Alphabets to Order

This survey combines typographic scholarship and literary criticism to present and discuss hundreds of examples of text, from the arcane to the mundane. The eclectic typography revealed foreshadows many contemporary designs, particularly in poetry and graphic design.

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One of the most peculiar classes of lierature in the 19th century was the specimen book, issued by typefounders to show the styles of type available for sale. This entertaining survey combines typographic scholarship and literary criticism to discuss hundreds of examples of text, from the arcane to the mundane and the texts can be read with a poetic as well as a typographic sensibility.