August Rosenberger 1893-1980

Rochester Institute of Technology: Privately Printed by the Melbert B. Cary Graphic Arts Collection, 1996. Full Description:

ZAPF, Hermann. August Rosenberger 1893-1980. A Tribute to one of the great masters of punchcutting, an art now all but extinct. Rochester Institute of Technology: Privately Printed by the Melbert B. Cary Graphic Arts Collection, 1996.

Limited edition, special edition. One of 35 copies, out of a total of 120 copies, this being number 24. Signed by Hermann Zapf on limitation page along with 5 signed prints laid in and one initialed print tipped in. Rear pocket contains 5 signed leaves from Feder und Stichel and from Das Blumen-ABC. A special initialed print of the alphabet for the endpapers of Das Blumen-ABC is tipped into the text on p. 33. Octavo (10 1/2 x 7 inches; 267 x 180 mm).

Full dark blue silk. Front board stamped in gilt with central device. Spine with blue morocco spine label, lettered in gilt. Fore-edge uncut. Housed in blue paper slipcase. Spine lighted sunned. Some mild rubbing to slipcase. Still an about fine copy.

This book is a tribute to Hermann Zapf's colleague August Rosenberger who worked with Zapf punchcutting his designs. "Palatino was designed in conjunction with August Rosenberger, with careful attention to detail. It was named after the 16th-century Italian writing master Giambattista Palatino. It became better known after it became one of the core 35 PostScript fonts in 1984, bundled with virtually all PostScript devices from laser printers to imagesetters" (Wikipedia).

"Hermann Zapf's contribution to type design and calligraphy is immeasurable. His typographic work alone has greatly expanded the language of letterforms through ubiquitous fonts such as Palatino, Optima, and Zapfino (to name a few). Zapf's typefaces have become among the most used- and most admired- of all time and he is arguably the most important type designer of the 20th century. No less important, though perhaps less well known, is his work in typography and book design. Zapf has also been at the forefront of type technology. His Marconi alphabet design was the first typeface ever created specifically for digital typography. Also noteworthy is Zapf's calligraphic art. It first became widely disseminated in his writing manual Pen and Graver (1949), and has since been seen in numerous books and exhibitions, and has been a major influence on generations of calligraphers. In 1951 Hermann Zapf married Gudrun von Hesse. She is a master in her own right and across several disciplines. In addition to a remarkable career in the fields of calligraphy and type design, she is recognized as one of the finest bookbinders of the 20th and 21st centuries." (Society of Scribes).

"Composed in 12-point Palatino roman and printed in an edition of 120 copies on Rives paper by David Pankow and Jerry Kelly. Duotone reproductions by The Stinehour Press, Lunenberg, Vermont. Most of the illustrations of August Rosenberger's work were printed directly from his original metal engravings. Translations from the German by Lili Wronker, New York....The special edition (numbered 1-35) is accompanied by signed prints from Feder und Stichel and a special print of the alphabet for the endpapers of Das Blumen-ABC printed in black by Heinrich Egenolf. The pages from the first issue of Feder und Stichel are printed on a Japanese paper which has small spots throughout in greater or lesser amounts. This was called "summer freckles paper" at Stempel. The printing was done in 1949, shortly after the war, on old repaired printing presses. Everyone was glad to find a nice paper which had survived the bombing. At that time there was little hope for better supplies and working conditions in Germany." (From the Colophon).

HBS 69600.

$1,250.