Italian Wood Type Specimen Books?
Ciao friends!
I was hoping to source some Italian Wood Type Specimen books. I definitely don’t have to budget to buy the real deal, so I figured a specimen book could be the next best thing—although the vintage books can also be quite spendy! I’d be chuffed to bits to have a newer issue book (reproduction), as I really just want to find inspiration from their Art Deco and Nouveau fonts.
Online searches have been less than fruitful! I prefer books rather than a conglomerate of websites with digital fonts. I like to have a thing I can peruse with a morning coffee on a Saturday. I’ve attached some images of the fonts I’m really enamored with thanks to following wonderful Italian letterpress printers on Instagram. This should give you an idea of what I’m after— the Italians really know their type design, I’m head over heels!
I hope to make a pilgrimage to Tipoteca one day, perhaps taking one of the summer workshops they have been offering. But until then I’d like to know if anyone in our community knows where a gal like me can get her hands on some specimens of Italian wood type in book format
Grazie Mille! (My Duolingo progress in Italian is very rudimentary)
-Christa
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You may enjoy the recording of this recent virtual presentation from Letterform Archive: https://letterformarchive.org/shop/alfabeti-modernisti-italiani/
A book is in the works but not out yet, as far as I know.
Here’s info on the book: https://lazydog.eu/en/product/the-nebiolo-typefoundry-1878-1978-new-crit...
Also, keep an eye on Bibliophagist- he has a good selection of specimens and other printing related stuff!
https://www.bibliophagist.com/searchResults.php?category_id=571&action=b...
Luca Lattuga in Italy has got a large collection of type specimens of Italian manufactureres.
Furthermore, the University Library of Amsterdam has got a most magnificent collection as well.
Check it out here: https://uba.uva.nl/en/search-the-collection/about-our-collection/about-o...
Not only do they house the so-called Tetterode Collectie, but also have the archives of type designers like Gerard Unger, Bram de Does, de Roos etc.
An excellent book on the subject of Italian wood type is:
Alphabets of Wood
Luigi Melchiori & the history of Italian wood type
James Clough and Chiara Scattolin
Tipoteca Italiana
ISBN 978-88-95932-04-0
208 pages, hardbound, with several sections printed in letterpress from the original wood type in the collection of the Tipoteca.
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