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Type Specimens.

From Messrs V. & J. Figgins we have received a number of specimen-sheets which contain nothing startling, but which display the substantial qualities distinguishing the original productions of the English houses. Latin Expanded No. 2, 4- and 6-line, are a pair of fonts in the possession of which any job-printer would rejoice, and which will stand almost unlimited wear. A new Ronde in three sizes, great primer to 2-line pica, is a pretty but somewhat formal upright script. Circular is an eccentric Roman, of a style more popular in the United States than elsewhere. Many of the lowercase letteps are duplicated. The caps, to our mind, are disproportionately large compared with the lowercase. Four sizes, great primer to 4-line. Ornamented No. 6, 3 sizes, is a highly-decorated style with lowercase, its peculiar feature being the unusual heaviness of the letter. Ornamented No. 7 is a light flourished style. The pendant with dot from every letter except two gives it a monotonous effect. The i and 1 are thus distinguished as the only plain letters in the series, and look as if they had got into the line by mistake.

A new competitor in the field of Art Ornaments for bookwork, circulars, &c., appears in the firm of W. Macdonald & Co., Edinburgh, who show some beautiful head-and tail-pieces, vignettes, and initial ornaments.

Ludwig & Meyer, Frankfurt, send us a neat octavo specimen-book, containing a full line of German and Roman job-types, ornaments, &c. Many of the faces are common to other German specimen-books; but the firm adopt the excellent plan of indicating their original productions by an asterisk. Deutsch is a pretty German face, in several styles. Schöffer Gothisch, (heavy expanded) and Monumental, a fine black in the Flemish style, are noteworthy. We find among the original styles a full series in four sizes of the excellent face brought out by MacKellar in 1876, in 2-line great primer size only, under the name of « School Text, » and which we had always supposed to be American. Rondine, four sizes, is a graceful flourished Roman, American style. There is a series of Silhouette borders dissected for three-color work—pretty and effective. The Rokoko border, 80 characters, is original, elaborate, and artistic, and bears no resemblance to Berger's combination of the same name. The Newest border (not a good name) of 32 characters is useful, simple, and graceful. The Vineta, 34 characters, is, we think, better suited for color-work than black. The Modern combination, 38 characters, has the appearance of solid grounds for an architectural design. It is heavy enough for a poster. Many of the original vignettes are very useful and artistic.—The same firm send us also a handsome illustrated quarto price-list.

A batch of large specimen-sheets comes from Wilhelm Gronau Berlin. They include a series of Favorite, a pretty letter for circulars, in four sizes, 13· to 36·. It is much like the « Artist-Grotesque » sloped, with an extra set of caps, adorned with a very light flourish. There are some excellent original scripts, the Mediæval, with just a suggestion of German Text in the graceful caps; the Lateinische, a beautiful and legible letter in the formal old copybook style, relieved, however, by extra caps with flourishes. Corresponding with this, is a heavy-faced or Halbfette series, for emphasizing words in jobs set in the lighter style. A fine set of Gothic Initials, for one and two colors, is shown in five sizes; also a series somewhat similar, but of uniform size, with square boundary-lines. Borussia is a sloped lined Roman with fancy caps—a pretty style. Three sizes, 24· to 36·. The borders and ornaments are numerous and varied. A series of light Flourishes, for decorating Gothic initials, does not noticeably differ from others in the market. A series of 17 Corner Vignettes, mostly bird subjects, is very attractive, and a set of 46 little tailpieces will strike the artistic printer as a desirable acquisition. The same remark applies to a series of 14 inner corners and centres, and to the Mosaic ornaments—a series of 20 characters, in which excellent effects are produced by means of square and half-square (triangular) ornaments. There are too many running borders, new and old, to note in detail. The Antique combination, 36 characters, for one and two colors, is a good design, the New combination (2604-2631), 27 characters, is a thoroughly useful series, and the larger pieces have a very rich effect. The Renaissance corners, 42 in all, some very large, are a grand series, in the most approved « æsthetic » fashion. On a large double sheet are displayed 27 splendid head-pieces, some more than six inches long. The superb printing of the sheets deserves comment. Enclosed with the sheets are three of the illuminated departmental title-pages of the new octavo specimen-book now in preparation— each a gem of art-typography.

The Actiengesellschaft für Schriftgiesserei und Maschinenbau send us another batch of specimen-sheets. Magere Antike, in eight sizes, is a well proportioned light latin, with lowercase. A beautiful and regular Script is shown in five sizes, 12· to 40·. A neat condensed lined latin (1817-1821) is shown in five sizes, 12· to 36·. The Barock combination, 32 characters, is neat, and will bear minute inspection, but the detail is almost too small and close to be effective.

Mackellar shows Zinco, another dreadful style—a condensed sans, the capitals flourished almost to illegibility. Typo (we feel flattered!) is also an ornamented condensed sans, but perfectly clear. The letters are mostly well-shaped; but the lop-sided N, and an alternative C with a weak roll at the bottom after the manner of a G, are faulty. All the lowercase letters appear to be well formed. There are a good many double letters in the caps—we notice AT, AN, EA, LA, and LE. Index Initials are intended for advertising purposes. A plain Roman initial, rather heavy, has an index across the centre, the hand grasping the stem of the letter. The drawing and engraving are excellent.

Farmer, Little, & Co. show Flirt, a heavy flourished roman, three sizes, and Campaign, a light lined fancy italic, three sizes— neither possessing any striking originality or special usefulness.

The American Wood Type Company, South Wyndham, Conn., send us a quarto specimen-book containing nearly all known styles in job-letter, borders, German fonts, &c., in wood.