Emerson
The Emerson type was designed by Joseph Blumenthal (proprietor of the famous Spiral Press in New York) in the 1930s. Originally cut by hand in metal under the name “Spiral,” the font was soon after released for machine composition under the name “Emerson” (after the hand-printed Spiral Press edition of Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson). Small caps and an Italic were added for the hot type version. When originally reviewed in Signature in England the writer commented on how Emerson, with its strong serifs and good weight, was well suited for offset and other printing methods; aside from the then-dominant letterpress: “The open counters, absence of fine lines and sturdy, though not heavy, serifs make it particularly suitable for offset and gravure reproduction.” With that in mind it is ironic that Emerson is the only one of the typefaces deemed among the twenty classics by Monotype that had not been offered in a digital version — until now.
Published by Nonpareil Type
Typeface on the foundry website
- Classification
- serif
- Weights
- Book, Display Book
Designed by
- Jerry Kelly
- Joseph Blumenthal