EXAMPLE 464-B
Proportions of Roman capitals as found in the Trajan alphabet, and a few additional letters
EXAMPLE 465
Evolution of Roman lower-case type-faces. (A) Pen-made Roman capitals. (B) Development into Minuscules or lower-case thru rapid lettering. (C) Black Letter or German Text developed from Roman Uncials. (D) White Letter, the open, legible Caroline Minuscules, on which Jenson based his Roman type-face of 1470. (E) A recent type-face closely modeled on Jenson’s Roman types. (F) Joseph Moxon’s letters of 1676. (G) Caslon’s type-face of 1722
The face first selected—and without hesitation—was Caslon Oldstyle as originally designed. Scotch Roman was the second selection, Cheltenham Oldstyle the third, Cloister Oldstyle the fourth, Bodoni Book the fifth, and French Oldstyle the sixth. (All shown in Example [467].)
Type-faces designed and cut for private use were not considered in making these selections, as it was believed best to adhere to type-faces that are procurable from most foundries and that are available for machine composition. It may be well to inject here a warning that most so-called Caslon Oldstyles are not as good as the one selected (Example [467-B]); that Jenson Oldstyle is inferior to Cloister Oldstyle (Example [467-A]) as a representative of the original Jenson type. However, good representatives of Scotch Roman (Example [467-D]) are obtainable under the name of Wayside, of National Roman, etc.
EXAMPLE 466
Two standard type-faces that rate high in legibility, but that are colorless in the mass and lacking in the pleasing irregularities of form that characterized Roman type-faces before the nineteenth century. The various qualities of legibility found in Modernized Oldstyle have been converted to narrower letter shapes and more “modern” form in Century Expanded
EXAMPLE 467
Six standard representative Roman type-faces, approved by authorities for both beauty and legibility, and selected by the author from the thousands of type-faces available for hand and machine composition
Selection of these faces was also made just as a person makes a wise selection of records for a Victrola—for permanency and investment. As standard records can be selected which will “wear” for a long time, so standard type-faces can be selected which will look well for many years. Good type-faces are like good music.