The Art & Practice of Typography

by Edmund G. Gress

A Manual of American Printing, Including a Brief History up to the Twentieth Century, with Reproductions of the Work of Early Masters of the Craft, and a Practical Discussion and an Extensive Demonstration of the Modern Use of Type-faces and Methods of Arrangement

Edmund G. Gress, editor of the trade magazine The American Printer, published The Art and Practice of Typography as a manual of American printing, and this second edition appeared in 1917. The first part offers a brief history of the craft, from the age when books were written by hand through the invention of typography, its spread across Europe and the work of the early masters, illustrated with reproductions of their pages. The larger part is a practical guide to the modern use of type faces and methods of arrangement in books, catalogs, stationery, posters and advertisements, with hundreds of examples. It is a rich document of American printing in the age of the arts and crafts revival. The full text is available to read online in your browser on Vinteuil, and the first chapter is free.