TYPOGRAPHICA 1-16

Complete Set of the First Series
Edited by Herbert Spencer

Herbert Spencer [Editor]: TYPOGRAPHICA 1-16. London: Lund Humphries, 1949 - 1959. First editions [first series]. A complete set of perfect-bound magazines in stiff printed wrappers with uncoated, printed dustjackets. None of the dust jackets are price-clipped and all interiors unmarked and clean, with all original inserts present. Prelims of several issues show some scattered foxing, and the fragile dust jackets show some wear and chipping along spine junctures (as common for the first series). Overall, a very good or better set with trivial imperfections. This is a unique opportunity to acquire a complete set of Spencer's legendary experimental typographic journal, coveted by multiple constituencies since Spencer vocally championed emerging trends such as Concrete Poetry, Semiotics and avant-garde Book Design.

9.5 x 12.25 magazines with between 24 to 48 pages printed on a variety of paper stocks, with reproduction techniques including letterpress and offset-lithography. Inks include both spot colors and metallics. Paper stocks include matte, glossy, uncoated, rough sugar and wax paper overlays. Custom Binding includes tipped-in original lithographs by Irme Reiner, Robert Adams and Vera Spencer; multiple Printers and Newspaper samples; and multiple sets of 3-D glasses in original glassine envelope for viewing the experiemental text of Professor G. Van Den Bergh; and so much more.

Here is a rare opportunity for Graphic Design/modern typography aficionados to own a complete set of the legendary Typographica magazine. If you're reading this, you probably know that issues of this groundbreaking magazine seldom surface on the open market.

Typographica was the brainchild of founder, editor, designer and renowned typographer Herbert Spencer, and had a brief life, totalling 32 issues published between 1949 and 1967. But its influence stretched and stretches far beyond its modest distribution and print runs of the time. For many graphic designers, Typographica is something of an obsession, to be collected if and when found, savored, and poured over for designs, and techniques not seen since.

Spencer never intended to turn a profit, so no expenses were spared in production (just like Alexey Brodovitch's Portfolio). Different papers, letterpress, tip-ins, and more were all employed in the presentation of an eclectic range of subject matter: Braille, locomotive lettering, sex and typography, typewriter faces, street lettering, matches, and avant-garde poetry all found their way into the magazine.

Urbane, prolific and unfailingly modest, Spencer was a reformer dedicated to improving standards of design in a field dominated by the printing industry's outdated conventions. But he was also an aesthete with a connoisseur's eye for the wild modernist innovations with letterforms and layout of the 1920s. Spencer launched the seminal publication, Typographica, in 1949, when he was 25, and edited, designed and sometimes wrote for it for 18 years. Equally at home publishing one of the first articles in Britain about concrete poetry (then an international phenomenon), or an illustrated study of the design challenges presented by Braille, he was a new kind of designer-editor, able to think both visually and verbally, and to fuse images and words in meaningful new relationships.

Issue 1 (1949: 24-pages) Contents:

  • Frontispiece Drawing lithograph by Irme Reiner
  • Magic and the Art of Writing by Dr. Konrad Bauer
  • The Integration of Photo and Type by Charles Hale
  • The use of Space in Typography by John Tarr

Issue 2 (1950: 38-pages) Contents:

  • Frontispiece photo-lithograph by Robert Adams
  • Copper-Plate Scripts by R. S. Hutchings
  • Political Typography by Michael Middleton
  • The Ornamental lettering of Irme Reiner
  • Visual Aids by Michael Alexander
  • Typographical Review: examples by Anthony Froshaug, Ian Bradbery, Herbert Spencer, Max Bill
  • Correspondence

Issue 3 (1950: 38-pages) Contents:

  • Frontispiece by Mario Prassinos
  • Function & Design in Business Printing by Herbert Spencer
  • The Possibilities of the Photogram by Michael Middleton
  • Central School Experiments with Photogramsby Alfred Lammer
  • Modern French Illustration by W.J. Strachan
  • Miller & Richard's Egyptian by Ruari McLean

Issue 4 (1951: 48-pages) Contents:

  • frontis offset-lithograph by Vera Spencer
  • Type Faces: A Plea for Rational Terminology by Geoffrey Dowding
  • First Principles and Last Hopes by Toni del Renzio
  • Music Engraving by George Newman
  • Chastels' Illustrations for "Le Bestaire" by W. J. Strachan
  • Typographical Design Review: RCA Students Work
  • Type Review (Studio: Amsterdam Typefoundry) by Stuart F. Hayes

Issue 5 (1952: 40-pages) Contents:

  • Purpose and Pleasure: Introduction to t he Exhibition by Herbert Spencer et al
  • Catalog to t he Exhibition
  • Typographical Design Review work by Max Bill, Paul Rand, Max Huber, Willem Sandberg and others.
  • Is there a new style of typography? by Herbert Simon
  • Illustration versus typography by James Shand
  • Modern typography inthe modern world by Paul Rand
  • Typography to-day by Max Bill
  • Must line-length be uniform? by Willem J. H. B. Sandberg
  • Books on handwriting (book Review) by H. P. Schmoller

Issue 6 (1952: 44-pages) Contents:

  • Printers and Founders Type Specimens by Geoffrey Dowding
  • Purpose and Pleasure exhibition report
  • Piet Zwart
  • You are Invited Gallery invitation cards by Herbert Spencer
  • The Liberation of the Letter by W. J. Strachan
  • Title on the Spine: the case for standardization by Norbert Dutton
  • Arguments against standardization by Peter Ray and Max Bill

Issue 7 (1953: 48-pages) Contents:

  • Newspaper Typography by Walter Tracy
  • Books for Typographers: list of books published in 1952
  • Max Bill by Anthony Hill
  • Artist and Newspaper by Paul Hogarth
  • A Note on early Race Programmes by W. Turner Berry
  • Correspondence reply to Dowding in no. 6

Issue 8 (1953: 44-pages) Contents:

  • A Show of Hands by Charles Hasler
  • Dick Elfflers by Charles Rosner
  • The Autobiography of a Wooden Press by W. Turner Berry
  • University magazines by mark Boxer
  • Designing Perspectives USA by Alvin Lustig: 4-page article by Lustig discussing his design philosophy for the launching of the short-lived literary journal. includes cover designs by Leo Lionni and Paul Rand.
  • The monotype Copyfitting Indicatorreview by Alan Dodson

Issue 9 (1954: 40-pages) Contents:

  • Publishers Colophones by Michael Alexander
  • The machine-set advertisment by Alan Dodson
  • Pattern, Sound and Motion: Central School Type Experiments
  • The machine-set advertisment by Alan Dodson
  • Recent Typography by Edward Wright
  • Trends in Abstract painting in France by Herta Wescher
  • Irish Bookbinding 1600-1800 (book Review) by William Mitchell

Issue 10 (1955: 36-pages) Contents:

  • Stedelijk Museum Catalogues by Herbert Spencer
  • The Training of Typographers by Geoffrey Dowding
  • Books for Typographers: a list of books published in 1953-54
  • Contemporary Art Society Invitation Cards and programmes
  • French Lithographic illustrations by W. J. Strachan

Issue 11 (1955: 36-pages) Contents:

  • The Tower of Babel by Alan Dodson
  • SwissAir
  • International Publishing by Michael Middleton
  • H. N.Werkman, printer-painter by Herbert Spencer

Issue 12 (1956: 44-pages) Contents:

  • Letters in Steel by Alan Dodson
  • Cutting Punches by Hand
  • Additions and Revivals by Charles Hasler
  • Clave's Gargantua by W. J. Strachan
  • The Developement of Mistral by Roger Excoffon
  • Two Scriptsreview of Mistral and Ashley by Stuart Hayes

Issue 13 (1957: 40-pages) Contents:

  • French Book Clubs by Germano Facetti
  • Factors in the Choices of TypefacesReviewed by Stewart F. Hayes
  • Locomotive Lettering by Patricia Davey
  • The Arrow in the Road by Edward Wright
  • The Illustrations of Avigdor Arikha by Alain Bosquet
  • Books for Typographers

Issue 14 (1958: 40-pages) Contents:

  • The Publications of Gaberbocchus Press by Herbert Spencer
  • Two German pressesby Wlater Plata
  • Bibliography pf the Grillen-Presse
  • Bibliography of the Eggebrecht-Presse
  • Books for Typographers: a list of books published in 1957
  • Sandberg's Experimenta Typografica
  • Old-fashioned types and new-fangled typographyby Alan Fern

Issue 15 (1958: 40-pages) Contents:

  • Cover Design Photograms by Brian Foster
  • Telephone Directories by Walter Tracy
  • Lunchhour Photograms by Ken Garland
  • Buchergilde Gutenberg Walter Plata
  • The Crawford Gallery Presents
  • Dutch Chocolate Letters by G.W. Ovink

Issue 16 (1959: 44-pages) Contents:

  • Cover Design by Franco Grignani
  • Modern hebrew Typefaces by Henri Friedlander
  • Capitals, twins and multi-print by Professor G. Van Den Bergh. includes green/red paper spectacles in original glassine envelope.
  • El Lissitzky: Typographer by Camilla Gray: 14 pages with 30 b/w examples
  • A History of Book Illustration review by Paul Hogarth

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