1. Introduction

Although the contributions of the English Monotype firm to type styles were among the most important developments in the history of type, there never will be much here in this Notebook devoted to them. This is unfortunate, but beyond my control. Due to a subversion of US copyright law driven by very large corporations through the mechanism of GATT, all English publications from 1926 on entered new copyright in the US in 1996 and will remain in copyright in the US for (at present) 95 years from their dates of publication (even after they enter the public domain in England).

David Bolton of See The Alembic Press has a list online of English Monotype series numbers (and in general a lot of good Monotype information). See his site at http://www.monotype-casting.info

This Notebook covers only the English firm, known first as The Lanston Monotype Corporation Limited and later as The Monotype Corporation Limited. For a bibliography of specimen books for the American firm, The Lanston Monotype Machine Company and its successors, go "up and over" one level to the Notebook of "Matrix Data, Specimens, & Typography (US): The Lanston Monotype Machine Company.

Note that the type series numbers for the American and English Monotype firms are entirely unrelated to each other.

Individual English Monotype faces will also be identified in the CircuitousRoot Type Index.

See also the List of All Type Specimen and Matrix Information on CircuitousRoot .

Here's an incomplete bibliography of what GATT won't let you see...

2. Specimen Books

Note: Pre-WWII English Monotype specimen books are scarce. I don't know much about them.

{Non-Latin 1950s - 1960s} Specimen Book of 'Monotype' Non-Latin Faces. London & Salfords, UK: The Monotype Corporation Limited, [various dates in the 1950s and 1960s]

Published in loose-leaf format with various dates in the 1950s and 1960s.

{Specimen V1, V2} Specimen Book of 'Monotype' Printing Types. [two volumes] London & Salfords, UK: The Monotype Corporation Limited, [various dates in the 1960s and 1970s]

Published in loose-leaf format with various dates in the 1960s through the early 1970s. Commonly seen in a green binder.

This is the basic specimen of faces for text composition, but can also include material on display sizes and matrices. It does not regularly cover borders and ornaments.

{Specimen Borders} Specimen Book of 'Monotype' Rules Borders Figures Etc. [two volumes] London & Salfords, UK: The Monotype Corporation Limited, [various dates in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s]

Published in loose-leaf format with various dates from the 1950s through the early 1970s. My copy is in a grey binder.

3. Individual Showings

{Baskerville Showing} A Specimen of Printing Letter Designed by John Baskerville about the Year MDCCLVII. London: The Lanston Monotype Corporation, Limited, 1926.

English Monotype Baskerville, "Recut by the Lanston Monotype Corporation" and 'Limited for Use on the "Monotype"'.

This publication is in the public domain in the UK. A scan of it is online on Dave Hughes' "MetalType.co.uk" site, in its library at: http://www.metaltype.co.uk/library.shtml Unfortunately, page 13 is missing from this scan.

{Fournier Showing} "Fournier: A Specimen of Classic Type." London: The Lanston Monotype Corporation Limited, 1927.