It is important that types should have a deep face, with strong, bevelled bases or foundations under the ceriphs or hairlines, and that the letters should have a deep nick, which should be different from other founts of like body in the same house.
ITALIC LETTER.
Aldo Manuccio, born at Bassano, succeeded Jenson at Venice and turned to good account the latter’s admirable founts of type. He also made many advances in the art of printing, the most notable of which is the invention of the style of type now known as Italic. It was first used in an octavo edition of Virgil issued by him in 1501, and Pope Leo X. gave him a letter of privilege, entitling him to the sole use of the type he had invented. It was said to be founded on the handwriting of Petrarch, which it closely resembles.
Italic was largely employed to distinguish such parts of a book as might be considered appendages, as Prefaces, Introductions, Annotations, &c., all of which were formerly printed in this character; so that perhaps two-fifths of a fount was composed of Italic letter.
At present it is used more sparingly, being superseded by the more elegant mode of enclosing extracts within inverted commas, and by setting poetry and annotations in a smaller-sized type. It is very appropriately used to distinguish the head or subject-matter of a chapter, and is serviceable in grammars and other school-books as well as scientific works. The frequent use of Italic words among Roman in ordinary matter impairs the beauty of the page, and ought to be avoided; yet authors sometimes stubbornly insist on the gratification of their whimsies, even at the sacrifice of every principle of correct taste.
BLACK LETTER.
This letter, which was used in the infancy of Printing, descended from the Gothic characters: it is called Gothic by some, and Old English by others; but printers term it Black Letter, on account of its heavy appearance.
In Germany, the letters in common use are founded on the Gothic character; but even there scientific works are printed in the German language with Roman letters.
The Dutch adhere to the black letter in books of devotion and religious treatises; while they make use of the Roman in their curious and learned works.