The Centaur Types - by Bruce Rogers (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In 1948, the world-renowned book designer Bruce Rogers wrote a brief text that documented and illustrated his creation of the Centaur typeface several decades earlier: The Centaur Types. The book was privately printed by Rogers himself under the name of his design studio, October House. This limited edition of the book was transferred to the Purdue University Libraries at the time of his death along with his other papers and books. Over the years remaining stock of the original private printing has found its home in the Special Collections of the Libraries, and although known as something of a collector's item by those who are aware of the few copies in circulation, it is here available to the general market for the first time in both paperback and digital versions.

The Centaur Types is a fascinating book for several reasons: in the designer's own words, we learn of the evolution of the typeface and of his interest in the art and craft of creating type; it demonstrates different and comparable typefaces, and gives examples of Centaur from six to seventy-two point; and it stands as a fitting example of fine bookmaking from one of the master book designers of the twentieth century.

About the Author

Bruce Rogers (1870-1957) was born and raised in Indiana and graduated from Purdue University in 1890. He achieved world renown as a designer of fine books, particularly with Houghton Mifflin's Riverside Press Editions. In 1929, perhaps at the pinnacle of his career, Rogers was commissioned to create the Oxford Lectern Bible, published by Oxford University Press in 1935 and thought to be Rogers's masterpiece. In addition to creating the Centaur typeface, Rogers created the Montaigne typeface.