Jean Grolier
My sister asked me to do the typesetting for two of her personal documents. I decided to be entirely original and copy to the letter a layout from the French Renaissance. After all, as a master used to tell me all the time, there's only so many ways in which you can layout a text. So I went original by stealing a sheet from the 1500s. I followed the instructions of famed bibliophile and treasurer of war, Jean Grolier. He died in 1565 on my birthday. People follow the influencers in vogue. I like to follow dead people, especially if they happen to either be born or die on my birthday, deal with books, martial arts, or all three at once. Grolier is considered a patron god among bookbinders – ours here too – having left an impressive legacy. Today I applied his 'holy grail' instructions in typography, as far as I’m concerned. In a letter to a printer, Grolier wrote this: 'I entreat you many times and supplicate you to add beauty to elegance, that the paper should be without blemish, the characters of a perfect quality, and, what is not to be despised, that the margins should be large' (quoted in 1892 by a founding member of the Grolier Club in New York, William Loring Andrews). For my sister's documents, I didn't use the font here, from one of Grolier's books, as I need to take credit for something. But suffice it to say that the best teaching is the kind that highlights precisely these essentials: add beauty to elegance – Grolier presupposes that elegance is already in place – find good paper, use the most perfectly balanced font, and make sure the margins are large. That's it.
So I went original by stealing a sheet from the 1500s. I followed the instructions of famed bibliophile and treasurer of war, Jean Grolier. He died in 1565 on my birthday. Lots of people follow others on social media. I like to follow dead people, especially if they happen to either be born or die on my birthday, deal with books, martial arts, or all three at once. Grolier is considered a patron god among bookbinders, having left an impressive legacy. Today I applied his ‘holy grail’ instructions in typography, as far as I’m concerned.
In a letter to a printer, Grolier wrote this: ‘I entreat you many times and supplicate you to add beauty to elegance, that the paper should be without blemish, the characters of a perfect quality, and, what is not to be despised, that the margins should be large’ (quoted in 1892 by a founding member of the Grolier Club in New York William Loring Andrews). For my sister's documents, I didn't use the font here, from one of Grolier’s books, as I need to take credit for something. But suffice it to say that the best teaching is the kind that highlights the essentials: add beauty to elegance – Grolier presupposes that elegance is already in place – find good paper, use the most perfectly balanced font, and make sure the margins are laaarge. That’s it. You can be original by stealing Grolier’s design concept, and in the process have fun figuring out how elegance and balance manifest for you.
As to the book I wrote myself that I dedicated to Jean Grolier? How about the one on power? The Power of the Trumps and Pips. The Omnibus Edition. It has red titling and a distinct nod to the old master. Maybe some of his wisdom guided this one. I hope so. Enjoy
