Volume 182402

Typographia: or the printers' instructor, including an account of the origin of printing. With biographical notices of the printers of England, from Caxton to the close of the sixteenth century: a series of ancient and modern alphabets, and Domesday characters: together with an elucidation of every subject connected with the art / By J. Johnson, printer.

  • John Johnson
Date:
1824
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Typographia: or the printers' instructor, including an account of the origin of printing. With biographical notices of the printers of England, from Caxton to the close of the sixteenth century: a series of ancient and modern alphabets, and Domesday characters: together with an elucidation of every subject connected with the art / By J. Johnson, printer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    30/692 (page 10)
    BLACK LETTER. This letter, which is used in Englanv, vez scended from the Gothic characters: tt is callem Gothic, by some; and Old English, by others; but Printers term tt Black Wetter, on account off its taking a larger compass than either Romaw or Ltalte, the full and spreading strokes thereoti appearing more black upon paper. On the tn troduction of the Roman character, its use begat to Decline, and tt was seldom used etcept in Hawe works, particularly Statute Haw: tt was att length expelled from these, and only made its: appearance tn the heads of Statutes, &e. According to the predictions of all our predeces-. sors, it was reasonable to conclude that it would, ere: this, have been banished from every office, and con-- signed to rest in Oblivion’s tomb, with its parent thee Gothic, which, in the primitive time of printing, was} the established character, and prevailed against the» Latin ; which had been first introduced in Spain, by; Alphonsus VI, 1080, when that Prince put an end! to writing in Gothic characters throughout his domi-- nions. This opinion might have been fulfilled, hadi not our founders produced tiie above modern Black ;? which so captivated the printers, that it immediately ; became in general use, being cast in all the various: sizes, both Full-faced and Open. Upon the gradual improvement of metal types, , our Founders (emulating each other) in addition to » their plain two-line letters, commenced cutting open) letters of almost every size: yet here their exertions: did not end, they have now taken [nearly] the whole : range of Fancy, in bringing forward ornamented let- - ters of every size and description, together with a new ' character, which they term Egyptian : this latter is all | the rage at present, particularly in placards, jobs, &c. . a