Cast it #4

“Cast it” is a publication typeset in CAST characters. Issue 4 presents Fournier’s preface to Modéles de caracteres de l’imprimerie (1742) followed by Harry Carter’s English version (1930) commented by James Mosley (1995). The preface is by Sébastien Morlighem.

In 1736, the French engraver and typefounder Fournier le jeune (1712-1768) began producing new typefaces in his foundry in Paris. Six years later, he published the type specimen book Modéles de caracteres including a “Notice to lovers of printing” that we are happy to republish. In this text, Fournier traces a history of typography by talking about his most famous colleagues who preceded him. He describes his aesthetic choices, explains his system of point measurement of typefaces and reasoning on the need to produce them in new bodies. He concludes by pledging to improve his typefaces and the quality of French printing.

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Co-produced with CAST Cooperativa Anonima Servizi Tipografici
Type designers: Erasmo Ciufo, Alessandro Colizzi, Giovanni De Faccio & Lui Karner, Alessio D’Ellena, Rafael Dietzsch, Giulio Galli, Riccardo Olocco, Luciano Perondi, Leo Philp, Tipiblu
Preface by Sébastien Morlinghem
Translation by Harry Carter (commented by James Mosley)
Editing by James Clough, Massimo Gonzato, Riccardo Olocco
Book design by Esterson Associates

16.5 × 24 cm
48 pages
English edition (original text in French)
Issn 2531-765
Isbn 978-88-98030-36-1
First published November 2020