Editing John Baskerville

{{Short description|English businessman and type designer (1707–1775)}}
{{About||the font|Baskerville|other people named John Baskerville}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = John Baskerville
| image       = John Baskerville (1706–1775) by James Millar.jpeg
| image_size  = 220px
| caption     = John Baskerville in later life,<br>oil on canvas by [[James Millar (artist)|James Millar]]
| birth_date  = 28 January 1707 (baptised)
| birth_place = [[Wolverley and Cookley|Wolverley]], England
| death_date  = 8 January 1775 (age 68)
| death_place = Easy Hill, [[Birmingham]], England
| monuments   = ''Industry and Genius''
| occupation  = Manufacturer, printer and [[type designer]]
| spouse      = 
}}
'''John Baskerville''' (baptised 28 January 1707&nbsp;– 8 January 1775) was an English businessman, in areas including [[japanning]] and [[papier-mâché]], but he is best remembered as a printer and [[type designer]]. He was also responsible for inventing "wove paper", which was considerably smoother than "laid paper", allowing for sharper printing results.<ref name="oxdnb" /><ref name="John Baskerville : type-founder and printer, 1706 -1775.">{{cite book|last1=Benton|first1=Josiah|title=John Baskerville : type-founder and printer, 1706 -1775.|date=2014|publisher=Cambridge Univ Press|location=[S.l.]|isbn=9781108076227|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0LpUBAAAQBAJ|access-date=10 December 2015}}</ref><ref name="Dodsley2004">{{cite book|author=Robert Dodsley|title=The Correspondence of Robert Dodsley: 1733-1764|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F5SKgkoYll0C&pg=PA144|date=22 January 2004|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-52208-3|pages=144–6}}</ref>

== Life ==
[[File:BaskervilleSpec.svg|thumb|upright=1.1|A modern sample of the Baskerville typeface]]
Baskerville was born in the village of [[Wolverley]], near [[Kidderminster]] in [[Worcestershire]], and baptised on 28 January 1706{{nbsp}}[[Old Style and New Style dates|OS]]{{nbsp}}(1707 [[Old Style and New Style dates|NS]]) at Wolverley church.<ref name="John Baskerville: Timeline">{{cite web|title=John Baskerville: Timeline|url=http://www.typographichub.org/baskerville-society/entry/time-line/|website=Typographic Hub|publisher=Birmingham City University|access-date=3 February 2018|archive-date=4 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204123957/http://www.typographichub.org/baskerville-society/entry/time-line/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="English Vernacular">{{cite journal|last1=Mosley|first1=James|title=English Vernacular|journal=Motif|date=1963|volume=11|pages=3–56}}</ref> Baskerville established an early career teaching handwriting, and is known to have offered his services cutting gravestones (a demonstration slab by him survives in the [[Library of Birmingham]]) before making a considerable fortune from the manufacture of lacquerwork items ([[japanning]]).

He practised as a printer in [[Birmingham]], England. Baskerville was a member of the [[Royal Society of Arts]], and an associate of some of the members of the [[Lunar Society]]. 

Baskerville directed his [[Punchcutting|punchcutter]], John Handy, in the design of many [[typeface]]s of broadly similar appearance. His typefaces were greatly admired by [[Benjamin Franklin]], a fellow printer,<ref name="Franklin1840">{{cite book |author=Benjamin Franklin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ME1DAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA212 |title=The Works of Benjamin Franklin: Containing Several Political and Historical Tracts Not Included in Any Former Edition, and Many Letters, Official and Private, Not Hitherto Published; with Notes and a Life of the Author |publisher=Hillard, Gray |year=1840 |pages=212–5}}</ref> but were criticised by jealous competitors and soon fell out of favour. He also pioneered a completely new style of [[typography]], adding wide margins and [[leading]] between each line.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sutton |first1=James |url=https://openlibrary.org/b/OL22453920M |title=An Atlas of Typeforms |last2=Bartram |first2=Alan |publisher=Wordsworth Editions |year=1988 |isbn=978-1-85326-911-0 |page=59 |author-link=Alan Bartram (design writer)}}</ref>

In 1757, Baskerville published a remarkable quarto edition of [[Virgil]] on [[wove paper]], using his own type. It took three years to complete, but it made such an impact that he was appointed printer to the [[University of Cambridge]] the following year.<ref>Lyons, Martyn. (2011). Books: A living history. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Publications. pp. 111</ref> An [[atheism|atheist]],<ref name="times" /><ref name="Curtis" /> he nonetheless printed ''[[The Book of Common Prayer]]'' in 1762<ref>{{cite book| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=_sYUAAAAQAAJ |title = The Book of Common Prayer | page=4 | publisher = Church of England |year=1662 |others= printed 1762, John Baskerville}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/1662/baskerville.htm |title=The Book of Common Prayer (1662) As printed by John Baskerville| publisher = Church of England | website=justus.anglican.org}}</ref> and a splendid [[Book size|folio]] Bible in 1763.  

Baskerville innovated in printing, paper, and ink production. He worked with paper maker [[James Whatman (papermaker)|James Whatman]] to produce a smoother whiter paper, sometimes called [[wove paper]], which showcased his strong black type.<ref>{{Cite ODNB|title=Whatman, James (1702–1759), paper maker|volume = 1|last=Baker|first=Anne Pimlott|date=2004-09-23|series=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/40776}}</ref>

== Death and interments ==

Baskerville died in January 1775 at his home, ''Easy Hill''. He requested that his body be placed
{{blockquote|in a Conical Building in my own premises Hearetofore used as a mill which I have lately Raised Higher and painted and in a vault which I have prepared for It. This Doubtless to many may appear a Whim perhaps It is so—But it is a whim for many years Resolve'd upon, as I have a Hearty Contempt for all Superstition the Farce of a Consecrated Ground the Irish Barbarism of Sure and Certain Hopes &c I also consider [[Book of Revelation|Revelation]] as it is call'd Exclusive of the Scraps of Morality casually Intermixt with It to be the most Impudent Abuse of Common Sense which Ever was Invented to Befool Mankind.<ref name="oxdnb" />}}
However, in 1821 a canal was built through the land and his body was placed on show by the landowner until Baskerville's family and friends arranged to have it moved to the [[crypt]] of [[Christ Church, Birmingham]]. Christ Church was demolished in 1897 so his remains were then moved, with other bodies from the crypt, to [[consecrated]] [[catacomb]]s at [[Warstone Lane Cemetery]].<ref name="times" /> In 1963 a petition was presented to [[Birmingham City Council]] requesting that he be reburied in unconsecrated ground, according to his wishes.<ref name="times2" />

== Legacy ==
The 20th century renewed interest in and appreciation for Baskerville's typefaces. His most notable typeface, [[Baskerville]], is held to represent the peak of [[Serif#Transitional|transitional]] type face and a bridge between Old Style and Modern type design.<ref>Meggs, Philip B., Purvis, Alston W. "Graphic Design and the Industrial Revolution" ''History of Graphic Design''. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2006. p.122.</ref><ref name="The Evolution of the Modern-Face Roman">{{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=Alfred F. |author-link1=Alfred F. Johnson |date=1930 |title=The Evolution of the Modern-Face Roman |journal=The Library |volume=s4-XI |issue=3 |pages=353–377 |doi=10.1093/library/s4-XI.3.353}}</ref><ref name="Transitional Typefaces: The History of a Typefounding Classification">{{cite journal |last1=Eliason |first1=Craig |date=October 2015 |title="Transitional" Typefaces: The History of a Typefounding Classification |journal=Design Issues |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=30–43 |doi=10.1162/DESI_a_00349 |s2cid=57569313}}</ref> Since the 1920s, many [[fonts]] based on his work—mostly called '[[Baskerville]]'— have been released by [[Mergenthaler Linotype Company|Linotype]], [[Monotype Corporation|Monotype]], and other [[type foundry|type foundries]]. In 1996, [[Emigre (type foundry)|Emigre]] released a popular revival of this typeface called [[Mrs Eaves]] after Baskerville's wife, Sarah Eaves.<ref>{{Cite journal |year=1996 |title=Baskerville revisited |journal=Print |volume=50 |page=28D}}</ref> 

== Commemoration ==

In the 1930s, [[Baskerville House]] was built on the grounds of ''Easy Hill''.

In 1947, BBC radio broadcast a radio play about his burial, named ''Hic Jacet: or The Corpse in the Crescent'' by Neville Brandon Watts. The original recording was not preserved but a performance was staged by students at the [[Birmingham School of Acting]] in 2013 at the Typographic Hub Centre of [[Birmingham City University]].<ref name="Hic Jacet">{{cite web|title=Baskerville Society: Hic Jacet or The Corpse in the Crescent|url=http://www.typographichub.org/diary/entry/hic-jacet-or-the-corpse-in-the-crescent/|website=Typographic Hub |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208204902/http://www.typographichub.org/diary/entry/hic-jacet-or-the-corpse-in-the-crescent/ |archive-date=8 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Hic Jacet Mail">{{cite web|title=A rare revival of a macabre story|url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/library-birmingham-revives-corpse-crescent-6379878|website=Birmingham Mail|date=6 December 2013 |access-date=9 October 2017}}</ref> A copy of the script is in the [[Norman Painting Archives]] at the [[University of Birmingham]].<ref name="Hic Jacet" />

[[File:Baskerville - Industry and Genius.jpg|right|thumb|200px|''Industry and Genius'', 
1990, by David Patten, sculpture in [[Centenary Square]]]]

A [[Portland stone]] sculpture of the Baskerville typeface, ''Industry and Genius'', in his honour stands in front of Baskerville House in [[Centenary Square, Birmingham|Centenary Square]], Birmingham. It was created by local artist David Patten in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|title=Industry and Genius |url=http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/baskerville |access-date=23 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829012801/http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/baskerville |archive-date=29 August 2008 }}</ref>

== Gallery ==
Some examples of volumes published by Baskerville.
<gallery>
Image:Publii Virgilii Maronis Bucolica, Georgica, et Æneis by John Baskerville 1757.jpg|Title-page of the 1757 [[quarto]] edition of the works of [[Virgil]]
Image:Milton Baskerville.jpg|[[John Milton]]'s ''[[Paradise Lost]]'' (1758)
Image:Work-baskerville.jpg|Volume One of ''The works of [[Joseph Addison]]'' (1761)
Image:Baskerville bible.jpg|Title-page of Baskerville's 1763 Bible
Image:BaskervilleVirgil.JPG|The 1766 translation of Virgil into English, by [[Robert Andrews (translator)|Robert Andrews]]
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[William Caslon]], a contemporary type-founder and printer
* ''[[Baskerville]]'', a typeface

== References ==
{{further|&nbsp;Bibliography of early American publishers and printers}}
;Citations
{{reflist|30en|refs=
<ref name="oxdnb">{{cite ODNB
 |last1=Mosley
 |first1=James
 |title=Baskerville, John (1706–1775)
 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/1624|access-date=17 November 2014
 |date=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/1624
 }}
</ref>
<ref name="times">{{cite news
 | url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/newspaperRetrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DateAscend&tabID=T003&prodId=TTDA&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchId=R1&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=30&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28tx%2CNone%2C11%29Baskerville%3AAnd%3ALQE%3D%28da%2CNone%2C11%291960+-+1970%3AAnd%3ALQE%3D%28MB%2CNone%2C8%29%22TTDA-1%22%24&retrieveFormat=MULTIPAGE_DOCUMENT&userGroupName=corlonli&inPS=true&contentSet=LTO&&docId=&docLevel=FASCIMILE&workId=&relevancePageBatch=CS101016681&contentSet=UDVIN&callistoContentSet=UDVIN&docPage=article&hilite=y
 |title=Printer's Reburial Demanded
 |newspaper=The Times
 |date=9 March 1963
 |page=6
 |issue = 55645}}
</ref>

<ref name="times2">{{cite news
 |title=Petition Presented For Printer's Reburial|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/newspaperRetrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DateAscend&tabID=T003&prodId=TTDA&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchId=R1&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=31&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28tx%2CNone%2C11%29Baskerville%3AAnd%3ALQE%3D%28da%2CNone%2C11%291960+-+1970%3AAnd%3ALQE%3D%28MB%2CNone%2C8%29%22TTDA-1%22%24&retrieveFormat=MULTIPAGE_DOCUMENT&userGroupName=corlonli&inPS=true&contentSet=LTO&&docId=&docLevel=FASCIMILE&workId=&relevancePageBatch=CS84501613&contentSet=UDVIN&callistoContentSet=UDVIN&docPage=article&hilite=y
 |newspaper=The Times
 |pages=5
 |issue=55648
 |date=13 March 1963}}
</ref>

<ref name="Curtis">
{{cite book | last=Curtis|first= Thomas | title=The existing monopoly an inadequate protection of the authorised version of scripture | year=1833 | publisher = Effingham Wilson et al | location=London | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jI6I4xjYuqkC&pg=PA48 }}</ref>

}}
;Bibliography
* {{cite book | last=Benton|first= Josiah Henry | title=John Baskerville: Type-founder and Printer, 1706–1775 | year=1914 | publisher = The Merrymount Press | location=Boston | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dTwuAAAAYAAJ&q=john+baskerville&pg=PA1 }}
* {{cite book | last = Gaskell|first= Philip | title = John Baskerville: A Bibliography | year = 1973 | publisher = Paul P. B. Minet| isbn =978-0-85609-029-5 }}
*{{cite book|last=Pardoe|first=Frank Ernest|title=John Baskerville of Birmingham Letter-Founder and Printer|url=https://archive.org/details/johnbaskervilleo0000pard|url-access=registration|date=1975|publisher=Frederick Muller, Ltd.|location=London|isbn=9780584103540 }}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Baskerville, John}}
* ARCHER-PARRÉ, Caroline & Malcom DICK (Editors), JOHN BASKERVILLE: Art and industry of the enlightenment. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2017. 8vo, (240x160mm), xviii,269p

== External links ==
*{{OL author|2348174A}}
*[https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20007/things_to_do/190/statues_and_public_art/5 Birmingham City Council page on ''Industry and Genius''] (includes picture)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060308154827/http://www.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/home.stm Revolutionary Players website]
*[http://www.baskervilleproject.com/ Baskerville the Animated Movie] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913041638/http://www.baskervilleproject.com/ |date=13 September 2008 }}
*[http://www.alain.les-hurtig.org/baskerville/ Some typographical studies] on the use of the Baskerville font (in French).

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baskerville, John}}
[[Category:1707 births]]
[[Category:1775 deaths]]
[[Category:English printers]]
[[Category:English typographers and type designers]]
[[Category:English atheists]]
[[Category:People associated with the University of Cambridge]]
[[Category:Associates of the Lunar Society of Birmingham]]
[[Category:Artists from Birmingham, West Midlands]]
[[Category:Burials at Warstone Lane Cemetery]]