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Type Revivals
An indispensable guide to hundreds of important modern versions of earlier typefaces, presenting clear and concise discussions of origins, permutations, and contemporary digital availability.
For typographers, revival type forms an integral part of their font repertoire. Older classics such as Baskerville, Garamond, and Bodoni are imbedded fonts in standard operating system collections and continue to serve their users well, being the trusted go-to tools of the best professional designers.
Yet all revivals are digital interpretations of lost originals. In almost every case, there is, and has to be, considerable selection, revising, and re-formatting involved. The nature of such work is little understood or appreciated.
The definition, application, and use of type revivals has been neglected until now. No one selecting a typeface, or using type, should be without Jerry Kelly’s Type Revivals .
For typographers, revival type forms an integral part of their font repertoire. Older classics such as Baskerville, Garamond, and Bodoni are imbedded fonts in standard operating system collections and continue to serve their users well, being the trusted go-to tools of the best professional designers.
Yet all revivals are digital interpretations of lost originals. In almost every case, there is, and has to be, considerable selection, revising, and re-formatting involved. The nature of such work is little understood or appreciated.
The definition, application, and use of type revivals has been neglected until now. No one selecting a typeface, or using type, should be without Jerry Kelly’s Type Revivals .
189 pages, Hardcover
Published October 31, 2019
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 28, 2020
Garamond, Bodoni, Caslon are all names of fonts we see regularly, along with dozens of others, on our computers. Palatino, Goudy, Bell can be type choices we select each and every day on computer. Each of these types originated in designs of the 15th and 16th centuries and were revived in the late 19th and early 20th because they are beautiful and highly readable. Jerry Kelly does a masterful job cataloguing, demonstrating, and explaining the history and uses of these and many other historically important type designs (fonts).
The book is illustrated with many sample pages of these types from their original printings. For example, on page 66 is a full page from a book printed by Nicolas Jenson (1420-1480) of Venice, which is during the era of the beginnings of book printing in western culture. Also included, and laboriously gathered by Kelly, is a chart of type comparisons of individual letters from their first use to 20th century digital formats.
So who could use such information besides typofiles (students of the history of type design)? Anyone interested in western culture history; after all, the printed book is central to our inherited culture. Book lovers in general to broaden their understanding of the printed object they love so dearly. Anyone who must use type to design any sort of publication, whether professional or for a local charitable or religious newsletter. And certainly all writers interested in having their writing published. This latter is especially important as it will give the writer her/himself an amount of authority in requesting their publisher use a true font designed for books and not for headlines or advertisements (fonts such Helvetica, Futura and other san-serif designs), or fonts designed for newspaper's short columns (Times, Times New Roman) that do not lend themselves well to book-page widths.
As with so many of David R. Godine, Publisher's productions, Type Revivals is a beautifully printed book, a small piece of art in and of itself.
Highly Recommended.
The book is illustrated with many sample pages of these types from their original printings. For example, on page 66 is a full page from a book printed by Nicolas Jenson (1420-1480) of Venice, which is during the era of the beginnings of book printing in western culture. Also included, and laboriously gathered by Kelly, is a chart of type comparisons of individual letters from their first use to 20th century digital formats.
So who could use such information besides typofiles (students of the history of type design)? Anyone interested in western culture history; after all, the printed book is central to our inherited culture. Book lovers in general to broaden their understanding of the printed object they love so dearly. Anyone who must use type to design any sort of publication, whether professional or for a local charitable or religious newsletter. And certainly all writers interested in having their writing published. This latter is especially important as it will give the writer her/himself an amount of authority in requesting their publisher use a true font designed for books and not for headlines or advertisements (fonts such Helvetica, Futura and other san-serif designs), or fonts designed for newspaper's short columns (Times, Times New Roman) that do not lend themselves well to book-page widths.
As with so many of David R. Godine, Publisher's productions, Type Revivals is a beautifully printed book, a small piece of art in and of itself.
Highly Recommended.
Displaying 1 of 1 review