is always printed sideways (
), whereas in the two following books it appears correctly.
During the two years that Rood printed under his own name alone, he made use of a compressed Black-letter of English body, type , with which, in the Ales and Lattebury, he combined a larger Black, type [c], on Double English body for chapter-headings or initials.
Type disappeared entirely at the close of Rood’s solitary labours. Type [c], however, was preserved; we find it used in single letters, or very sparsely in two later works.
27. Colophon of Lyndewode’s Constitutiones. Oxford, 1482 (?). Showing the types [c], [d], [e], [f].]
Rood and Hunte inaugurated their partnership by the introduction of two {139} new founts of Black-letter, types [d] and [e], or rather one fount having one size of capitals, and a small and large size of “lower-case,” all cast on the same body, about a Pica, and capable of being used interchangeably. Subsequently they used another double fount, types [f] and [g], cast in the same manner, [f] being the small, and [g] the large “lower-case,” with one size of capitals for both, all cast on a body closely corresponding to Great Primer. The character of this letter is decidedly Caxtonian, and suggests the possibility that at this stage of their labours the printers may have learned the art of making their own type. Type [f] had been in use for some time in combination with [c], [d] and [e], before type [g] appeared. The accompanying facsimile from the Lyndewode shows types [c], [d], [e] and [f].
We thus find that the seven early Oxford types reduce themselves to four principal founts, and one fount of initial letter, of which the following table will briefly sum up the typographical details :
| TYPE. | CHARACTER. | APPROXIMATE BODY. | NOTES. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
a | Cologne Black | English | Used with no other type. | |
b | Narrow Dutch Black | English | Used alone or with [c] for headlines. | |
c | Heading and Initial Black | 2-line English | Used chiefly with , also with [d], [e], [f]. | |
d | Small lower-case Dutch Black | With one set of Capitals. | Pica | Used chiefly with [e], also with [f] and [g]. |
e | Large lower-case Dutch Black | Pica | Used chiefly with [d], also with [f]. | |
f | Small lower-case Caxtonian Black | With one set of Capitals. | Great Primer. | Used chiefly with [g], also with [d] and [e]. |
g | Large lower-case Caxtonian Black | Great Primer. | Used chiefly with [f], also with [d]. | |