Schriftschreiben für Setzer

Although titled in German, in the ol’ USA we’d call this one Formal Writing for Compositors. As noted in this excellent book, it “addresses the need for compositors and other printing professionals to be able to sketch typefaces. Through this practice, they would better understand the qualities of letters and distinguish good design from bad. He begins with a brief historical overview to contextualise his teaching, illustrating the Trajan letter and early manuscripts such as the Book of Kells. He then introduces a system specifying which styles should be learned and in what order. He writes: ‘True proficiency requires diligent practice. Theoretical considerations are of virtually no use. The more you practice, the better. You should always learn to fully master one form first; then you’ll learn the next one all the faster.’” Seems like good advice. And this seems like an uncommon piece of Tschicholdiana and apparently there’s not a single copy in the U.S.