Introduction
The Library has been collecting materials on the history of printing (and particularly typography and lettering) for over a century, and the Updike Collection on the History of Printing now holds material from around the world and in a variety of formats, from books and manuscripts to lithographic stones and three printing presses. In recent years our collecting focus has been on the history of type in Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, which are highlighted in this subject guide. For more information about these and other materials in the collection, please contact Special Collections.
Type Specimens
Typographic specimen books form the core of the Updike Collection, dating from the 1590s to the present day. Type specimens offered a chance for foundries to promote their typefaces, ornaments and cuts to the public, and for printers to show options to their clients. The Updike Collection has always included hundreds of specimens for American, English, French, German, Italian and Dutch foundries, but in recent years we’ve added specimens from further afield. Many of the library’s specimen books may be found by searching the online catalog, but the list below highlights Arabic, Asian & Eastern European specimens, many of which are not yet cataloged.
| Specimen | Call Number | Nationality/Writing System | Year of Publication | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alphabetvm Arabicvm. Rome: In Typographia Medicea, 1592. | 492.711 A456a SpecColP Case 1 | Arabic | 1592 | Syllabarium arabicum: pages 31-60; Exercitatio … : pages 60-64. |
| Specimen characterum Arabicorum. Lugduni Batauorum [Leiden]: Officinae Plantinianae, Franc. Raphelengij, 1595. | 655.244 P714 1595 SpecColP Case 1 | Arabic | 1595 | |
| Eser Mehmed İzzet – Hafız Tahsin. ثلث نسخ وتعلیق حروفاتى مشق مجمعھ سى — [Sülüs Nesih ve Ta’lik Hurûfatı İlâveli Meşk Mecmuası / Exercises for Thuluth, Nasikh and Nastaliq]. Istanbul: Hulusi Efendi Matbaası 1321 [i.e. 1903]. | Contact Special Collections | Arabic | 1903 | Ottoman manual for calligraphy in the three most commonly used Arabic scripts: Thuluth, Nasikh, and Nastaliq. |
| İsmail Zühdi Efendi (died 1806). مشك مجموعھ سى )ثلث و نسح( [Meşk mecmuası (sülüs ve nesih) / Exercises (Thuluth and Naskh)]. Istanbul: Mahmud Bey Matbaası 1322 [i.e. 1906]. | Contact Special Collections | Arabic | 1906 | |
| H. Berthold Type Foundry. H. Berthold Arabic type specimen. [Place of printing unknown].: H. Berthold, ca. 1925?. | Contact Special Collections | Arabic | 1925 | Fourteen leaves, printed on rectos. |
| Hattat Aziz Efendi – محمد عبد العزیز الرفاعي (also Şeyh Mehmet Abdülaziz (Aktuğ) — Efendi; 1871- 1936). احسن النماذج تحسین خطى الثلث و النسخ لكاتبھ الشیخ محمد عبدالعزیز الرفاعى [Best Examples to Improve Thuluth and Naskh by the Scribe Şeyh Mehmet Abdülaziz Al Rifai]. [Cairo]: المدرسة ال ّصناعیة الالھام ّیة [Industrial School] 1342 [i.e. 1926]. | Contact Special Collections | Arabic | 1926 | Manual on Arabic calligraphy by the the Ottoman and Royal Calligrapher Hattat Aziz Efendi (1871-1934). |
| The Egyptian Type Foundry. ([Cairo]: [The Egyptian Type Foundry], [193-?]). | 655.244 E32e [193-?] SpecColP | Arabic | 1930s/1940s | Twelve leaves of Arabic tyographic specimens printed on rectos. With the stamp of A. Cogan in Jerusalem, later the representative of the Intertype Corporation in Israel. |
| Աբրոսիոս Գալֆայեան (Նար-Պէյ), e.g. Abrosios Galfayian (Nar-Bey). Հայկական գեղագրութիւն, e.g. Haykakan geghagrut’iwn [Armenian Calligraphy]. Paris: self-published, 1855. | Contact Special Collections | Armenian | 1855 | 22 leaves. Created and published while Galfayian lived in Paris, where he worked as a priest, teacher, and scholarI in 1855, it won the Gold Medal at the Exposition Universelle of 1855. In spite of the “Paris” imprint” the title leaf contains information in Russian stating that the book was printed in Moscow. The French National Library holds a version with a French title page (Calligraphie arménienne, Paris, 1853). |
| Եղ. Պատկանեան, e.g. Yegh. Patkanian. Հայկական Նշանագրեր, e.g. Haykakan nshanagrer hart’akari hamar [Armenian characters for sewing]. Tbilisi, Georgia: Mn. Martirosiants, ca. 1880. | Contact Special Collections | Armenian | 1880 | |
| Tahtadjian, Khatchig (T’ahtachyan, 1847-1916). Geghagrut’iwn: Hayeren-Galliyeren. Calligraphie arménienne-française par K. S. T. Tahdadjian á l’usage des Ecoles et des Familles [Armenian-French Calligraphy by K. S. T. Tahdadjian, for use in schools and homes]. Istanbul, 1892. | Contact Special Collections | Armenian | 1892 | A collection of patterns for letters and names in Armenian script and French language in Latin script, with samples for daily use in writing as well as for embroidery and calligraphy. |
| Tahtadjian, Khatchig (T’ahtachyan, 1847-1916). Geghagrut’iwn: Hayeren-Galliyeren. Calligraphie arménienne-française par K. S. T. Tahdadjian á l’usage des Ecoles et des Familles [Armenian-French Calligraphy by K. S. T. Tahdadjian, for use in schools and homes]. Istanbul, 1892. | Contact Special Collections | Armenian | 1892 | Patterns for letters and names in Armenian script and French language in Latin script, with samples for daily use in writing as well as for embroidery and calligraphy. |
| Tahtadjian, Khatchig (T’ahtachyan, 1847-1916). Vosketetr aseghnagortsut’ean. Protyri yev K’anyva. Skzbnatarrer anuneru, makanunneru anjat yev yndeluzik. Cours complet de broderie artistique et de canevas [A template for embroidery. Separate letters and initials]. Istanbul: P. Palents’ gratan hrat., [ca. 1913]. | Contact Special Collections | Armenian | c. 1913 | Patterns for letters and names in Armenian script, with samples for daily use in writing and calligraphy, but especially for use in embroidery and monographing cloth |
| Levonyan, Garegin Djivaniu, 1872-1947. Haykakan Vochayin Tarreri Vorinakner [Characters of Armenian Vocal Letters]. Erevan: Haypethrat, 1936. | Contact Special Collections | Armenian | 1936 | |
| Mnats’akanian, Genrikh Karapetovich. Հայկական գեղարվեստական եվ տպագրական տաṛատեսակներ, e.g. Haykakan gegharvestakan ev tpagrakan tarratesakner [Armenian artistic and printing types]. Erevan: Haypethrat, 1955. | Contact Special Collections | Armenian | 1955 | Includes Armenian, Russian, Azerbaijani typefaces, Latin, Greek, Georgian fonts as well as all types of diacritical marks used in the Latin script |
| Katalog: Haykakan SSRR tparannerum gortsatsvogh tarratesakneri [i.e. Catalogue: Typefaces Used in Printing Shops of Armenian SSR]. Erevan: Petakan hratarakch’ut’yun, 1965. | Contact Special Collections | Armenian | 1965 | |
| Haykakan SSRR tparannerum gortsatsvogh tarratesakneri [i.e. Catalogue: Typefaces Used in Printing Shops of Armenian SSR]. Erevan: Petakan hratarakch’ut’yun, 1965. | Contact Special Collections | Armenian | 1965 | |
| Gortsakalyan, H.N. Armianskie shrifty (1973) | Contact Special Collections | Armenian | 1973 | |
| Azerbaidzhanskoe Gosudarstvennoe Izdatel’stvo “AZGIZ” [Azerbaijan State Publisher “AZGIZ”]. Obraztsy shriftov tipografii AZGIZ’a [Specimens of typefaces of the Azerbaijan State Publisher, AZGIZ]. Baku: Azerbaijan State Publisher, 1927. | Contact Special Collections | Azerbaijani | 1927 | The book reflects the varied linguistic needs of the region, the bulk being in Russian, with several pages of Arabic, Latin Azeri, and just three lines of Armenian script on one of the later pages. Also included are various Russian decorative cuts, large sizes, and ornamental frames and borders. |
| Bock Ngar Chy Co. ([San Francisco, c. 1930s]). | Contact Special Collections | Chinese | 1930s | |
| Katalog pismena [Catalog of letters]. Zagreb: Grafički zavod hrvatske, 1967. [175 leaves] | Contact Special Collections | Croatian | 1967 | Contains the following typefaces: Plantin Latin and Cyrillic, Times, Bodoni, Baskerville, Aktuel, Gill, Super Grotesk, Grotesk Narrow, Memphis, Rockwel. |
| Katalog pismena [Catalog of letters]. Zagreb: Grafički zavod hrvatske, 1967. [280 leaves] | Contact Special Collections | Croatian | 1967 | Contains the following typefaces: Aster, Baskerville, Excelsior Latin and Cyrillic, Garamond, Simplicitas, Super-Buch Grotesk, and Žurnal Latin and Cyrillic. |
| Předlohy písem psaných, kreslených a ozdobných [Sample patterns for written, drawn, and decorative letters]. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1918-1930 | |
| Wellner, Karel. Cesta k modernímu ornamentu (Prague: Borský a Šulc, 1923). | 740.9 W452c SpecColP Quarto | Czech | 1923 | |
| Vorlíček, Václav. Písmo nápisové a reklamní [Fonts for signs and advertising]. Klatovy: self-published, 1924. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1924 | A portfolio of Art Deco-inspired fonts for “modern advertising,” partly executed with added decorative elements and with the colored plates possibly reflecting the trend towards neon lighting in shop signs and advertising. Other plates show various lettering patterns executed with a fixed width stroke that vary in complexity. The portfolio is possibly lacking one plate. According to the copy held by the Czech National Library, the collation calls for the text part (4 pp) and 20 plates. This copy features the unnumbered title plate and eighteen additional leaves of plates (1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16). |
| Knihtiskárna K. Mašín, Kladno, Poděbradova ul. (Printing Office of K. Mašín in Kladno, on Poděbradova Street). Všem našim váženým příznivcům v Novém roce… Ukázka sazby a tisku královských typů “Garamond” [To all our esteemed clients in the New Year… An sample of typesetting and printing using the Royal fonts of “Garamond”]. Kladno: Knihtiskárna K. Mašín, ca. 1925. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1925 | Issued as a New Year’s greeting to the clients of the firm of Karel Mašín (1869-1958), which was founded in 1924 and existed until 1945. |
| Vzorník písem české grafické unie A. S. V Praze II [Typographic specimen book of the Czech Graphic Union in Prague 2]. Prague, 1925. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1925 | |
| Grégr. Písma Ozdoby. Phaha (Prague), Czech Republic: Grégr a Syn, n.d., but circa 1925 | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1925 | |
| Prumyslové. Písma. Praha (Prague), Czech Republic: Prumyslové Tiskárny, n.d., but circa 1925 | Contact Special Collections | Czech | c. 1925 | |
| Vzorník písem “Grafiky” dělnického družstva tiskařského v Plzni [Typographic specimen book of the “Grafika” workers§ cooperative printing enterprise in Pilsen]. Plzeň : Grafika Dělnické družstvo tiskařské, ca. 1926-1937. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1926-1937 | |
| V tmách. Sbírka desíti básní slepých autoru. Obálku upravil odb. učitel Jar. Pozdník [In the darkness. Collection of ten poems by blind authors. Wrappers by teacher Jar. Pozdnik]. Brno: Podpurný spolek samostatných slepcu, ca. 1930. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1930 | A collection of ten poems by blind authors to raise money for the Support League of the Independent Blind, based in Brno. The poems are printed using tiny round pins and Latin letter forms instead of special scripts, such as Braille or Moon. With a folding leaf explaining the rationale behind the collection, which was apparently sent to potential purchasers with a request for donations: “this publication will enable you a glimpse into the inner life of the blind and will enrich your library with a book in blind font.” According to the note, the entire production process, including printing and binding, was carried out by unemployed blind. |
| Vzorník písem knihtiskárny Typus. Praha XVI., Holečkova 26 [Type specimen book of the Typus bookprinting company. Prague XVI, Holečkova Street 26]. Prague: Typus, ca. 1930. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1930 | The book is divided into five sections, containing machine printing, leaflet printing, poster printing and foreign fonts, mathematical characters, and various symbols. It also contains several larger woodcut poster fonts. |
| Vzorník písem grafických závodů Pour a spol. V Praze I, Bílkova 15 a 17 [A specimen of typefaces of the graphic factory of Pour and co., Prague, Bílkova Street 15 and 17]. Prague: Nákladem a tiskem vlastního závodu [Venta], ca. 1930. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1930 | Features a range of fonts, includings Nonpareille Pressa Antique, Borgis Pressa, Bodoni, Garmond, Saskia, Schneidler Antiqua, Belve, Koralle, Venus, Watteau, Gnom, Atrax, Sorbona, Haiduk, many of them uniquely Czech. Also included are several pages of initial letters, and twenty leaves of wooden fonts, including some large letter shapes. |
| M. Bureš. Vzorník pisem [A specimen of typefaces]. Prague: M. Bureš, ca. 1930. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1930 | Features a wide range of fonts, including decorative cuts, larger sizes, and ornamental frames and borders, as well as some rather odd vignettes, including bishops, harlequins, fish, pigs, and steaming plates of meat and sausages. |
| Šembera, Jan. Písmo: příručka pro každého obzvláště pro žactvo [Lettering: a manual for everyone, and especially students]. Brno: self-published, 1930. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1930 | |
| [Pramen]. Vzorník písma. ca. 1930. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1930 | |
| Nemec. Vzorník Písem a Ornamentu. Praha (Prague), Czech Republic: Nemec a Spol., n.d., but circa 1935 | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1935 | |
| Melantrich. Vzorník Písem. Brno, Czech Republic: Melantrich, n.d., but circa 1935 | Contact Special Collections | Czech | c. 1935 | |
| DK. Vzorník Písma. N.P.: DK, n.d., but circa 1935 | Contact Special Collections | Czech | c. 1935 | |
| Impressa. Vzorník Písma. Praha (Prague), Czech Republic: Impressa Tisk. Spol., n.d., but circa 1935 | Contact Special Collections | Czech | c. 1935 | |
| Grégr. Vzorník Písem. Praha (Prague), Czech Republic: Grégr a Syn, n.d., but circa 1945 | Contact Special Collections | Czech | c. 1945 | |
| Vzorník písma. (Prague: Tiská́rny Mlada fronta, [between 1945 and 1965?]). | Contact Special Collections | Czech | c. 1945-1965 | |
| Písma. Západomoravské tiskárny n. p. Brno, závod 09 Havličkův Brod [Fonts. West-Moravian Printing Factory, nationalized enterprise, Brno, factory 09 in Havličkův Brod]. Havličkův Brod, ca. 1948-1952 | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1948-1952 | Among the typefaces presented are many standard fonts, such as Garamond, News Ideal, Baskerville, and Bodoni, but the sampler also includes a large section of “poster fonts” consisting of samples printed from the original wooden type forms, with some letter shapes measuring up to 8 inches |
| Vzorník písem: obchodní tiskárny Melantrich národní podnik. (Prague: Melantrich, 1949). | 655.244 M517v 1949 SpecColP | Czech | 1949 | |
| Graficke tiskarny. Vzornik pisem (Prague: Graficke tiskarny, c. 195) | 655.244 G736v 195-? SpecColP | Czech | 1950s | |
| Vzorník Písem. Statni tiskarna… (Prague, 1951) | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1951 | |
| Vzorník Písem. (Prague, Czechoslovakia): Státni Tiskárna, 1951 | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1951 | |
| Vzorník písem / Státní tiskárna 01, závod Unie.([Prague]: Státní tiskárna, 1951). | 655.244 S797v 1951 SpecColP Quarto | Czech | 1951 | |
| Písma Průmyslové tiskárny. ([Prague]: [Průmyslová tiskárna], [1955?]). | 655.244 P971p [1955?] SpecColP | Czech | 1955? | |
| Němeček, Zdeněk. Písmo ve výkladní skříni [Fonts in shop displays]. Prague: Vydavatelství obchodu, 1962. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | 1962 | |
| Zorník Písma. (Prague, Czechoslovakia): Krusnohorské Tiskárny, n.d. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | date unknown | |
| Vzorník Písem. Praha (Prague), Czechoslovakia: A.J. Votruba a Syn, n.d. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | date unknown | |
| Zorník Písma. (Prague, Czechoslovakia): J. Pávek a Spol., n.d. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | date unknown | |
| Vzorník písem knihtiskárny Orbis. (Prague: Orbis, 1932). | 655.244 O643v 1932 SpecColP Quarto | Czech | 1932 | |
| Vzorník Písem. Praha (Prague), Czechoslovakia: MIR, n.d. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | date unknown | |
| Titulkova Pisma. (Prava (Prague), Czechoslovakia: Rudé Právo), n.d. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | date unknown | |
| Vzorník Písem. Praha (Prague), Czechoslovakia: Knihtiskarny Orbis, n.d. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | date unknown | |
| Vzorník Písem. Praha (Prague), Czechoslovakia: Svoboda, n.d. | Contact Special Collections | Czech | date unknown | |
| Book of Georgian monogram specimens. Tbilisi, 1894 | Contact Special Collections | Georgian | 1894 | |
| N. Bezhuashvili and I. M. Ruppis Mier. Asota shript’ebis albomi [Album of lettering fonts]. ასოთა შრიფტების ალბომი : სახელმძღვ. ტეხნიკოს-მხაზველთათვის. 1943. Tbilisi: Gamots. Sakhelm. Kaghaldis Damzadebeli Eksp’editsiisa, [1919]. | Contact Special Collections | Georgian | 1919 | Georgian lettering sample book, containing elaborate Georgian letter shapes. The book only features Georgian letters (no Cyrillic or Armenian script). |
| Obraztsy shriftov, ukrashenii, ornamentov… ([Tbilisi], [1921-1922]) | Contact Special Collections | Georgian | 1921-1922 | The first leaf features the sample text: “Long live the leader of the world-wide proletarian revolution Lenin!” followed by “And how shamefully the Menshevik government ran away!” The specimen also contains several leaves of Georgian and Armenian script. |
| Sakhelgamis bech’dviti sit’q’vis k’ombinat’i. Kombinat pechati Sakhelgami [Sakhelgami printing concern]. Shript’ebis nimushebi. Obraztsy shriftov kombinata pechati Sakhelgami [Specimens of fonts of the Sakhelgami printing concern]. Tbilisi: Sakhelgami, 1940. | Contact Special Collections | Georgian | 1940 | |
| Mikeladze, inzh. M. D. Shrifty dlia nadpisei na chertezhakh [Fonts for lettering on designs]. Edited by V. O. Gordon. Tbilisi: „Tsodna“, 1957. | Contact Special Collections | Georgian | 1957 | |
| Leaf, Reuben (Lifshits). Hebrew Alphabets 400 B. C. To Our Days. New York: Reuben Leaf Studio, 1950. | 492.411 L434h SpecColP Quarto | Hebrew | 1950 | |
| Niego, Sh. (or Niago). כתב טכני : חוברת עזר ללימוד ותרגול כתב טכני המשמש בשרטוטים טכניים Ketav ṭekhni : ḥoveret ʻezer li-lemod ṿe-targul ketav ṭekhni ha-meshamesh be-śirṭuṭim tekhniyim [Technical Writing: A reference book for teaching and practicing technical writing used in technical drawings]. Tel Aviv: Miśrad ha-ḥinukh ṿeha-tarbut, ha-Piḳuaḥ ʻal ha-ḥinukh ha-ḳedem ha-miḳtsoʻi, 1964. | Contact Special Collections | Hebrew | 1964 | |
| Madras Type Foundry. Lining types and ornaments. Madras (India), 1933. | 655.244 M183L SpecColP | India | 1933 | |
| Gujarati Type Foundry. Type book. Bombay, [1937] | 655.244 G969t 1937 SpecColP | India | 1937 | |
| Ōnuma, Tomoyuki. Eibun zuan monoguramushu [English styles of monograms]. Tokyo: Sosaku zuan kankokai, 1933. Small quarto (26.9 × 19.8 cm). | Contact Special Collections | Japanese | 1933 | |
| Ōnuma, Tomoyuki. Shinshiki zuan moji [New styles of writing]. Ōsaka: Taishūdō, Shōwa 11 [1936]. Small quarto (26.5 × 19.7 cm). | Contact Special Collections | Japanese | 1936 | A compendium introducing a range of modern lettering fonts for Japanese Kanji and Hiragana scripts, apparently inspired by the author’s interest in Western Art Deco styles. Each character is drawn within a measured chart, allowing for easy tracing and replication. |
| K. Gerke, Manufaktura vyshivok, Riga i Mitava. Kniga s uzorami [Typographic specimens]. [Riga or Mitava: K. Gerke], ca. 1910?. | Contact Special Collections | Latvian | 1910 | Typographic specimens used for embroidery, chiefly showing letter shapes used for monograms. Produced in modern day Latvia, which was part of the Russian Empire at the time. |
| ترجمان خطوط عثمان [Tarjuman khutut othmani / Interpreter of Ottoman Lines]. [Istanbul]: 1297 [1881]. | Contact Special Collections | Ottoman | 1881 | |
| Hadji Mahmud (Mehmed). ى چشيدلر [Yazi cheshidlari]. 1347 (1928). مطبعه ثبات Istanbul: Sabat Matbaasi. | Contact Special Collections | Ottoman | 1928 | |
| Drukarnia Akcydensowa. Warsaw, Tamka 3. Wzory pism [Type specimens]. Warsaw, ca. 1945-1950?. | Contact Special Collections | Polish | 1940s | Includes specimiens of the following: Paneuropa, Rex, Slowackiego, Presse, Excelsior, Bodoni, Lessing, Modena, Nil. Also included are eleven pages of woodcut font specimens and four pages of ornaments and borders. |
| St. Jacewicz and Tadeusz Raciborski. Wzory pism dla użytku szkół, techników i kartografów [Type specimens for the use of schools, technical colleges, and cartographers]. Warsaw: Główny Urząd Pomiarów Kraju, 1949. | Contact Special Collections | Polish | 1949 | |
| Bem, Stanisław. Wzory pism do nauki i wykonywania napisów na mapach i rysunkach technicznych [Type specimens for the sciences and cartographic legends]. Warsaw: Państ. Przedsiębiorstwo Wydawnictw Kartograficznych, 1977. | Contact Special Collections | Polish | 1977 | |
| Slovolitni͡a O.I. Lemana. Obrazt͡sy slovolitni O.I. Lemana v S.-Peterburgi͡e. ([Saint Petersburg]: Tip. Shredera, [1889?]) | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1889 | |
| Sbornik ob’iavlenii torgovykh firm i promyshlennykh zavedenii: kalendar’ i adres-kalendar’ goroda Ekaterinodara. (Ekaterinodara [i.e. Krasnodar]: E. Kilius i Ko, 1890). | 655.244 K484s 1890 SpecColP | Russian | 1890 | |
| Solov’ev, M., engraver and compiler. Kanvovye uzory i azbuka [Embroidery patterns and alphabets]. Moscow: Lit. M. T. Solov’eva, [ca. 1890]. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | c. 1890 | A pattern book for embroidering ornaments and monograms on shirts, napkins, and cushions, which also includes designs for lettering. The publisher, Mikhail Timofeevich Solov’ev (1853-1930) was an artist, draughtsman, and engraver with his own lithographic printing shop. |
| Aktsionernoe obshchestvo Slovolitni O. I. Leman. Obraztsy shriftov slovolitni O. I. Leman [Specimens of the typefoundry of O. I Leman]. St. Petersburg: O. I. Leman, [1903]. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1903 | |
| Pechatnia A. L. Budo, Moskva [A. L. Budo printers, Moscow]. Obraztsy shriftov i ukrashenii [Specimens of typefaces and ornaments]. 1911 catalog. Moscow: Pechatnia A. L. Budo, 1911. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1911 | The catalog describes the (electrically powered) printing machines in use at the Moscow office, with full-page pictures and descriptions, followed by a section of text fonts and another section on title and occasional fonts, including larger size samples. Finally, three pages of ornaments, mathematical symbols, and related icons. |
| O.I. Leman Type Foundry. Aktsionernoe obshchestvo… (c. 1912) | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1912 | |
| Evseev, I. E. Obraztsy shriftov kruglago (ronde), goticheskago, frakturnago, batard, slavianskago i drug… posobie dlia uchashchikhsia i dlia samoobucheniia. 8-e izdanie [Type specimens of fonts including round (ronde), Gothic, Fraktur, Batarde, Slavonic and others… A manual for students and self-study. Eighth edition]. Moscow: Izd. V. V. Dumnov, 1918. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1918 | |
| Izvlechenie iz knigi shriftov (Moscow: Izd. Tresta Poligraf, 1925) | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1925 | |
| Obraztsy shriftov tipografii Severo-Zapadnoi Oblastnoi Torgovoi Palaty [Type Specimen of Printing House of Northwestern Regional Trade Chamber] (Leningrad, 1925) | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1925 | |
| Tipografiī͡a “Krasnyi ̆Gazety.” Obrazt͡sy i shriftov i ukrashenii͡a. (Moscow: Tipografiī͡a “Krasnyi ̆Gazety” imeni V. Volodarskii, 1925). | 655.244 K898o 1925 SpecColP | Russian | 1925 | |
| Obraztsy shriftov tipografii Severo-Zapadnoi Oblastnoi Torgovoi Palaty [Type Specimen of Printing House of Northwestern Regional Trade Chamber]. Leningrad, 1925. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1925 | In original constructivist wrappers. Contains fonts for title pages and regular text, vignettes, head- and tailpieces, ornaments, initials |
| Katalog dereviannykh shriftov (Moscow: TsUP VSNKh, 1926). | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1926 | A Soviet type specimen book which showcases Cyrillic wooden fonts carved from pear wood by the VSNKh Poligraf concern. These wooden types are often large; in some cases one or two letter shapes fill an entire leaf. They were intended for use in banners and posters. In total, the catalog lists 486 different fonts: regular types, “eastern” specimens, including Arabic and Hebrew, borders, corners, and other decorative elements, including Soviet symbols. |
| Obraztsy shriftov [Specimens of typefaces]. [Moscow]: Tipografiia pri Moskovskom taganskom dome zakliuchenniia – Glavumzak, 1926. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1926 | A specimen book published by a printer’s shop attached to the Moscow Taganka Prison. The sample text, produced by prisoners, includes statements such as “Long live freedom!” and “Oh love, how mean you are in prison.” |
| Obrazt͡sy i shriftov i ukrasheniī. (Moscow: Tipografiī͡a Redakt͡sionno-izdatelʹskiĭotdel, 1926). | 655.244 R312o 1926 SpecColP | Russian | 1926 | |
| Louda, Zdenĕk. O písmu. Úvod k poznání výtvarné krásy písma (Moscow: Tipografiia Voenno-Kartograficheskogo Otdela…, 1926). | 655.244 Z399o 1924 SpecColP | Russian | 1926 | |
| Obraztsy shriftov voenno-kartograficheskogo otdela V.T.U (Moscow: Tipografiia Voenno-Kartograficheskogo Otdela…, 1926). | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1926 | |
| Obraztsy Shriftov [Type specimens]. Moskva, Tipografiia Avioizdatel’stva, 1926. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1926 | A specimen book produced by a seemingly obscure press that published books about aircraft. |
| Demkin, A. D. Obraztsy shriftov i ramok dlia chertezhei i planov [Specimens of fonts and frames for plans and drafts]. Moscow: self-published, 1926. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1926 | An album of creative lettering fonts, intended not only for plans and drafts. |
| David Abramovich Pisarevskii. Shrifty i ikh postroenie [Typefaces and their formation]. (Leningrad: Izdanie avtora, 1927). | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1927 | |
| I.G. Egorov. 100 obraztsov khudozhestvennogo shrift dlia chertezhei, planov, diagram, zhivopisi, reklam, plakatov [100 specimens of artistic type for sketches, draughts, diagrams, paintings, advertisements, posters]. [Tver:] Izdanie avtora, 1927. | 655.1089178 P675s SpecColP | Russian | 1927 | |
| Obraztsy shriftov tipografii imeni Evgenii Sokolovoi [Specimens of typefaces of the Evgeniia Sokolova printer’s shop]. Leningrad: Gosudarstvennyi Trest Lenpoligraf, 1930. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1930 | |
| Obraztsy shriftov voenno-kartograficheskogo otdela V.T.U (Moscow: Tipografiia Voenno-Kartograficheskogo Otdela…, 1930). | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1930 | |
| State Cartography and Geodesy Institute. Obraztsy shriftov [Typographic specimens]. Goskartogeodeziia GGU VSNKh – SSSR [State Cartography and Geodesy Institute of the Main Geodesic Administration of the Supreme Soviet of the National Economy]. [Moscow?]: Goskartogeodeziia GGU VSNKh, 1931. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1931 | Brochure containing font specimens for maps and technical drawings, used in the USSR in 1931. |
| Obraztsy shriftov. Izdanie Tipografii Gidr. Uprava [Specimens of typefaces. Published by the Printer’s Shop of the Hydrographic Administration of the Red Army Naval Force]. [Leningrad]: Tipografiia Gidr. Upr. U.V.-M. Sil RKKA, 1932. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1932 | A specimen produced by a print shop associated with the Soviet navy. |
| Tipografiia fabriki belovykh tovarov “Svetoch” [Typography of the stationery factory “The Torch”]. Obraztsy shriftov [Specimens of typefaces]. Leningrad: Tipografiia fabriki belovykh tovarov “Svetoch”, 1939. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1939 | |
| Kartoteka shriftov [A card catalog of typefaces]. Moscow: VNITO poligrafii i izdatel’stv (Tip. NIIPIT), 1948. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1948 | A catalog of standard Soviet fonts, conceived as a card catalog combining various weights of a given font on a single card. Published by the All-Union Scientific Society of Engineering and Technology of Printing and Publishing Enterprises (VNITO). |
| Obraztsy shriftov [Typographic specimens]. Leningrad: 2-ia tipografiia ‘Pechatnyi dvor” imeni A. M. Gor’kogo, 1956. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1956 | Specimen book of the oldest typographic printing shop in St. Petersburg, which began work in 1827 and was known simply as “Pechatnyi dvor” (“Printing court”) until 1936. |
| Obraztsy shriftov 4-i tip. im. Evg. Sokolovoi [Specimens of typefaces of the 4th Evgeniia Sokolova printer’s shop]. Leningrad: 4-ia tipografiia imeni Evgenii Sokolovoi, 1956. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1956 | Printed in only 250 copies, this specimen showcases a range of fonts by the printing shop of the prerevolutionary A. F. Marks publishing venture on Izmailovsky prospekt in St. Petersburg, which was nationalized during the Soviet period. Initially named “Propagandist” (from 1922 to 1924), it was later named after Evgeniia Sokolova (1901–1920), a young working woman from St. Petersburg who participated in the October Revolution and died while carrying out an assignment on behalf of the Red Army. |
| Obraztsy shriftov krupnokegel’nykh, linotipnykh, ruchnykh [Specimens of typefaces: large sizes, Linotype, and manual faces]. Leningrad: Izdatel’stvo Leningradskogo Obkoma i Gorkoma KPSS Lenizdat, 1959. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1959 | |
| Snarskii, O[leg] V[ladimirovich]. Shrift v nagliadnoi agitatsii: posobie dlia samodeiatel’nykh khudozhnikov [Typography for use in visual agitation: a guidebook for self-directed artists]. Moscow: Izdatel’stvo “Plakat”, 1978. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1978 | |
| Pilipenko, M. I. Sto sovremennykh dekorativnykh shriftov [One hundred contemporary decorative typefaces]. [Moscow, ca. 1988?]. | Contact Special Collections | Russian | 1988 | A portfolio of sample lettering and typographic design, apparently inspired by the 1920s Soviet tradition of similar lettering manuals. With a wide range of typefaces, reaching from the decorative and ornamental, to more brutal and contemporary forms that reflect the 1970s and the emerging computer age. |
| Katalog mashinskikh i ruchnikh slova. Izdavachko preduzeche “Kultura” [A catalog of type specimens for manual and machine setting. Publishing enterprise “Kultura”]. [Belgrade]: Izdavačko preduzeće “Kultura”, [ca. late 1940s/early 1950s]. | Contact Special Collections | Serbian | 1940s/1950s | |
| Severoslovenských Tlačiarní. Vzorník Písma. (Martine, Slovakia: Severoslovenske Tiaciarni, 1955). | 655.244 S498v 1955 SpecColP | Slovak | 1955 | |
| Kotliarov, A. A. Obraztsy khudozhestvennykh shriftov i ramok dlia chertezhei, planov i diagramm [Specimens of creative typefaces and borders for drafts, plans, and diagrams]. Kiev: self-published (Kyiv-Druk), 1927. | Contact Special Collections | Ukranian | 1927 | Includes “Ukrainian” fonts and poster fonts. Intended as a guide for lettering on maps, diagrams, etc. |
| Butenin, V. I. Shrifty, ramki, ukrasheniia [Fonts, borders, decorative elements]. Tashkent: “Tashkantskul’tprom”, 1957. | Contact Special Collections | Uzbek | 1957 |
Linotype Letter Drawings
These drawings were salvaged from the Manchester factory of the Linotype and Machinery Company (the English offshoot of The Mergenthaler Linotype Company).The library purchased a portion of drawings in 2017, focusing particularly on Arabic and Indian language designs.
A full collection guide is coming soon, but for now the following list describes the drawings available:
| Box Number | Typeface Family | Size | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Arabic | 14 | |
| 11 | Arabic (misc) | 18dpt | |
| 11 | Arabic 2 | 10 | |
| 11 | Arabic 2 | 18dpt | |
| 11 | Arabic 2 | 18dpt | |
| 11 | Arabic 2 | 7dpt | |
| 11 | Arabic 3 | 10 | |
| 7 | Arabic 3 | 14 | |
| 11 | Arabic 3 | 18dpt | |
| 11 | Arabic 8 | 18dpt | |
| 9 | Arabic 8 | 9dpt | |
| 11 | Arabic 9 | 18dpt | |
| 7 | Arabic 9 | 9dpt | |
| 8 | Arabic 10 | 14 | |
| 8 | Arabic 10 | 14 | |
| 10 | Arabic 10 | 14 | |
| 11 | Arabic 10 | 16dpt | |
| 10 | Arabic 10 | 9dpt | |
| 9 | Arabic 11 | 14 | |
| 10 | Arabic 11 | 14 | |
| 11 | Arabic 11 | 16dpt | |
| 9 | Arabic Reference | 7 | |
| 11 | Arabic sm | 24 | |
| 17 | German Reference | 9? | |
| 17 | Greek Reference | 9 and 12 |
Condensed
|
| 17 | Greek Reference | n/a | |
| 13 | Gujarati | 12 | |
| 14 | Gujarati | 12 | Bold |
| 14 | Gujarati Reference | 10 | |
| 17 | Hebrew Reference | n/a | |
| 7 | Lakhdar Ghazal Arabic | 12dpt | Bold |
| 13 | Malayalam | 8 | |
| 12 | Malayalam Reference | 7 | |
| 7 | Naskh | 36 | Heading |
| 15 | Persian | 12dpt | Bold |
| 15 | Persian | 12dpt | Light |
| 14 | Phonetic Chinese | 12 | |
| 17 | Russian Reference | 9? | |
| 17 | Schablone [?] | 7 and 9 and 12 |
semibold [halfbett]
|
| 16 | Tamil | 12 | Oblique |
| 16 | Tamil Reference | 9 | |
| 12 | Telugu | 12 | |
| 13 | Urdu | 12 | |
| 12 | Urdu Reference | 12 | |
| 5 | Adsans | 4.75 | Bold |
| 5 | Bookprint | 9 | Doric |
| 4 | Bookprint | 10 | Roman |
| 5 | Bookprint | 10 | Doric |
| 3 | Experiment 101 | 14 | Roman |
| 3 | Experiment 101 | 14 | Italic |
| 6 | Experiment 103 | 30 | Roman |
| 6 | Experiment 103 | 36 | Roman |
| 3 | Jubilee | 12 | Roman |
| 3 | Jubilee | 12 | Italic |
| 4 | Magnus | 8 | Bold |
| 4 | Magnus | 12 |
Bold Italic
|
| 1 | Pilgrim | 8 | Italic |
| 1 | Pilgrim | 8 | Roman |
| 2 | Pilgrim | 9 | Italic |
| 2 | Pilgrim | 10 | Italic |
| 2 | Pilgrim | 12 | Italic |
| 4 | Plantin | 6 | Roman |
| 3 | Series 329 | 24 | Roman |
| 5 | Times Europa | 12 | Bold |
Manuscripts & Ephemera & Miscellaneous Artifacts
(This list of materials is an ongoing project and is not meant to be comprehensive. For more information contact Special Collections.)
- Japanese lettering and monograms
- Ōnuma, Tomoyuki. Eibun zuan monoguramushu [English styles of monograms]. Tokyo: Sosaku zuan kankokai, 1933. Small quarto (26.9 × 19.8 cm).
- Ōnuma, Tomoyuki. Shinshiki zuan moji [New styles of writing]. Ōsaka: Taishūdō, Shōwa 11 [1936]. Small quarto (26.5 × 19.7 cm).
- Jinjou Shougaku Shintai Tokuhon [New elementary school reader]. No. 2. Tokyo: Kinkoudou Henshuujo, 1894. (Accession # 2018-10-20-001)
- [Ottoman Script/Calligraphy].
- ترجمان خطوط عثمان [Tarjuman khutut othmani / Interpreter of Ottoman Lines]. [Istanbul]: 1297 [1881].
- Hadji Mahmud (Mehmed). يازى چشيدلرى [Yazi cheshidlari. مطبعه ثبات .)( Istanbul: Sabat Matbaası), 1347 (1928).
- Niego, Sh. (or Niago). כתב טכני : חוברת עזר ללימוד ותרגול כתב טכני המשמש בשרטוטים טכניים Ketav ṭekhni : ḥoveret ʻezer li-lemod ṿe-targul ketav ṭekhni ha-meshamesh be-śirṭuṭim tekhniyim [Technical Writing: A reference book for teaching and practicing technical writing used in technical drawings]. Tel Aviv: Miśrad ha-ḥinukh ṿeha-tarbut, ha-Piḳuaḥ ʻal ha-ḥinukh ha-ḳedem ha-miḳtsoʻi, 1964.
- Manuscript Arabic alphabet practice book, 1860s (Accession # 2018-10-20-002)
- Collection of silk manufacturers’ labels from China and Japan (741.692 R394c SpecColP Quarto)
- A collection of labels from Renard Silk Company, a New York importer of Chinese and Japanese silk. Some labels have accompanying condition report slips, filled in by hand. Many labels are highly decorative, illustrated with roosters, origami, masks, toys, animals, and other motifs. Includes 28 Chinese labels and 71 Japanese labels.
- Four Chinese cross-stitch pattern books (746.443 C951c/L478c/L478cr/M499c SpecColP Folio)
- Produced in China in the 1930s by Lee Hwa Women’s Embroidering & Co. in Shanghai.
- 19th-century palm leaf manuscript in Pali. (Accession # 2018-10-20-003)
- Book of Georgian monogram specimens. Tbilisi, 1894. (Accession # 2018-12-17-001)
- Russian graphic design scrapbooks, 2 volumes. (Accession # 2018-12-17-009 and 2017-12-12-004)
- Two 19th-century Chinese printing wood blocks
- Seven cuneiform tablets from modern-day Iraq, c. 2,000 BC in Sumerian and Babylonian.
- Four of the seven tablets were donated by Philip B. Simonds, Jr. in 1954.