![]() I originally found it hysterically funny when reading that the first book about Baskerville was set in Caslon.Īfter reading more accounts after his death, it wasn’t as funny. John Baskerville was an Atheist that was buried in his backyard at his request. According to Meggs, many of John Baskerville’s printing methods were lost at the time of his death in 1775. This combination produced dense lettering printed on smooth, glossy paper that was uncharacteristic of printing stock of its time. He also developed the first hand woven hot press papers. At this time, he developed his own printing inks through trial and error. ![]() He began experimentation in printing later in life during his mid forties. The treatment of serifs is new: they flow smoothly out of the major strokes and terminate as refined points” (Meggs, 128).īaskerville was a meticulous craftsman than took pride in his book making. In comparison with earlier designs, his types are wider, the weight contrast between thick and thin strokes is increased, and the placement of the thickest part of the letter is different. His letters possessed a new elegance and lightness. “Baskerville’s type designs, which bear his name to this day, represent the zenith of the transitional style bridging the gap between Old Style and modern type design. I also agree with my partner 100% that Caslon “lacks the flair and gracefulness of Baskerville” (Ferrell).Īlthough the two gentlemen that created these typefaces shared similar backgrounds, Baskerville produced a higher quality product. It has smoother serifs than wedge-serifs of Caslon. I found that I am more naturally drawn to Baskerville. I decided to examine the two fonts more closely out of curiosity. Prior to reading William’s post, I personally never took the time to compare the two designs. These two Transitional fonts represent the most prominent from the 18th century. William Ferrell does a more than adequate job contrasting and comparing both Caslon and Baskerville.
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