should be hidden, lest it should be despised if read by every one.”

In 1229 a council of the church published a decree which not only strictly forbade the translation of the Bible into a “vulgar tongue,” but also forbade all but the clergy to have copies in their possession.

In spite of these mandates, translations of various portions of the Bible were made into common tongues, but at great risk. William Tyndale set about to translate the Bible into English, vowing that ere many years he would cause the plough-boy to know more of the Scriptures than did the priests. By 1526 he had completed the New Testament, but his books were burned in the public squares as soon as completed. Ten years later Tyndale was burned, as had been his books.

The Art & Practice of Typography / A Manual of American Printing, Including a Brief History up to the Twentieth Century, with Reproductions of the Work of Early Masters of the Craft, and a Practical Discussion and an Extensive Demonstration of the Modern Use of Type-faces and Methods of Arrangement

The ART & PRACTICE of
TYPOGRAPHY
A Manual of American Printing
INCLUDING A BRIEF HISTORY UP TO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, WITH REPRODUCTIONS OF THE WORK OF EARLY MASTERS OF THE CRAFT, AND A PRACTICAL DISCUSSION AND AN EXTENSIVE DEMONSTRATION OF THE MODERN USE OF TYPE-FACES AND METHODS OF ARRANGEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS

LIST OF REPRODUCTIONS

LIST OF DESIGNERS

PART ONE

WHEN BOOKS WERE WRITTEN

The Art & Practice of Typography / A Manual of American Printing, Including a Brief History up to the Twentieth Century, with Reproductions of the Work of Early Masters of the Craft, and a Practical Discussion and an Extensive Demonstration of the Modern Use of Type-faces and Methods of Arrangement

The ART & PRACTICE ofTYPOGRAPHYA Manual of American PrintingINCLUDING A BRIEF HISTORY UP TO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, WITH REPRODUCTIONS OF THE WORK OF EARLY MASTERS OF THE CRAFT, AND A PRACTICAL DISCUSSION AND AN EXTENSIVE DEMONSTRATION OF THE MODERN USE OF TYPE-FACES AND METHODS OF ARRANGEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS

LIST OF REPRODUCTIONS

LIST OF DESIGNERS

PART ONE

WHEN BOOKS WERE WRITTEN

The ART & PRACTICE of
TYPOGRAPHY
A Manual of American Printing
INCLUDING A BRIEF HISTORY UP TO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, WITH REPRODUCTIONS OF THE WORK OF EARLY MASTERS OF THE CRAFT, AND A PRACTICAL DISCUSSION AND AN EXTENSIVE DEMONSTRATION OF THE MODERN USE OF TYPE-FACES AND METHODS OF ARRANGEMENT