I have added a new page to the Machiavelli section of the site—or, more accurately, have done more work on page six to show what the format will be when the book sees print. The legibility of the handwritten calligraphy (as can be seen on pages 1-5) was a problem formany readers, so I opted to use the Adobe Jenson type family for the book. Adobe Jenson is one of Adobe's "historical revival" font families, based on the Renaissance typefaces of Nicolas Jenson's Roman and Ludovico degli Arrighi's designs. Although Jenson's was not a Florentine print house, he was an early contemporary of Machiavelli. Nicolas Fabian writes that he "was one of the true giants of type design and typography....His character shapes, proportions and page composition became the foundation for western type design and typography to the present day." His work earns him a place among the great men of the period, not least Machiavelli.
Posted by Don at March 19, 2004 07:53 PM