Reginald Knowles
Thirteen original lettering designs, c. 1925
(United Kingdom): n.p.
1036
Ink on paper. Thirteen calligraphed letters, each against an alphabetically apt background ('S' against a sunflower, for example). The selection evinces Knowles's impressive balance of restraint and fantasy, the regular...
Ink on paper. Thirteen calligraphed letters, each against an alphabetically apt background ("S" against a sunflower, for example). The selection evinces Knowles's impressive balance of restraint and fantasy, the regular serif letters suggesting a certain nobility while their botanical ornament. A note on the verso states that the pieces were completed for publisher J. M. Dent, with whom Knowles worked on a number of editions, among them Marie de France's Old-World Love Stories, Eric A. Sutton's The Happy Isles, and C. S. Lewis' Dymer, as well as decorations for the Everyman's Library; it is not clear in which book these letters eventually appeared. Editor's annotations visible on the twelve matted letters. An impressive glimpse into English lettering and book design, near fine.