Typophile

node 6707

unknown

Hi all:

I'm new here. I'm not a professional typographer and my mother tongue is not English. So, please, be lenient with me. I just love books and typography - I've read a few (about a dozen) books on it and know almost all the classic typefaces and the rudiments on how to plan a book.

From my youth I was fascinated by two arguably similar typefaces: what I know now is Monotype Bembo (the metal version) and Garamond (I am fortunate my Grandfather had two genuine Plantin books - one published in the 17th Century and another one in the 18th).

I am fairly content with Adobe Garamond (which I think is generally closer to the original - I mean in the general way a page looks - than Stempel Garamond) but not with the digital Monotype Bembo.

When I manage to locate Monotype Bembo I bought it, but the ascenders and descenders were quite reduced. I e-mailed Monotype, they said they were working on a new version, but, quite casually, I found a new digital version that is extremely similar (I mean, it copies it) the original Monotype Bembo.

I asked Monotype again (I sent a specimen) and they told me it would probably be a metal font. Now I know it isn't.

Does anyone know what it is and how I can get it?

I found it in Stereophile - a magazine dealing with hi-fi matters.

Any contribution will be warmly welcome.

Yours,

R de S�

unknown

Could you post a Scan?

unknown

It's probably aetna. See daidala.com also for a discussion, if I remember rightly.

unknown

Unfortunately I don't know how to post a scan - but I could if I knew.

I don't think it is Aetna. I bought it yesterday and it doesn't quite match.

unknown

Scan of digital Old Bembo found in Stereophile

Well, here it is. The digital version of Bembo Stereophile uses.

Any ideas?

unknown

Aside from the R, what makes you think it's not Monotype Bembo? There is also Aldine 401, Bitstream's version of Bembo. The monotype version might well have an alternative R, though. I see that the titling version has a similar R to your sample.

unknown

Dear Friend,
it is Berthold's Bembo BQ.

unknown

Bembo BQ?

Not on the Hunts' site or in the older Adobe collection.

Do you have a link?

Victor

unknown

To Mister Berkson:

Well, I have Monotype, Adobe and Bistream Bembos. They all differ from this one inasmuch the x height is relatively greater; that is, the form of the characters (a, c, e m,and so on) is a faithfull copy (To the extent of having the slightly bent m), but both the ascenders and descenders have been reduced.

I think when Monotype digitized the font they tried to reach a sort of compromise - the new versions work well at 11 points, whereas the old book version was made, I think, with 12 points in mind (actually, it was 12 points).

To Mr Serra, dear friend:

Thank you. Could I second Mr Caston's request for a link - I can't seem able to find it.

And to all, thank you. I love the old Monotype Bembo - I really can't tell why, by I assume it is because of its extremely elegant proportions and, at the same time, the very slight irregularity and "bite" it possesses. Not so pronounced as, for instance, Galliard but far more so than Robert Slimbach's excellent Garamond.

unknown

To the Administrators:

Something odd happened, and my post was printed four times... Could I please ask you to remove the excess ones?

Thank you.

Rodrigo de S�

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