Manuale Zapficum. Typographic arrangements of the words by and about the work of Hermann Zapf & Gudrun Zapf von Hesse. Set in typefaces by both in honor of their ninetieth birthdays.
Rochester: Cary Graphic Arts Press, 2009,
First Edition, Limited to 100 copies. quarto, Fabriano paper and vellum spine. 24 pp. Cary Graphic Arts Press, Item #19165
Manuale Zapficum, the new limited edition book, commemorates the ninetieth birthdays of typographers Hermann Zapf and Gudrun Zapf von Hesse through beautiful typeface specimens set in homage to the classic design of Hermann Zapf's masterpiece, his 1968 Manuale Typographicum. The 20 specimen designs in the book are based upon quotes about the couple's oeuvre, each typeset in Zapf faces and letterpress printed by several of the Zapfs' colleagues. The contributors include Jill Bell, proprietor of Brandlettering Design; Rick Cusik of Hallmark Cards; Jerry Kelly of the Kelly-Winterton Press and Nonpareil Type; Nancy Leo Kelly, a designer at The Dial Press; David Pankow, Curator of the Cary Graphic Arts Collection; and noted author/typographer, Doyald Young. The Manuale follows a long progression Zapf publications issued by Rochester Institute of Technology's Cary Graphic Arts Collection, which maintains one of the most comprehensive American archives of Zapf’s work. In 2008 RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press released a second edition of Hermann Zapf's illustrated autobiography, Alphabet Stories, and in 2007 the Press published an exhibition catalogue dedicated to the couple's combined works: Spend your Alphabets Lavishly. The Manuale Zapficum's innovative specimen pages employ timeless Zapf faces such as Diotima, Optima, Palatino, and Zapfino, while including fresh uses of proprietary typefaces such as Hallmark Uncial and Hallmark Textura. A variety of the specimens were letterpress printed using historic metal type from the Cary Collection. Each is printed in traditional red and black on Hahnemühle Biblio paper. New, though with a small vellum flaw at the bottom of the spine as evident with all copies.
Price: $250.00