A history of alphabets from around the world
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A history of alphabets from around the world | |
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The Alphabet and Elements of Lettering by Frederic W. Goudy Chapter 7: The Development of Gothic, page 3 Late Gothic is narrow and condensed in the extreme, the letters have angular & acute corners, and the ascenders and descenders are shortened with marked loss of legibility. [See fig. 33.] When a form was evolved in which the amount of black overbalanced the white, it
The large word "Alphabet" on the title page of this book, drawn by the writer, is based on the Gothic lettering shown in the plates and illustrates the slight changes necessary to give an entirely fresh aspect to traditional forms. The lower-case letters are variations of the Italian round hand. "Tory Text," by F.W. G. [see fig. 32, p. 64], is based on the sixteenth-century "lettres bâtardes" of Geofroy Tory of Bourges as shown in his book, 'Champ Fleury,' on the correct proportions of letters - "the most useless and most curious work on lettering in existence." I have made many departures in my translations of Tory's letters into type, simplifying the forms and redrawing a number to meet the requirements of legibility for modern eyes. Continue to page 4 |
The Alphabet and Elements of Lettering by Frederic W. Goudy Introduction What Letters Are Letters in General The Development of the Roman Capital Letters Before Printing The National Hands The Development of Gothic The Beginnings of Types The Qualities of Lettering Some Practical Considerations Notes on the Plates |
