TYPE DESIGN INFORMATION PAGE last updated on Wed Nov 20 11:39:00 EST 2024

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ABOUT

John Fell

British typefounder, 1625-1686. The Dutch Type Library created the typeface DTL Fell. Stanley Morison wrote a book about Fell in 1951: The Roman, Italic&Black Letter bequethed to the University of Oxford by Dr. John Fell (Oxford). The Fell type collection was a gift made to Oxford University by a bishop of Oxford, Dr. John Fell, in the late seventeenth century. He bought punches and matrices in Holland and Germany in 1670 and 1672 and entrusted his personal punchcutter, Peter de Walpergen, with the cut of the larger bodies. Morison claims that the English Roman may possibly have been cut by Christoffel van Dijck.

Digitizations include :

• IM Fell (Igino Marini, 2004-2007):
  • English Roman, Italic&Small Caps probably cut by Christoffel van Dijck. The Italic was probably cut by Robert Granjon. Acquisition in 1672.
  • Three line pica (for 41pt size) by Peter de Walpergen. Acquisition in 1686.
  • French canon (for 33pt size) by Peter de Walpergen. Acquisition in 1686.
  • Double pica (for 17pt size) by Peter de Walpergen. Acquisition in 1684.
  • Great primer (for 14pt size) by Peter de Walpergen. Acquisition in 1684 (Roman&Small Caps) and 1687 (Italic).
  • De Walpergen pica (for 10.5pt size) by Peter de Walpergen. Acquisition in 1692.
  • Fell flowers bought by Fell in 1672 from Holland. Cut by Robert Granjon and others. To be used at 25 or 17,5 points.
• DTL Fell (Frank E. Blokland). Based on proofs from 1695 in a text entitled A specimen of the several sorts of letter given to the university by Dr. John Fell sometime Lord Bishop of Oxford (1693---this is the first English Type Specimen Book).
• WT Fallen (2019, Wraith Types).
• Signifier (2019, Kris Sowersby).

Bibliography compiled by Igino Marini, who revived some Fell types in 2004:

• Stanley Morison: "The roman italic&black letter bequeathed to University of Oxford by Dr. John Fell", Oxford University Press, 1951.
• Stanley Morison: "John Fell The University Press and the 'Fell' Types", Oxford University Press, 1967.
• Horace Hart: "Notes on a Century of Typography at the University Press Oxford, 1693-1794", Oxford, The Clarendon Press, 1970 (facsimile edited by Harry Carter from the original of 1900).
• Harry Carter: "The Fell Types - What has been done in and about them", Oxford University Press, New York, 1968.

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