John Baskerville developed a number of innovations that I only know about tangentially. In addition to controversial typeface designs (and they did seem to be quite controversial in Britain and her colonies), he also developed new kinds of glossy paper, and ink. This allowed him to print with his new types, which on “normal” paper would have broken up (too many thins, etc.)

The French Romain du Roi comes in at the tail end of the 1600s, with the first real type being cut around 1702, I think. That might be too early. The Fournier family must have developed some technology stuff. Didot and Bodoni come along later at the century, although I think that Bodoni’s “innovations” might happen too late to be purely 18th century (???).

Weren’t there attempt to standardize type sizes during this century?

Dan, do you know what books or other sources there might be that describe Baskerville’s ’new’ inks & paper?

Nope, sorry :(

Start out with:

Daniel Berkeley Updike “Printing types – their history, forms, and use”
Alexander Lawson “Anatomy of a Typeface”
Robin Kinross “Modern typography – an essay in critical history”
Stanley Morison “ A Tally of Types”

Then you will be fine

I believe in England and the American Colonies for the middle part of the century, and till nearly the end (when the colonies became the US), Caslon’s types dominated. So the Lit. Professor could look into Caslon’s history as well. See the articles by James Mosley in Journal of the Printing Historical Society. For earlier history and background Harry Carter’s ’A View of Early Typography’ is invaluable. Caslon’s types were modelled after Dutch types, and these are another important story for the Continent. And older types continued to be used on the Continent, I believe.

If your friend really wants to study this in depth, he should contact the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia. They have programs, with teachers from around the world, specifically for people with his type of interest.

> do you know what books or other sources there might be that describe Baskerville’s ‘new’ inks & paper?

Max Caflisch presented a paper at a symposium of book publishers in Switzerland, 1973. The paper is titled An Investigation of the Interdependency of Paper Surface, Printing Process, and Printing Types, and in it there are references to paper refinements of the 18th century (including efforts of John Baskerville).

This paper was translated into English (by Inga Wennik, a friend of mine) and published with permission in Fine Print magazine, October, 1983.

At the end of his paper, Caflisch cites his reference material, but you might find this and more in Fakten zur Schriftgeschichte, by Max Caflisch, privately printed, Zurich 1972, or his Schrift und Papier, Grellingen 1973.

> what innovations and events occur in printing/type during the 18th century

One very big innovation was the reform of Russian typography by Peter the Great, and the introduction of Civil Type — a new, westernized Cyrillic style. That event laid the foundation of modern Cyrillic typography.

Here are some on-line resources in English (unfortunately, they are not many):

• John D. Berry’s article of 2002;
• Résumé of my talk at ATypI’94 in Seybold Report;
• References to Iván Káldor’s essay of 1969–70 in The Journal of Typographic Research: Part I and Part II.

A Web site providing more information on Civil Type and the tercentenary of Peter the Great’s reform is being worked on.

http://www.cambridge.org/uk/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=052181006X

This is great! If anybody else has anything to add please do.

It will take me some time to review what’s here before I assk additional questions.

I sent my pal the URL for this thread. He may chime in too.

Again, thanks!

Not much, and quite late:
Like Dan, I would focus on the RdR and Baskerville, especially the latter when it comes to “technology”. And if there’s room for the Petrine reform, that would give the effort broader relevance for sure.

Norbert: how technical is the Caflisch piece?

hhp

In the article that I have by Caflisch (reprinted in Fine Print On Type, the Best of Fine Print Magazine, 1989), he places historic developments in papermaking in conjunction with specific type designers, more scholarly than technical, but with investigative research.

Not to cite too many lines from the five page article, here are a few choice paragraphs:

“Originally papers were smoothed manually by means of an agate stone, but by the mid-sixteenth century smoother paper surfaces were achieved in German through the process of ’schlagstampfen’ (strike-stamping).”

“In Holland, a method was developed by which sheets of paper were pressed between wooden rollers made from logs, the forerunners of modern satinizing calenders.”

“The English typefounder and printer John Baskerville, creator of the charming baroque types named after him, possessed a secret method for smoothing and evening paper. His books distinguished themselves by both the silky sheen of their paper surface and the excellent reproduction quality of his types. The German philosopher and physicist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg visited his house and shop shortly before Baskerville’s death. He was shown punches and matrices but was unable to discover the secret behind the smoothing of the papers. Certain experts believe that the paper was pressed between hot plates made of copper.”

More theories on Baskerville’s method follow, plus the article continues with developments during the times of Bodoni, Jenson, Granjon.

Thanks Norbert. I once borrowed “Fine Print on
Type” from UCLA, and copied some articles from it.

hhp