Abracadabra #1
Abracadabra was an experimental poetry review that ran for five issues from 1977 to 1981. It published contributions from American and European poets and artists, including Philip Whalen, John Giorno, Joe Brainard, Anne Walden, Michael Gibbs, and Jack Hirschman.
The first issue introduced the collection with a typographic cover, delicately hand-drawn by the painter and poet Franco Beltrametti. It features a single frame, three lines of glyphs, eleven uppercase letters, and countless dots—a blend of elements that establishes the magical essence of Abracadabra.
The book’s interior was created by designer Suse Hahn, using Eurostile’s Bold Condensed for the authors’ names and Century Schoolbook or similar for the poems. The two typefaces are intentionally overlaid with handwritten elements, a graphic choice that disrupts conventional reading, infusing the content with an expressive and personal narrative.
1 Comment on “Abracadabra #1”
Hello Juliette,
The text typeface looks like a version of Century Schoolbook made for a proportional typewriter – note the slightly wonky spacing and the use of straight apostrophes and quote marks. It’s not IBM’s Century, though, see the g’s ear. Not IBM Dokument either.