The Horley of My Dreams

Hrant H Papazian12 September 2006 · 18:40

I’m completely befuddled. Why is Horley absolutely never used?
http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/horley-old-style/

At least I’d never heard about it before (I stumbled on it while searching for “Garalde” in Google) although I think it has some very worthwhile attributes; like look at that “g”! And the judicious vertical proportions. It was made by Pierport, and that immediately suggests to me that Morison was the cause of its persistent obscurity. For one thing, they could have just used that (at most having to make a short-extender version) instead of dreaming up Times New Roman! Amazing.

hhp

ebensorkin12 September 2006 · 19:20

Maybe it’s...

Actually, I like the g too. But maybe not the face as a whole.

Mark Simonson12 September 2006 · 19:27

I think it was an imitation (with some changes) of Goudy’s Kennerley. I might have read this somewhere, but I can’t recall for sure.

Hrant H Papazian12 September 2006 · 19:44

I can see some telling traces of Kennerley in it.
But it’s much less wonky and pokey.

hhp

John Hudson12 September 2006 · 22:47

Yes, it was an imitation of Goudy’s work, which was beginning to gain some popularity in Britain at the time. Horley is a small town near to the Monotype works.

But it’s much less wonky and pokey.

As Tobias Frere-Jones said of Horley when he and Mike Parker and I were talking about it some years ago: it lacks Goudy’s ’wandering lumpiness’.

ebensorkin12 September 2006 · 23:02

Kennerly seems to hold together better to me. Of course this is based on a screen impression. But it seems like the ehe wandering lumps dance nicely.

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