Alfabeti Modernisti Italiani

Name: Alfabeti Modernisti Italiani
SKU: 9788898030903
Price: 70.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Language: IT, EN

€ 70,00

The first print run of 1,000 copies contains an eight-page insert, hand-set in lead type and printed by Editore Tallone on high-quality paper.

For at least a dozen years, Luca Lattuga has been collecting and cataloguing metal and wooden movable type produced in Italy between the 1920s and 1940s. During his research, he rediscovered a recurring and consistent style, hitherto little considered, that characterized that period. Although widespread at the time, this style, which originated in the printing workshops, remained in the shadows for decades.

These lesser-known typefaces coexisted alongside the famous types from historic foundries, such as Nebiolo and Reggiani, surviving thanks to their versatility and affordability and enjoying spontaneous and widespread popularity even in the most isolated provinces. They remained in use until the 1960s or 1970s, effectively lasting until the end of the era of movable type printing. They were widely used in advertising, flyers, posters, book covers, and magazine headlines. They followed European trends toward more modern forms and represented a fascinating vernacular expression, entirely Italian, of the international taste of the time.

The book contains over one hundred specimens, divided and grouped into categories and subcategories. It is accompanied by a testimony from the book’s editors, Veronica Bassini and Luca Lattuga, a historical analysis by Carlo Vinti, and a technical study by Luciano Perondi. The work is completed by in-depth profiles of some of the key figures of that era: Guido Modiano, Ruggero Zuliani, Francesco and Antonio Tocchio, and a gem by Enrico Tallone.

Texts
Veronica Bassini, Luca Lattuga
Luciano Perondi, Carlo Vinti

Foreward
Riccardo Olocco

Book Design
Luca Lattuga

23,5 x 28,5 cm
336 pages
Hardcover
English/Italian

Isbn 978-88-98030-90-3
Available from November 2025

Description

The volume Alfabeti Modernisti Italiani (Italian Modernist Alphabets) collects over one hundred specimens, systematically organized into categories and subcategories: functional, cyclopean, triennial, synthetic, modulated, decorative, and modular. The book provides a historical contextualization of their origins, offering a clear mapping of typefaces produced in Italy between the 1920s and 1940s. Luca Lattuga’s research, realized in this volume, serves as an essential tool for studying a little-known phenomenon, shedding new light on a coherent and recurring style largely overlooked by traditional typographic historiography, emerging from small workshops and minor foundries, the so-called “basso.”

The significance of Lattuga’s research is also evident in contemporary practice: the digital foundry CAST has reinterpreted twenty-five of these typefaces, now available as digital fonts in the Alfabeti Modernisti Type Specimens collection, published by Lazy Dog in conjunction with the volume, as explained in the introduction by Riccardo Olocco. In this way, Alfabeti Modernisti Italiani are not only studied historically but continue to influence contemporary typographic design, attesting to the vitality and coherence of an often-forgotten aesthetic and cultural heritage.

The typefaces in question, less well-known than those from historic foundries such as Nebiolo and Reggiani, managed to establish themselves thanks to their affordability and versatility. Their distribution was widespread, reaching even the most remote provinces, and their use extended into the 1960s and 1970s, marking the end of the era of movable type. They were widely employed in advertising, flyers, posters, book covers, and periodical mastheads, embodying a uniquely Italian interpretation of the international taste of the time and representing one of the most significant vernacular expressions of Alfabeti Modernisti Italiani.

The volume is complemented by specialist contributions: the curators’ testimonies from Veronica Bassini and Luca Lattuga, a historical analysis by Carlo Vinti, and a technical study by Luciano Perondi, type designer and educator, who also provides a dedicated classification and typometry. The work is further enriched with profiles of key figures in the Italian typographic scene of the era, including Guido Modiano, Ruggero Zuliani, Francesco and Antonio Tocchio, with a special contribution by Enrico Tallone.

The relevance of Lattuga’s research is once again emphasized in contemporary practice: the digital foundry CAST has reinterpreted twenty-five typefaces, now available as digital fonts in the Alfabeti Modernisti Type Specimens collection, published by Lazy Dog in conjunction with the volume, as explained in the introduction by Riccardo Olocco. In this way, Alfabeti Modernisti Italiani are not only studied historically but continue to influence contemporary typographic design, attesting to the vitality and coherence of an often-forgotten aesthetic and cultural heritage.

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