That Father Italic

THE FATHER OF THE POCKETBOOK, THE SEMICOLON AND YES, THE ITALIC TYPEFACE. Italian humanist, printer and publisher Aldus Pius Manutius is credited for the octavo book format that allowed gentlemen of leisure to carry smaller-sized books in their pockets. Along with his grandson who is also a printer, Manutius introduced a standardized system of punctuation and is believed to have been the first typographer to use a semicolon.

Most notable about Manutius -in my opinion at least- is his invention of the Italic typeface which actively thrives to this very day. The current use of the type varies however from how Manutius had intended, having been invented to condense text for fitting into his smaller vellum books.

Particularly-shaped blocks of text are also signature of Manutius' prints, as well as his emblem of an anchor entwined by a dolphin.

Inventive, influential, classic and yet ahead of his time, have I found myself a new idol or what?

Oh lookie, my intial!


Images from commons.wikimedia.org www.cndp.fr www.lib-art.com