First published in 1964 by Progresso Grafico, and distributed by G.B. Paravia, Alfa-Beta chronicles the history of writing and type. The book was conceived by Aldo Novarese, a highly influential type designer, as an overview of his in-depth historical study of letterforms and type design. Aldo’s legacy lives on in the vast number of typefaces he designed, which can still be found in the logos, signs, record covers, book jackets, food labels, and other graphics of our everyday life. The centenary of Aldo’s birth, June 29th 2020, is the ideal occasion to celebrate his inestimable contribution to the discipline of typography by reprinting Alfa-Beta, his landmark publication on the history of writing systems and the evolution of type.
Inspired by his teaching experience at Turin’s Vigliardi Paravia school, Aldos’ introduction expressly describes it as an educational work, and in the text itself he captures the rich complexity of type design as an ever-changing discipline. The chapters proceed in chronological order, but the way their contents are presented gradually moves from an outline of historical facts, to a more vibrant narrative, increasingly conveyed through plates and illustrations presenting a vast variety of visuals.
Alfa-Beta is a testament to Aldo’s overall work and design ethos. It is a highly specific vision of the discipline, written by a practitioner, describing the evolution of writing. In addition to being one of very few textbooks on the theory and practice of type design written by an Italian, Alfa-Beta also presents the history of typography from an original, dynamic perspective, that remains a noteworthy source of inspiration.
Aldo’s first book marked a major milestone in Italian graphic design, and this reissue will make it available once again to the broader public. Thanks to the commitment and research of Aldo’s heirs and the team at Archivio Tipografico, the archival films of the first edition were recently rediscovered. The reprint of the first edition, using original material, newly restored and digitised, aims to obtain results as faithful as possible to the original. This edition will also feature a new introduction, contextualising the book’s original release, highlighting its current relevance, and describing the editorial logic guiding the reissue.
The reprint relies on a crowdfunding campaign, and will feature a booklet with a full English translation, thus marking the first time ever that one of Aldo’s books will be published in a foreign language. With the support of Alta Price who aided the translation of the book, the reissue has also received praises from Erik Spiekermann, François Rappo and Nick Benson, amongst others. The book itself will be released in autumn 2020, on the occasion of Graphic Days Torino; a not-to-be-missed festival for professionals and fans of graphic design in all its forms.
Support the Kickstarter campaign here.
www.alfa-beta.archiviotipografico.it
@alfa_beta_novarese
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