American Upper Case

American Upper Case

¦¦

fists

lbs

per

a/c

1
4

1
2

3
4

1
8

3
8

5
8

7
8

{

«»

1
3

2
3

---

----

]

)

hair

ffl

The layout is that given in MacKellar: The American Printer (5th ed 1870, and still in 17th ed 1889), and also in Southward: Practical Printing (1882 and still in 3rd ed 1887). The companion Lower is MacKellar.

The lay is also shown by Hostettler: Technical Terms of the Printing Industry (1949, 4th rev ed 1963), but with hair omitted, and (erroneously) called an English Upper Case, and with a companion Hamilton Lower. The lay is almost the same as Harpel: Typograph or Book of Specimens (1870) except that Harpel has AE OE & with AE OE &. Harpel also comments that if being used for job letters, the top row of signs is replaced by . , - ' ; : ! ?

Note that subsequent Upper Case lays show the caps moved to the right, and small caps to the left, eg Lockwood (1894).

The boxes with A, etc are small caps. The box with ¦ is really a single dagger, and the box with ¦¦ a double dagger. The boxes «, «», » are really bottom, middle, top of a 3 piece brace. The box with -- is really an em rule, --- a 2em rule, and ---- a 3em rule. The box with { is a 2em brace, and the larger one a 3em brace.

The typecase is partitioned into two equal bays. The empty configuration is that of Moxon, and Smith (1755), Luckombe (1771), Stower (1808), Johnson (1824), Savage (1841), Miller & Richard (1873), Barnhart Bros & Spindler's News (1890s), Stephenson Blake & Co (1922), Caslon (1925) etc.

Other empty cases ie with the boxes left blank		Other type layouts ie with characters assigned to boxes
Full Index of layouts	Glossary of terms used	Sources of the layouts	Introduction
Notes about Job Cases	Notes about Upper cases	Notes about Lower cases	Alembic home page

This page was written by David Bolton (AlembicPrs@aol.com). Last updated 14 September 98.