BODONI, GIAMBATTISTA
Celebrated printer and type designer Giambattista Bodoni set the standard for printing the alphabet with his Manuale tipografico (1818). The two-volume setpublished posthumously in a limited edition of 250features 142 sets of roman and italic typefaces, a wide selection of borders, ornaments, symbols, and flowers, as well as Greek, Hebrew, Russian, Arabic, Phoenician, Armenian, Coptic, and Tibetan alphabets.
Official printer for the Duke of Parma, Bodoni (1740-1813) declared that well-designed type derived its beauty from four principles: uniformity of design, sharpness and neatness, good taste, and charm. His typefaces display an unprecedented degree of technical refinement, and epitomize purity and grace. The culmination of more than four decades of work, the Manuale tipografico represents one of historys greatest typographical achievements. The Bodoni typeface is still widely used even today, both in digital media and in print, and TASCHENs meticulous reprint of Bodonis masterwork gives readers a rare opportunity to explore the origins of the Bodoni typeface and learn about its creator.
