EXAMPLE 136
A text-page in modern roman. By Colonial Press
EXAMPLE 137
A text-page in old-style type-faces. By Colonial Press
Examples [130] and [131].—Two pages from a book issued by a prominent publishing house and printed by a prominent press. They are reproduced for the purpose of pointing out a fault common to a majority of books of the present day—inharmonious typography. While the text pages are consistent in the use of plain modern roman, the title-page with no regard for the face used on the text pages is composed in Caslon roman and modernized old-style. It would seem that, true to the title, the printer had aimed to present three representative type-faces used during a hundred years. And, to make matters worse, the cover contains an elaborate twentieth century design. Why do not publishers realize that these things are wrong? Why do not printers realize it? After the six hundred pages of this book had been set in modern roman, the cost of setting a title-page also in modern roman would have been ridiculously small. Printers doing work for publishers should provide display faces to match their machine letters, or else when buying matrices of a body face, assure themselves that display faces may also be had. Artists, too, should be cautioned to make their design not only after the motive suggested by the literary contents of the book, but also after the typography (which should of course be based upon the literary motive).
EXAMPLE 138
Title-page with an Italian motive. By Oswald Press, New York
Examples [132] and [133].—Two pages in style composite Colonial and modern. Relation between the reading pages and the title-page is established thru use of type of the same series and also by adapting the flower decoration to the running head. Certain books lend themselves to decoration; this is one of them, because it is of the entertaining sort. Serious books, such as those on the subjects of law, medicine and science, should have no decoration. The wise book typographer will not use decoration unless he comprehends just what he is doing.
EXAMPLE 139
Page from a children’s book, designed and written by Will Bradley
Examples [134] and [135].—J. H. Nash, who designed the typography of the book of which these two pages are a part, produced results that are exceptionally good from a typographic point of view. The border as seen in Example [134] was used on the title, introduction and contents pages, and the border in Example [135] was used thruout the text pages. The crossed-line border effect was even adapted to the frontispiece. The title-page is an excellent example of consistent typography; not a line of lower-case is to be found on the page, and prominence is proportionately given the title of the book and the names of author and publishers. The reading matter is set within six points of the rule border, that the page should have but one margin. If the space between type and border were larger it would give the appearance of another margin. The initial letters assist the reader in locating the beginning of each story.