The Handy Book of Artistic Printing
It’s almost 10 years old but I was only recently put onto this book by Nick Misani. The Handy Book of Artistic Printing: Collection of Letterpress Examples with Specimens of Type, Ornament, Corner Fills, Borders, Twisters, Wrinklers, and other Freaks of Fancy – to give it its full title – has become a reliable reference for capturing the feel of late nineteenth century graphic design.
While the work is undeniably overly ornate there is a consistent underlying structure to most of the designs. Lots of intricate rectangular borders, corner patterns, diagonal text, and a colour palette that exudes a feeling of luxury printing.
Authored by Doug Clouse and Angela Voulangas, it’s a good addition to any letterpress or decorative reference library.
“During the late nineteenth century, letterpress printers, engravers, and lithographers boldly challenged the rational sobriety of traditional design by introducing intricate borders, corner embellishments, quirky typefaces, and exotic imagery. The style was known as “artistic” and was quickly taken up by letterpress printers as the design idiom of choice for advertisements, packaging, and all of the other ephemera occasioned by the rapid expansion of America’s economy. For a while, this commercial style represented the best in popular taste.” More here.
