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Type Specimens.

Barnhart Bros. & Spindler, Chicago, show several new styles. Cable, four sizes, 12· to 36·, is an expanded skeleton with lowercase, the latter running from the centre of the caps. The style is fantastic; the upper horizontal lines of E and F bulge into an irregular curve, H puts one foot below the line, and other eccentricities occur. Many of the characters are normal, and fewer liberties are taken with the small letters than with the caps. ؟Cui bono? Acme Title, in six sizes, 6· to 16·, is another suggestion of the Culdee, but a plainer and more useful style, inasmuch as the caps and lowercase line, and the whole effect is much better, as well as more legible. Whipple, four sizes, with lowercase, 12· to 36·, looks almost as much like Tamil as Roman. Any attempt at description would be hopeless. Dakota, is a wide light flourished Roman, which, for a wonder, has no mortised caps on larger body— for which the printer should feel thankful. Quaint, eccentric, pretty, and not a plagiarism from any existing face, though it is suggestive of certain productions by the artist of the Cleveland Foundry. Three sizes, 12· to 24·. The printer who buys this series will not go far wrong. Sterling, caps only, is a face something resembling the Solar of the same house, but wider. Nine sizes, 6· to 42·. Troy is a somewhat pretty latin, caps only, with the suggestion of a thorn or bud to each curved line; on the whole a good style. We do not like the N, which is distorted, or the B, which is burst open at the back. No lowercase. Five sizes, 12· to 36·. There is a new series of the Unique borders, 6· to 24·, 22 in all, besides appropriate corners. They are all in the groundwork style, like the Keystone series, which, however, they do not equal in delicacy of finish.

The Mackellar, Smiths, & Jordan Company, Philadelphia, send us their second « Practical Exhibit » of recent designs, a little paper-covered book of forty pages, in which their latest borders, electrotypes, and tint-grounds are displayed with surpassing skill. We have already criticised some of the uncouth forms, both of type and ornament, lately produced by this celebrated house, and the cover—the only poor page of the whole book—exhibts the hopeless weakness and pettiness of the straggling « Fillet » combination. Many of the pages, however, are really beautiful, and there is not one that is not a model of art-composition. There are no new styles in the book other than we have already noted.

The Dickinson Typefoundry show in three sizes, 24· to 60·, with lowercase, a letter called Herald. It belongs to a somewhat numerous family, of which the Lafayette may be taken as the typical style. The present face is somewhat broader, though well condensed, less ornamental and decidedly heavier. A useful solid style, with almost unlimited wear-resisting capacity.

The Central Foundry show in 12· (other sizes to follow) Gothic No. 20. Of course it is not a « Gothic » —a name properly belonging to the pointed German faces; it is a roman sanserif of the plainest kind. We rarely note the entirely plain styles, as the differences between them are so minute as to baffle any attempt at description. The present face, plain as it is, has two features of its own—a greater width than is usual for a hair-line sans (the key-figure, suggested elsewhere, would give the precise proportion); and secondly its unusual fineness of line. It would be out of place except in the finest work; and being so light and open, would need nearly as careful handling as a script. We like the letter—there is no nonsense about it.

Farmer, Little, & Co., send us another copy of their supplementary quarto specimen-book, and a small envelope-sized book of select type faces, containing more specimens than the last. We note Loose Accents, in seven sizes, from 2· body to 12·—larger and smaller than any previous series that we have seen. The three borders called Tatting have been shown for some years by Miller & Richard under the name of « Lace. » The largest of the three has appeared more than once in Typo. Fashion Antique is a heavy-faced development of an extended style originated by this house, and named « Fashion. » Four sizes, 12· to 28·, provided with lowercase. Currency is a heavy-faced letter partaking both of the italic and script qualities, and belongs to a style that is popular in the United States, but has found little favor elsewhere. Two sizes, 12· and 18·. Light Model Black is a broad and thin-faced old English, sharply-cut, in six sizes, 10· to 36·. Program Borders are a series of neat sillhouette flowers, 9 characters, 8· to 14·.

Under the name of Fette Steinschrift, Messrs Schelter & Giesecke have produced an excellent heavy sanserif with lowercase, closely condensed and very legible. It is perfectly plain, and symmetrical and clear in cut. In fourteen sizes, 8· to 72· (Nos. 1270-83.)