wiedler.ch

book (design) story #50

jan tschichold:
was jedermann vom buchdruck wissen sollte

birkhäuser verlag, basel, 1949
size: 24 x 14 cm
designer: jan tschichold

in 1933 jan tschichold (1902-1974) emigrated to basel, switzerland and became a swiss citizen in 1942. as the title suggests, this slim booklet summarises "what everybody should know about letterpress printing". its typography is an example of tschichold's later, neo-traditional style with axial symmetry. the title typeface is legende, a script designed by f.h. schneidler.

tschichold still recommends his old favourite "city" for jobbing work, while he sees sans-serif best suited for technical publications only.

this copy bears a handwritten dedication to a swedish graphic artist (see stories 44 and 49): herrn i.w. fischerström / mit dank und / freundlichen grüssen / von / jan tschichold.

pencilled along a central axis, of course!