Palatino: The Natural History of a Typeface

First Edition, 2016. 296 pages. Book measures 6 x 9.25 inches. Red cloth. Signed by Bringhurst on the title page.

Robert Bringhurst traces Palatino’s development, with all its infinite permutations, and often invisible refinements through a long and fascinating history of variations, imitations, and conflations―from hot metal, through the brief interlude of film setting and finally into the digital world. Included are many photographs and type specimens tracing the evolution of the typeface, its slight changes for the American market, and other nuances which highlight the genius of Hermann Zapf. This book is also an interesting look into the heyday of the Stempel Type foundry, where all of Zapf’s faces were cut. This wonderful book contains a fully illustrated account of Palatino and its extended family, including Michelangelo, Sistina, Aldus, Heraklit, Phidias, Zapf Renaissance, PostScript Palatino, Palatino and Aldus Nova, and Palatino Sans. Included with the text are over 200 illustrations of design sketches, working drawings, smoke proofs and test prints, matrices, foundry and Linotype patterns.

Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. Binding is square and tight.