A History of the Old English Letter Foundries

A History of the Old English Letter Foundries was first published in 1887. Writing as an enthusiastic amateur historian, and wholly incorporating Edward Rowe Mores' classic 1778 Dissertation on English Typographical Founders and Foundries, Reed inspected a multitude of type specimens to supplement the veracity of his mostly bibliographical presentation.

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Talbot Baines Reed wrote in a period of transition when hot metal typesetting and offset printing were transforming the scale and scope of printing. In the previous 350 years, England had experienced civil war and started the Industrial Revolution. The dissemination of printed information and learning is inextricable to this history, and the art with which this was done is a quintessential part of English culture. Reed is distinctly aware of the great debt that his contemporaries had to the early typographers (notable among them William Caslon - considered the first great English typographer - and John Baskerville), and everywhere in his work is this shown in his meticulous and unstinting presentation of the fascinating details of their artistic exploration and expression. Modern readers will enjoy the technical and historical insight this work affords, and also find the style and presentation fresh and engaging.