Sabon-Antiqua

OK. We’re not gonna B.S. you: The cover of this specimen is F’d-up. It’s got some sort of stain all over. But look closely: It is also stained with Jan Tschichold’s signature—because he signed this with his very own hand. (Autopen wasn’t a thing during his lifetime.) Anyway, this one introduces Sabon, explaining that it was designed to be identical on Linotype and Monotype machines + Stempel’s casters. This was a remarkable feat of coordination and working within limits to make something beautiful and useful. Ol’ JT got ’er done. Wilder still is that he let someone else write about the face and design this specimen. It was in good hands with Kurt Weidemann and Erich Schulz-Anker, but still.