ession of the
Greeks for printed work which is to be similarly restrained and
dignified. Type faces have been developed which are distinctly classic
in feeling, echoing the letter-forms of the inscriptions which were cut
in stone by Greek and Roman artisans. (Figs. 35-6.)

The design of the Renaissance has been embodied in the books of many
nations. Indeed, it may be said that modern book design dates from the
start of printing in Italy. But, just as the fine arts have never since
flourished as they did in that resplendent period, so has the progress
of design in printing been a matter of the work of individuals or
limited groups rather than the character of a period or a national
expression.

[Illustration: Fig. 34. Ecclesiastical style in modern typography.]

The voluptuous vagaries of the successive French periods of design gave
little lasting distinction to contemporary printing.

Type faces were cut at various times and by men of different
nationalities which have marked characteristics, but they are not to be
noted as establishing periods or styles in printing.

[Illustration: Fig. 35. An inscription in Classic Roman. Study opposite
illustration.]

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries printing in England grew
into forms of expression which have been recognized under the term of
"Georgian" or "colonial." The first editions of Shakespeare typify the
earlier development of this style, which was marked by poor
typographical materials that were nevertheless arranged in a direct and
interesting manner. (Fig. 37.)

A few years later the growth of printing in the American colonies
brought this form of typographic expression into most of the printed
matter which has been preserved. The museums of printing and the
literature dealing with the times are rich with examples. See Figs. 39
to 41.

Through the ensuing decades printing developed mechanically, but it
lapsed into styles which had little or no relationship to design. It is
interesting historically to follow the efforts of the printers who rode
on the first steamboats and railroad trains; who recorded the rise and
fall of slavery and secession; who bent their rules and jumbled their
type faces during the "early Pullman days" that marked the start of many
modern successful printers. The history of the craft through all these
times has been picturesque and closely identified with the growth of the
country. But it has little or no significance for