French Renaissance Printing Types: A Conspectus

4to (29.5 cm), 471 pp. Publisher's cloth, gilt-lettered spine. Comprehensive and authoritative study of sixteenth-century typefounding and typography. The conspectus opens with substantial introductory chapters discussing the surviving sources, the historical development of type-casting and letter-engraving in the sixteenth century, and the methodological framework of the study. These are followed by detailed biographical notices of seventeen punchcutters, ranging from major figures such as Colines, Garamont, and Granjon to lesser-known but significant craftsmen including Vatel, Gryphius, and Du Boys. The core of the volume comprises facsimiles and analyses of 409 typefaces--216 Roman, 88 Italic, 61 Greek, 41 Hebrew, 2 Arabic, and one phonetic type. Each typeface is accompanied by a concise yet informative entry identifying its letter family, size, punchcutter (or eponym), first appearance in printed books or type specimens, and the survival of original materials such as punches or matrices. For approximately two-thirds of the typefaces, references to the relevant modern scholarly literature are also provided. All typefaces are illustrated, many with multiple examples demonstrating their use in contemporary printing. This richly documented work constitutes a fundamental reference for the history of Renaissance typography, type design, and printing.…