TYPOGRAPHY 4
Robert Harling (Editor)

Robert Harling (Editor) with James Shand and Ellic Howe: TYPOGRAPHY 4. London: The Shenval Press, 1937. Original Quarterly Autumn 1937 issue. Published in an edition of 2,500 copies. A fine magazine with original publishers plasti-coil (ie. revolutionary French Plastoic) ) binding: this volume only shows trivial defects upon close inspection. A truly rare publication, seldom offered.

9 x 11 softcover book with plasti-coil binding and 44 pages of avant-garde typographic design from England, circa 1937. The good folks at Bloomsbury's Shenval Press were fighting to bring the international revolution in New Typography to England's sheltered shores in the 1930s. An excellent keepsake and snapshot from the trenches in the battle between Art and Trade in the typsetting industry.

This edition of TYPOGRAPHY includes maximum-quality letterpress printing on a variety of paper stocks, as well as tipped-in Book jackets and an historical sampling of Valentine's Day greetings. A phenomenal production that comes with my highest recommendation.

Here is the Publisher's Manifesto for TYPOGRAPHY: " The Sponsors of TYPOGRAPHY believe that fine book production is notthe onlymeans of typographical expression or excitement. We Believe, in fact, that a bill-head can be as aesthetically pleasing as a Bible, that a newspaper can be as typographically arresting as a Nonesuch." Sounds good to me.

Look at the Contents and Contributors to this issue:

Contents:

  • The Optical Scale in Typefounding by Harry Carter
  • The Dust Wrapper by Misha Black includes four tipped-in dust jackets, including one by Barnet Freedman and the jacket for J. L. Martin, Ben Nicholson, and Naum Gabo's: CIRCLE. INTERNATIONAL SURVEY OF CONSTRUCTIVE ART.
  • The Work of Edmond Kapp by Gordon Bromley
  • The Paper-Valentine by Roland Knaster includes many wonderful vintage samples.
  • Bookshelf includes a review of CIRCLE. INTERNATIONAL SURVEY OF CONSTRUCTIVE ART.
  • Handwriting Reform by Alfred Fairbank
  • American Visit by James Shand
  • Type Reviews and Specimens

According to Rick Poynor, Herbert Spencer often spoke of the importance of Harling and Shand's Typography -- Jan Tschichold's article on TypeMixtures in the third issue had a decisive influence on his eventual direction (Poynor: Typographica. NYC: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002. page 15.)

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