Custom Lettering of the 40s & 50s
Language: English
Published by Fiell Publishing limited, Location Not Specified, 2010
- Softcover
- Used
Seller: Heart of Gold Books, Saskatoon, SK, CanadaHeart of Gold Books
AbeBooks seller since January 20, 2026
Condition: Used - Good
US$ 108.38
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Condition: covers rubbed. Back cover, head and heel of spine creased(see photos). A visual reference and celebration of the hand-drawn headline lettering that flourished before the advent of digital typography. Featuring more than 4,500 examples of custom lettering from the 1940s and 1950s, the book showcases an extraordinary range of styles—from bold block capitals and elegant scripts to expressive brush lettering and inventive display designs. It serves as both an inspiring archive and an invaluable resource for designers, typographers, lettering enthusiasts, and collectors of vintage graphic art.
Seller Inventory # 0083
- Title
- Custom Lettering of the 40s & 50s
- Author
- Hughes, Rian [Editor]
- Publisher
- Fiell Publishing limited, Location Not Specified
- Publication year
- 2010
- Condition
- Good
- Binding
- Soft cover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1906863318
- ISBN 13
- 9781906863319
- Item weight
- 4.299 pounds
- Dimensions
- 9.09 inches width by 9.24 inches height by 1.56 inches depth
"A labour of loving typographic archaeology by the type designer and illustrator Rian Hughes" Eye, Winter 2010/2011
Custom Lettering of the 40s & 50s is a celebration of the stunning and stylistically varied headline lettering that predated modern computer type. Each a unique one-off, custom hand-drawn lettering had a stylistic freedom and creative energy unfettered by traditional typographic rules and regulations.
This unique publication collects over 4,500 examples of custom lettering - from urgent rough block capitals to sophisticated looping copperplate scripts, elegant fashion brush scripts and dynamic illustrative sans serifs, the extraordinary range of graphic styles is as exciting as it is stylistically diverse.
Custom Lettering of the 40s & 50s is an essential handbook for typographers, graphic designers, art directors, design students, and, of course, retro culture fans, lettering aficionados and printed ephemera collectors.
Text in English, German & French.
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Heart of Gold Books
Saskatoon, SK, Canada
AbeBooks seller since January 20, 2026
Shipping rates from Canada to U.S.A.
| Item | 7 to 14 business days | 5 to 7 business days |
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Heart of Gold Books
SK, Canada