Giovanni Mardersteig

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Giovanni Mardersteig German type designer (b. Weimar, 1892, d. Verona, 1977). He started out in Kurt Wolff's München-based press in 1919, founded the Officina Bodoni, which moved first to Montagnola and then in 1926 to Verona. In 1968, he won the Gutenberg Prize. Here is the laudatio of Rudolf Hagelstang for the first Gutenberg prize winner (in German): Die Jünger Gutenbergs sind eine internationale Gesellschaft. Wenn wir heute einen ihrer Meister ehren, so blicken wir dabei weder auf die Stadt noch auf Länderfahnen, sondern fühlen uns mit dem Preisträger Giovanni Mardersteig als Bürger jenes Landes, das das Vaterland der Vaterländer ist: die Kunst. He became a perfectionist and printed exquisite books of the highest typographical standards. Hagelstang said that Mardersteig came as close to the ideal as possible. People referred to him as the prince among printers, the "Fürst der Drucker" or "Principe dei stampatori". His typefaces: Dante (1947-1952, Officina Bodoni; 1957-1959, Monotype). The first digital release of Dante was in 1993. It was cut from 1947 until 1954 by Charles Malin for the private press of Officina Bodoni in Verona. This is a marvelously balanced serif family based in part on Luca Pacioli's renaissance face. It also has a Dante Titling style. Adobe says this about the family: Giovanni Mardersteig started work on Dante after the Second World War, when printing at the Officina Bodoni returned to full production. He drew on his experience of using Monotype Bembo and Centaur to design a new book typeface with an italic which worked harmoniously with the roman. Originally hand-cut by Charles Malin, it was adapted for mechanical composition by Monotype in 1957. The new digital version has been redrawn, by Monotype's Ron Carpenter, free from any restrictions imposed by hot metal technology. It was issued in 1993 in a range of three weights with a set of titling capitals, and is now available from Adobe. Dante is a beautiful book typeface which can also be used to good effect in magazines and periodicals. Monotype issued Dante Etext in 2013. Fontana (1961, Monotype): designed for the Glasgow publisher Collins in 1936 (for the Collins dictionary), and based on a type cut by Alexander Wilson of the Glasgow Letter Foundry about 1770. It is an old style numbered typeface with some relationship to Baskerville. Griffo (1928-1930, Officina Bodoni): designed for use in Mardersteig's own private press. Related to Dante, but more flowing. Zeno (1937, Officina Bodoni). Based on early Italian romans; the punches were cut by Charles Malin. Books on the Officina Bodoni include Giovanni Mardersteig: stampatore, editore, umanista (Valdonega, 1989). The Officina Bodoni: an account of the work of a hand press, 1923-1977 (Valdonega, 1980; a translation of "Die Officina Bodoni: das Werk einer Handpresse, 1923-1977" by Maximilian-Gesellschaft (1979)). In 1967, Monotype published The Work of Giovanni Mardersteig with 'Monotype' Faces (London). This text was set in Monotype Dante and printed by Stamperia Valdonega Verona. It contains an insert with an advance specimen of the Monotype Dante Series no. 592, designed by Hans Mardersteig.	EXTERNAL LINKS Giovanni Mardersteig [Designer info] Klingspor Museum page MyFonts search Monotype search Fontspring search Google search INTERNAL LINKS Type designers ⦿ Type designers ⦿ Ornamental caps typefaces ⦿ Type design in Italy ⦿ German type scene ⦿ Modern style [Bodoni, Didot, Walbaum, Thorowgood, Computer Modern, etc.] ⦿ Baskerville ⦿