Type Specimens.

We welcome the Eighth Supplement to Bruce's Specimen-book. We received almost a shock to find the sizes stated in points, and to read the preliminary note: « The styles shown in this Supplement are cast on the point system only. » So that the scheme of geometrical progres sion—beautiful and theoretically perfect as it is—has had to be superseded on account of its practical difficulties. We venture to say that if Bruces' will cast their best nonpareil and pica borders to the point system they will find an increased demand. In the case of the combinations containing large pieces this would probably be impracticable, the design being larger than the standard body.—Four styles appear in this supplement. 1562 is a neat light ornamented latin; 1092 is a condensed form of the somewhat old-fashioned « Ray Shaded »—a reminiscence of early attempts at ornamental type, when the object of punch-cutters was to imitate copperplate work. 1563 is a condensed fancy sans, legible and moderately heavy. The letters are proportionately heavie as the bodies increase, as may readily be proved by comparing the 12 with the 48. Gothic Extended, 251, is a sans which, in the thickening of the horizontals and in some other respects follows the ugly old « Italian. » In the y, for example, the right-hand stroke is thickened. The M is peculiar—the two vertical strokes thin, and the diagonals (which are carried to the bottom of the line) are thick. Though not beautiful, this is a telling display letter. All these styles are shown in five sizes, 12· to 48·, and all except No. 1092 have lowercase.

No. 137 of the Mackellar Company's Typographic Advertiser contains a good variety of novelties. Columbus, caps only, five series, 60· to 18· is a quaint form, very slightly distorted, bold, legible, and carrying plenty of color. Ferdinand is a somewhat similar style, but more condensed, with the addition of lower-case, three sizes, 60·, 48· and 36·. Both of these are useful, and likely to become popular. Isabella, 18·, 12·, and 9·, is a pretty style for circulars; legible, not too light, and with a suggestion of old english or schwabacher about some of the letters. These are really good and serviceable, and will stand wear. For any but an amateur shop, however, a « 10A 35a » font would be of little service. About 20℔ would be a practically useful font. Old Style Title is a fat roman, too black and with too much contrast between hair-lines and body-marks to look well. Eleven sizes, 6· to 36·. Why the name of Whittier should be given to a type we cannot say; and why the ugliest fashion of the last ten years should bear his honored name is a mystery. The style is a variant of the obsolete « Geometries » in fashion some fifteen years ago. It has the faults of its model with others superadded, and has not even the virtue of legibility. The mechanical details are of course unexceptionable; but in the design we fail to find a redeeming point. In five sizes, 12· to 48·. Combination Border No. 100, two sections, 35 characters, is in imitation of hammered ironwork, and contains several original features. In capable hands, it will prove a valuable addition to the job printer's outfit. We notice that the excellent plan has been adopted of stating the number of each character supplied. Hitherto we have noticed this only in Bruce's books. In « straight-ahead » borders of the modern style, the most useful of all, this house has been singularly deficient. Following the lead of the Cincinnati and other foundries, it has now produced a series of thirty, on 6·, 12·, 18·, and 24· body. We are glad to see that the names of the designers—Messrs Mohr and Schwartze—are given. No. 2401, pearls on a solid ground, and 1234, a basket-pattern, we specially note, though others less striking are doubtless more generally useful. A page of running borders, 6· and 12·, from old series of combinations and line ornaments, 37 fonts, is also shown. Many of these would have been much more used long ago by printers had they been provided with appropriate corners; now that they are put up as independent borders, this defect, at least, should have been supplied. It is really not creditable for a wealthy house to offer makeshifts such as these, which no careful job-printer would allow to pass. The continental founders who reproduced the line ornaments, soon detected their weak point, and went to the expense of supplementing with suitable corners the characters best adapted for running borders.

A neat little book of scripts reaches us from the Boston and Central Foundries. The most noticeable is the Novelty, already noted, a striking and serviceable letter. There are styles to suit every taste. The Steel-plate, down to 12·, is one of the best faces in existence for visiting cards. Several series are cut as small as 12·, and one, the Royal, is cast on 10·, the small letters being less than 3· in height.

Not often have we such a treat in the way of a specimen-book as is afforded by the new book of brass rules and ornaments just to hand from Herr Klinkhardt—our Christmas-box for 1892. It is nicely bound in cloth, with emblazoned cover, and one of the most superb title-pages that we have met, and contains 44 large quarto pages of rule specimens. Hitherto we have known Klinkhardt only as a typefounder and manufacturer of zinco blocks; but in his latest capacity as a brass-rule maker he takes high rank—in fact, the book is worthy to be placed beside that of Herr Berthold of Berlin, whose matchless volume has long been one of our treasures. Scarcely any face of rule is unrepresented in this new volume. All the ordinary forms of fine and heavy in their manifold combinations, oblique and checked patterns, waved and watered—are here; combinations on the principle first introduced by Stephenson, Blake, & Co; the still later novelty, of routed patterns in white on broad solid rule; circles and ovals, and the new fashion of round and oval crescents in numerous patterns; besides original novelties introduced by Klinkhardt himself in the way of shaded and scallopped borders, and beautiful and striking centres, corners, end ornaments, terminals, &a. Large curved corners are supplied to some of the finer patterns, and there are pages of neat corners which, were they not described as brass, we should suppose were cast in type-metal. Probably some of these are east in brass, for we scarcely think that they can be cut singly. We hope that Herr Klinkhardt's enterprise will meet with its deserved reward.

Hr. Paul Leutemann, Leipzig, sends a sheet of beautifully engraved vignettes, containing carnival and Christmas subjects, and three groundwork designs for cards. The last are novel, and they have one fault—they are too beautiful for their intended purpose. It would really be a shame to print over them, except perhaps in the ease of No. 5077, if the matter were confined to the two sides of the diagonal band. This, and No. 5079 (which is called « Tapetenmuster » —a pattern of roses, buds, and leaves on stippled ground), are suggestive of dress-material designs. No. 5078 is a lively daisy pattern. But if the printer does not use them for grounds, he can do little with them, as they are not very useful as ordinary vignettes.