In 1988, Eckehart SchumacherGebler edited and designed the first edition of 26 Letters / Lettern / Lettres, an “Annual and Calendar of 26 Letters of the Roman Alphabet”, made as “an international cooperation of typedesigners and typemanufacturers, printers and typographers”.

168 pages will inform about typefaces we are using daily, often without noticing the richness of their forms. More than a calendar, this typographically interesting compendium will serve at the end of the year as a lasting reference book about letter forms, their designers, function and history.

According to Oak Knoll, the typographical compendium —

serves as a reference book about letter forms, their designers, function and history. Most illustrations were supplied by the contributors and the typeface designers. Sponsored by the German Printers Federation, the Bundesverband Druck. Each pair of facing pages feature a distinct letter form with discussion in French, German and English. Printed with a wide range of colors throughout. With contributions by John Lane.

Shown here is an excerpt from the spiral-bound annual, with the pages for March 13–26, highlighting Wilke, a (then) recent release by the Linotype AG.

The annual was typeset by Fotosatz Hoffmann, Messel, Germany (Linotronic 300, Phototype) and published by Typostudio SchumacherGebler, Munich.

A second edition of 26 Letters / Lettern / Lettres followed in 1992, edited by SchumacherGebler together with Colin Banks. The foreword mentioned that the 1989 edition was received with much acclaim:

Concept, layout and print quality have brought the publication a series of awards: The Most Beautiful Books of Germany, Frankfurt 1989; a silver medal from the International Book Art Exhibition, Leipzig 1989; Typography Germany 90; Creative Award for Print on Uncoated Paper and prize of the Premio Felice Feliciano, 1991.

Folder and specimen for the introduction of Wilke Antiqua for phototypesetting, published by Linotype around 1988. The brochure is set in the three weights of Wilke, in roman and italic styles, and also showing the originally available oldstyle numerals and small caps. Conceived by Martin Wilke, it contains various calligraphic works by the lettering artist and typeface designer who died in 1993. Typographical design, layout and production work by Ralf Rudorf of Sedley Place Design, Berlin branch, Germany.

Introductory letter. The woodcut initial used here is reproduced from a work printed in Paris in 1510 by J. Badius Ascensius.

From the 1923 calendar published by Linotype & Machinery Ltd., using that company’s Benedictine family of type.

The whole work was based on elements of Thielman Kerver’s 1522/3 Book of Hours printed in Paris. This calendar was printed by George W. Jones at The Sign of the Dolphin in London – a superb printing house.

Description of Thielman Kerver, Paris, 1522

Ad for Falcon, a typeface by William Addison Dwiggins (1880–1956), in Communication Arts, June 1962.

falcon will fly

Falcon is a soaring new body face. No need to speak of its obvious glories—you’re looking at them (in ten point). Now fix your eye on the excellent italic: FALCON will fly. Ever see a finer machine-face italic? Neither have the readers of those award winners you’ve got tucked away in your mind. Next one that comes to reality, call your type shop. Specify Falcon. Accept no substitutes. Falcon comes in six to twelve point. There is a splendid complement of accents, ligatures and long descenders. Fly with Falcon.

Falcon was conceived in the late 1930s as a “sharp finished oldstyle”, initially under the working title named Cambridge, and developed in the 1940s. It was released posthumously in 1961, with oldstyle figures and roman small caps. See Bruce Kennett’s 2017 talk about WAD’s Linotype releases for more information.

The Mergenthaler logo appears to be based on Trade Gothic Bold.

Lino Lager is a special limited bottling of Royale Brewing’s Pilsner that was created as a collaboration with Stumptown Printers on the occasion of TypeCon 2018 to celebrate Ottmar Mergenthaler and his Linotype machine.

Appropriately, the label was typeset entirely on a Linotype machine and letterpress printed.

The design features Olympian, a highly under-appreciated typeface by Matthew Carter and one of the last typefaces designed for hot metal typesetting. Also present are DeVinne Condensed Outline [or Howland Open, see comments], Spartan Heavy, a handful of miscellaneous dingbats, plus decorative elements made with Linotype border matrix slides 6 point 1317 (for the orange diamonds) and 4 point 1617 (for the small double-dot rows).

See more info and images on the Fiddleink site.

This is a retrospective of work by the late Hermann Zapf (1918-2015) in calligraphy, illustration, and especially typeface design.

Linotype takes out an ad in The Inland Printer, Volume 51, 1913, claiming patent infringement against Intertype. Intertype responded in the same year.

Source: books.google.com Scanned by Google Books. University of Minnesota Collection. License: Public Domain.

Source: books.google.com Scanned by Google Books. University of Minnesota Collection. License: Public Domain.

Intertype placed several brash advertisements in The Inland Printer during the trade magazine’s 1913 run. The first ad is a direct response to Linotype’s claim of patent infringement. In a slightly ironic twist, some of the ads (below) use the same typeface as Linotype’s ad, Caslon 3.

Source: books.google.com Scanned by Google Books. University of Minnesota Collection. License: Public Domain.

Source: books.google.com Scanned by Google Books. University of Minnesota Collection. License: Public Domain.

Found in U&lc Vol. 2, No. 4, 1975. Some good-and-corny copywriting from Mergenthaler:

The best thing to happen to an olive since the martini.

Antique Olive Roman, Italic, Bold Roman, Black Roman, Light Roman and Compact Roman. Which is a lot of Romans for a French face.

Though the round shapes can look like olives, that’s not how this face got its name. It was made for Fonderie Olive in Marseilles. “Antique” was the French term for sans-serif, not “old”.

Over the last 100 years type has been forged from molten lead, exposed on film, drawn by laser beams. Through it all there’s been a way to recognize an honest face.

Fact: When Adobe needed a large collection of prestigious typefaces, they chose the Linotype Library.

Suggestion: Why don’t you do what Adobe did?