No. 3 The Alphabet: Fifteen Interpretive Designs, by F.W. Goudy
The Alphabet is a 1922 second edition of a masterpiece of book design, calligraphy and erudition by F.W. Goudy. The title page spread alone is breathtaking. The introductory essay instructs in a concise and accessible prose the entire history of letters, including for example a description how the quill pen in Italy enabled the shift toward more graceful letterforms. Then there are the stunning plates; a page for each letter of the alphabet, with fifteen examples of its history as handwriting and then as type. Leafing through it is a walk in a museum. The publisher is M. Kennerley (New York), and Goudy designed this type for him…which we have as 48-point metal in the shop.
