‘The Art of the Book in the 20th Century’ released

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The Art of the Book in the Twentieth Century is published by the Cary Graphic Arts Press at RIT.

Do you recognize your type? Centaur, Times New Roman, Dante Bold, Palatino?

It’s a good bet that when your eyes are drawn to the pages and cover of a beautiful book, you may be admiring the fonts and ornamentation designed by 11 of the great master designers of the 20th century—names like Bruce Rogers, Joseph Blumenthal, Stanley Morison, Max Caflisch or Hermann Zapf, who taught at Rochester Institute of Technology from 1977 to 1987.

There have been many rapid changes in the printing industry, and author Jerry Kelly describes the time period between 1900 and 1999 to highlight important practitioners in the craft of book design in his new book, The Art of the Book in the Twentieth Century.

Published by the Cary Graphic Arts Press at RIT, Kelly discusses the design principles behind each typographer and focuses on their wide range of talents: from classically inspired design and historical revival to modern, original typography.

His book also includes more than 100 full-page plates in color that showcase important movements in book design techniques during the last century.

“This book explores the work of some of the 20th century’s most influential typographers and book designers, each of whom is treated in a separate chapter,” says David Pankow, curator of RIT’s Cary Graphic Arts Collection. “What better guide could one hope for than Jerry Kelly, an authority on typography and an award-winning book designer himself!

“Kelly begins each chapter with some brief biographical information about the typographer, and then leads the reader through a detailed and generously illustrated analysis of their work. Enjoyed for pleasure or studied as a textbook, The Art of the Book in the Twentieth Century is sure to become an essential volume in every typographer’s library.”

Kelly is an award-winning designer, calligrapher, and printer working independently in New York City. Prior to establishing his own business in 1999, he was a designer and representative for The Stinehour Press and The Press of A. Colish. He received his BFA from Queens College, and has also studied with Hermann Zapf at RIT.

Note: RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press and its imprint, RIT Press, are scholarly publishing enterprises at Rochester Institute of Technology. The Press is associated with the Melbert B. Cary Jr. Graphic Arts Collection, one of the country’s premier libraries on the history and practice of printing.