Typographical Manual

For the first books he published, Bodoni chose Pierre Simon Fournier's typefaces, which were sent him from Paris. The "Bodonian" style was already present, however, in the layout of the pages: majesty, simplicity and a classical architectural rigour were achieved by alternating round capital letters and italics with different bodies and spacing. When he finally equipped himself with a personal foundry, Bodoni began to produce the original typefaces he had been designing: throughout his life Bodoni continued to draw and engrave in search of absolute perfection, gradually enriching an ever-wider range of typefaces, all collected in the Typographical Manual. Published posthumously in 1818, the Manual is the result of forty years of work and research: with more than 600 engravings, Latin, Greek, Arabic and exotic alphabets are collected, as well as ornaments and vignettes useful for drop caps and finals. The first edition of this great work was printed by Bodoni's widow in a few copies, including the one exhibited in the Labyrinth.