Join us at the launch of ‘The Typefounder’s Hand Mould‘, a new book by Stan Nelson, published by The Legacy Press and Norwich Printing Museum.
The hand mould was arguably the most important development in the history of western printing. Without it, metal type could not have been cast in quantity, and the development of the printing industry, the printing press and printers’ ink, and later of mechanical typecasting technologies, would not have been possible. R. Stanley (‘Stan’) Nelson – Curator Emeritus of the Division of Graphic Arts at the Smithsonian – has been researching the history of the subject, and making hand moulds himself, for some fifty years. His new monograph represents the fruit of that research, both in an examination of historical moulds, their form, manufacture and use, and in a detailed description of the practical process of making a type-mould and using it to cast type. It is the first such study, and the only detailed work on the subject in the English language.
As well as presentations from the author, the event will include a typefounding demonstration at 7pm. Attendees will be able to purchase the book at a special price.