That's lovely. Either hand lettering or 3 different typefaces.

I doubt you'll find an exact digital match, but you might like FF Kath.

If this wasn't before digital, I would said it was stretched by some amateur typographer. Indeed the proportions in the three samples are different.

Could it be something from Nebiolo ? I found on the page of Luc Devroye the following description :
"Inglesi allungati (an extremely condesed serif type with high contrast. Looks like something Georg Trump might have done, something like Amati. Never digitized.)"

I wonder if someone who has typespecimens from Nebiolo could take a look ...

Since you say this was a series, I have a hunch that some of it (most probably the VOLTAIRE, and possibly the CERNISEVSKI) was type, but then they couldn't find the same type (and Typophile's ID section was down in that decade ;-) so they either used a bad clone or rendered it by hand. Look at the quality difference between the tops of the legs of the "R"s for one.

hhp

Hrant, that was my initial thinking. Now I'm looking at all books from that series, and I see every title is a bit different from the other. Almost sure it's lettering, but I guess the first ones were inspired from a real typeface.

[Edit] Interesting to know, the first sample (VOLTAIRE) it's the oldest I have (1957), it's possible to be the typeface or closer to the original.

That is also the era of the photo typositor. It was possible to do some stretching with it.
I rather like the R and K in the last one.

ChrisL

> the first sample (VOLTAIRE) it’s the oldest I have

There you go.
It's the best one (look at the spacing too). It's Pascal all over again, always.

hhp

Who's up for digitising that one? :^)

I am working on 8 different families now but this is a beaut!

ChrisL

Yves, I have something in the works that's gonna eat that one alive in
terms of crisp elegance. You're gonna be afraid to touch it, it's so sharp.

hhp

Who’s up for digitising that one? :^)

I want it!

How's this? I drew the V O L T A I R E letters in FontLab quickly. I really love these spikey serifs.

Very nice. The serif that pokes up on the L seems slightly bigger, or is that because it is black? The yellow looks pokier.

It's a classic trick to fill the emptier space.
Don't look for it in free fonts. ;-)

hhp

Go for it Dan!
So when will it be available? (and will it be a Pro version with Greek and Cyrillic :-)

ChrisL

Well, try to track it down first.

BTW, I think you should flare your thin strokes there,
like the diagonals of "V" and "A", and the bar of the "E".

hhp

This is really nice stuff. I like the top version of the spikes, which has the top spikes slightly narrower. It manages to have a rather open feeling in spite of the condensed shapes. Good Luck with it, Dan!

It's obnoxious of me to get into spacing now, but your VO is too cozy.

Well Dan, you really are into that. I've put all the scans (300 dpi) of the books I have, at some web page.

Still, some letters are missing, you will have to draw these yourself. Unless I find more books from the series. Or someone will find the font in some old typespecimen catalogue...

Stephen, that isn't obnoxious of you ;-)

Mircea, I tried opening the website that you have linked to, but the page does not load :(

I've already fleshed out a rudimentary uppercase. Creating the lowercase will be interesting, especially if there is no visual material to reference back to.

Chris, I wouldn't hold my breath on Greek and Cyrillic, but any fonts I release in the future will certainly be Pro fonts, with at least complete CE coverage.

> Mircea, I tried opening the website that you have linked to, but the page does not load :(

hmmm, just a lousy free webhosting ...

Try this link : http://rapidshare.de/files/21637631/condensed50s.zip.html

Thanks!

For the lc, you might look to the "runic" style,
which reached its height in the second half of
the 19th century in France.

hhp

I'll be interested to see how something as complex as an amperstand will turn out under this styling.

I’ll be interested to see how something as complex as an amperstand will turn out under this styling.

I think that it will turn out to look something like this:

At some point this will have to move to Critiques... :^)

Good going Dan!

You're right. I won't post any more images here. Once I get a little more work done on the face, I'll make a new post in the critique section, and add a link here.

I can't wait for this to go to the crit section. :-)
The ampersand isn't working. I'd try completely
removing the top-right arm of the "x" part.

hhp

OK, I slept on this for half a year. Now I've come back to it…

Here is the new ampersand –

…and the critique forum thread for this discussion to continue on (http://typophile.com/node/31152); I've posted a more fleshed-out PDF there.

Check it out! Go for it the Danster!

ChrisL

Ah, I know of only two ampersands like that: Monotype Script Bold, and... Patria!
So needless to say, I love it.

hhp

Dan, whassup with reviving dormant threads that are over a half year old!? :^D

Shouldn't I move this to Critique > Display?

It's already there, oh Bald One, as Dan noted a few posts ago:

http://typophile.com/node/31152

Do you really think I would read this thing all over again? I could already kick myself when I noticed after a couple of comments that this was an old one! :^D

First when I encountered Stephen's comment I was thinking "Dude, we've had this one before! Don't you remember?". Then I stumbled onto my own comment and went "Errr... this is starting to look familiar". That's when I noticed the date. D'oh!

Sorry, Yves! :(
You could close this thread if you'd like.

Dude, half a year is nothing.

hhp

> Ah, I know of only two ampersands like that

....and this one:

There's a geriatric joke in here, but I'll not make it. :^P

> but I’ll not make it. :^P

why not? :^)

David, where is that from?

hhp

Hrant -- One of my 'coming soon' :)

> Sorry, Yves! :(

Don't be sorry Dan, I found it quite amusing, especially the deja-vu I was experiencing as I was working my way down the comments. I had a good laugh. Talk about a mindƒu¢k! :^P