ABC: A Selection of Alphabets of Type Faces installed in the Composing Department, City of Birmingham School of Printing, College of Arts and Crafts, Margaret St.

CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SCHOOL OF PRINTING

Published by City of Birmingham School of Printing, College of Arts and Crafts, Birmingham, 1950

About this Item

Concertina folding pamphlet (25 x 16.5cm), [pp. 8]. Title page lettered in orange, others printed in black. Gently toned, some offsetting, especially to final page. Else, clean. Very good. Unusual. A lovely example of this attractive mid-century concertina folding pamphlet, showcasing 21 alphabets of type faces installed in the Composing Department at the City of Birmingham School of Printing, including Cloister Old Style. Typefounders'., Gill Sans Light and Bold. Monotype., Bodoni. Linotype., and Madonna Bold. Typefounders'; likely produced under the aegis of Leonard Jay, who was appointed the first head of the Birmingham School of Printing, "the largest centre of printing outside London," in 1925; he would remain in post until his retirement in 1953. From the library of Birmingham-based artists Catherine and Ernest Hill (though without inscription). Ernest F. Hill, RBSA (1873-1960) was a British painter, arts educator and Vice President of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RSBA). An early Newlyn group member, he worked primarily in watercolour, favouring British landscape and coastal scenes; he exhibited at the Royal Academy until 1946, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, but his paintings were most often hung in Birmingham (CAI, 2021). Hill was Headmaster of the prestigious Bournville School of Art and Crafts, and was well-connected in regional cultural networks, as well as with the Cadbury family. Less in known of Catherine Hill, who was a watercolour artist, print maker and book binder. Their library reflected these interests, featuring numerous arts and crafts, typographical and fine press books, often in excellent condition, thanks to the addition of hand-marbled or clear wrappers.

Seller Inventory # 3338

Bibliographic Details

• Title: ABC: A Selection of Alphabets of Type Faces installed in the Composing Department, City of Birmingham School of Printing, College of Arts and Crafts, Margaret St.
• Publisher: City of Birmingham School of Printing, College of Arts and Crafts, Birmingham
• Publication Date: 1950
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Arts & Crafts
  • Ephemera