A FOUNT OF LETTER, AS CONSIDERED BY

LETTER FOUNDERS.

A COMPLETE fount of letter is comprised under nine heads, in which is contained the following sorts:

1. Capitals.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q RSTU V W X Y Z Æ ŒŒE.

2. Small Capitals.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q
RSTU V W X Y Z ECE.
3. Lower Case.

abcdefghijklmnopqrst

u v w x y z œ œ &.

6. Four kinds of spaces..7. M and n quadrats. 8. Large quadrats, two, three, and four m's. 9. Accents.

These are the ordinary sorts cast to a fount of letter, and which the founders divide into long, short, ascending, descending, and kerned letters.

LONG LETTERS.

LONG LETTERS are those which take up the whole depth of their bodies, and are both ascending and descending, such in the Roman, as Q and J, in letter of the old cut; but in the Italic, besides these capitals, fis a long lower-case letter.

SHORT LETTERS.

SHORT LETTERS are all such as have their face cast on the middle of their square metal, by founders called shank, as, a, c, e, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, x, z, all which will admit of being bearded above and below their face, both in Roman and Italic.

ASCENDING LETTERS.

ASCENDING LETTERS are all the Roman and Italic capitals; in the lower case, b, d, f, h, i, k, l, t.

DESCENDING LETTERS.

DESCENDING LETTERS are g, j, p, q, y, in Roman and Italic. Ascending letters, in founts of the old cut, when they happen to stand under descending letters, are liable to be damaged; to prevent which the compositor should vary his spaces.

KERNED LETTERS.

KERNED LETTERS are such as have part of their face hanging over either one or both sides of their square metal or shank. In Roman, f and j are the only kerned letters; but in Italic, d, g, j, l, y, are kerned on one side, and ƒ on both sides of its face.

Casting of the above sorts being attended with considerable trouble, accounts for the founders sending so few of them in a fount of letter, when in fact they require a larger number than their casting bill specifies; their beaks being liable to accidents, especially the Roman f, when at the end of a line. Kerned letters of the Italic, especially f, g, j and y, are also subject to the same risk.

Most Italic capitals are kerned on one side of their face; but none ought to be more attended to than F, T, V, W, and Y, that their angles may not fall upon an ascending letter, that may stand next to them.

The kerning of letters, it must be owned, may serve many good purposes; of which the following are not altogether undeserving notice:

1. In mathematical and algebraical works, where letters, figures, &c. are expressed according to the signification which they have either over or under them, and might be put more safely over or under

kerned characters, than be justified to them, which would render the composing of algebra more easy, and the work would have a more solid appearance.

2. In etymological dictionaries, the vowels, as well of large as of small capitals, might be kerned, to make room for the accent which governs the pronunciation of a word, whereby the separation which the acute makes between each letter, would be prevented.

3. In Hebrew, one alphabet kerned on one side, and another on both sides, with vowels cast in the nature of Greek accents, would make room for the proper vowels to be put under consonants more readily than by justifying them, in separate lines, to their places. But kerned letters will not afford proper room for vowels and accents too, therefore the accents are justified over and under the respective places, when their quality is expressed.

That some founders have been more liberal than others in kerning letters, appears from the care they have shewn in preventing the Italic capital A from causing a gap, where it is preceded by capital letters which are not kerned; especially when they stand after F, P, T, V, W, and Y, from which the A separates itself more perceptibly than from any of the other letters. The foregoing should (properly) be kerned, in order that their propensities may cover the back of the protruding angle of A.

These are the classes into which the letterfounders divide the sorts of a fount, without including accented letters.

DOUBLE LETTERS.

DOUBLE LETTERS were originally formed for the convenience of one kerned letter joining with another, as in the instance of a ff, ff, fi, ft, &c. as their

beaks would inevitably receive damage unless they were cast in one piece.

Of the number formerly used few now remain, and those permitted only through necessity, as the fi, ff, fl, ffi, and fil. The introduction of the round s, instead of the long, is an improvement in the art of printing equal, if not superior, to any which has taken place of late years, and for which we are indebted to the ingenious Mr. Bell, who introduced them in his edition of the British Classics. They are now generally adopted, and the founders scarcely ever cast a long f to their founts, unless particularly ordered. Indeed, they omit it altogether in their specimens, wisely judging that the fewer ascending or descending letters are introduced, the more their types shew to advantage. They are placed in our list of sorts not to recommend them, but because we may not be subject to blame from those of the old school, who are tenacious of deviating from custom, however antiquated, for giving a list which they might term imperfect.

The late Lord Stanhope, among his other improvements in printing, of which we shall have occasion to speak hereafter, has formed a scale for casting a fount of letter, differing completely from those of the regular founders: he abolishes altogether the double letters now in use, which he effects by cramping the beak of the f in such a manner as to permit any ascending letter to stand next to it; and introduces a number of other ligatures, which, it is asserted, will save much time to the compositor, from their more frequent use.

Judging from former times, when ligatures, such as ra, ta, as, is, us, &c. were used, and abolished because they encumbered the compositor, who, so far from thinking they expedited him in his work, took

every opportunity of committing them to the old metal box, we much fear the Stanhopian introduction of an, in, of, &c. will not be found to meet with a much more favourable reception.

From every consideration of advantage to a master printer, we would advise the dispensing with every sort but what is really necessary, for this, though not the only reason-they cannot avoid having, at times, men in their employ who are careless in their business. It has been asserted, that the greater the number of boxes in a case, the more harbours there are for pie, which is proved by daily experience; and that the boxes formerly appropriated for (now discarded) double letters, should be thrown into the general case, which would reduce its size, and prevent the careless workman from disposing of his pie, and most frequently very useful sorts, in these spare receptacles: to this we shall answer, that if all the boxes were appropriated for useful sorts, the above objections would vanish, (because the compositor would not find his advantage in having them buried with pie) this we hope to sufficiently prove in our scale of an improved case, in which we have considerably multiplied the number of boxes.

The expense, likewise, in casting a fount of letter with such a number of heavy sorts, will be considerable, when it is considered that the damaging of one letter is the destruction of two, and will operate very strongly in favour of what we have taken the liberty to suggest. With pleasure we allow our tribute of praise to the late Lord S. for the attention he has paid to the improvement of the art, and we should have no objection to his plan for abolishing the double letters attached to the f, provided it could be done without destroying the beauty of that character.