we ſhall paſs by {p197} Caxton, who, as Everybody knows, introduced movable Types into England in the ſeventh Year of the fourth Edward, make but brief Mention of Caſlon (1692–1766), who about the Year 1720, made Matrices and call genuine and beautiful old-ſtyle Type,—and come dire
ly to the Fa
that, in 1843, an Engliſh Printer deſired to reprint in Old Style a Book of the Time of Charles II. The old Matrices of Caſlon were found (v. Brit. Encyc.), and from them a Font was caſt, which, with improved Preſſes, etc., gave a better Impreſſion than had been obtained in Caſlon’s Time. Since then (1843), the Demand for Old Style has ſteadily increaſed, both in England and America, and our Founders have produced a modernized Old Style; in which, however, it is thought by many that Legibility has been ſacrificed to Beauty and general Effe
. Our Purpoſe here is to treat of the earlier Style, which ſtill reaches Printing-offices occaſionally as Copy, and in which Programmes for “Old Folks’ Concerts,” and alſo ſome Pamphlets, are printed even in theſe Days.
In Old Style, s final is a ſhort s; in all other Parts of a Word, even if it is the laſt Letter of a Syllable of a Word divided at the End of a Line, the long, kerned “ſ” is uſed. To prevent breaking the Kern the long “ſ” was caſt in the ſame {p198} Matrix with ſuch Letters as it would otherwiſe interfere with,—the two, or in Caſe of double ſ the three, Letters forming one Type; juſt as “f” is now ligated to other Letters, as fi, ffl, etc.
And here, while ſpeaking of Ligatures, we would fain digreſs a Moment,—even at the Expenſe of lengthening our old-ſtyle Chapter,—to remark that there are ſome interfering Combinations for which Ligatures have not been caſt. We have ſeen Book-catalogues in which the Word “Illuſtrated” frequently occurred, having the Kerns of the italic I and its Neighbor l, one or both, broken off. The ſame happens when the Word “Illinois” is ſet in italic, unleſs the Compoſitor inſert a thin Space to keep the Letters from encroaching on each other’s Territory. The ſame Method muſt be obſerved when the Combination of f with b, h, or k, is met with; as in Hofburg, Hofhoof, and Hoffkirchen; otherwiſe one or more Letters will preſent a mutilated Appearance on the Proof-ſheet.