. . .Rome, as early as 1467. Their example was followed by several imitators and improvers, but its form was not definitely settled until Nicholas Jenson cast his fonts in Venice in 1470 or 1471. It is doubtful if any more perfect Roman types than those of Jenson have ever been produced. The superiority of this type soon caused its general adoption except in Germany. England was slow in coming into line. Caxton never used anything but Gothic type. Roman type was not introduced into England at all until 1509, and then had to make its way against the older forms backed by English conservatism. Germany has never adopted the Roman letter for general use but makes some use of it in scientific works.

Roman type of Nicholas Jenson, 1472 (exact size).

The next step was the invention of Italic types by Aldus Manutius, of Venice, in 1501. He took for his model the [4] handwriting of the poet Petrarch and produced a type not essentially different from the modern Italic. . . Read More