hi peter, this might be interesting for you.

http://www.typophile.com/forums/messages/30/65066.html?1109588836

http://www.archive.org/details/SpecimenBookAndCatalogue1923

btw. i have a few old specimen (atf, linotype, nebiolo, berthold, schelter&giesecke and bauer)

Peter, you already know about Alistair Johnston's book I suspect: "Alphabets to Order. Literature of Nineteenth-Century Typefounders' Specimens". In addition there's a cool old article that might help: "Advertising for a Type Foundry" by J J de L Meyer, in the Penrose Annual 1968 (pp 198-208). It has some pretty cool and unique examples (like type on a pear). Let me know if you'd like a copy (although my own copy isn't so hot).

My own font specimens suck, but I've collected a ton of stuff from other foundries. I've divided them into three groups: regular (90% of my collection), third-party (stuff done by users), and "pinnacle" (the best of the best). If it might help you to know the members of the third group, let me know.

hhp

Hi, thanks for your posts!

@ Joe: The deadline will be on end of may

@ Hrant: I don't know this book yet, so I am intersted on a copy of this article, if possible.

At the moment we collect a lot type specimen books by foundries, but there are usually the newest books. So I could intersteting to see also older specimen books from USA oder other contiries. We have some old booksfrom germany.

Peter

I don't have the Johnston book.

I'll snailmail you a copy of the de L Meyer article if you remind me of your ground address.

To me the best specimen book in history is the 1908 Enschede. The 1978 is great too - just not sublime like the 1908 is. You might consider a sidebar article on it/them.

--

I got a request for the contents of my "pinnacle" group, but I figured to just put it up here too, so here it is, in no particular order:

- The 1908 Enschede
- Gentium booklet (V Gaultney)
- The Centaur Types (B Rogers)
- Lexicon booklet (B de Does)
- Johnston Sans (ITC)
- Tact in Typographical Design [Octavian] (S Morison)
- Ex Ponto (Adobe)
- Sabon Next (Linotype)
- She's the Best of the Mall (Veer)
- Newspaper Type (Font Bureau)
- An Exhibit of Garamond Type (Redfield-Kendrick-Odell)

hhp