Juan Pascoe

An Early Mexican

Typographic Ornament, 1554–1686

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Juan Pascoe, Mexico’s greatest modern hand-printer, has long made a study of early Mexican printing, printers, and typography. Here he traces the use of a fourche cross designed, cut, and cast by Antonio Espinosa and first used in 1554 and subsequently was part of the typographic repetoire of Pedro Balli, Antonio Ricardo, Pedro Ocharte, Melchor Ocharte, Diego López Dávalos, Enrico Martínez, Cornelio Adrián César, and Juan Ruiz. In addition to the discussion of its use by the various printers, Pascoe also offers interesting and sometimes new biographical information on the printers based on archival documents. His assessment of each printer’s skills is informed by his eye and decades of experience as a handpress printer. His text is illustrated by more than 20 color illustrations and by examples of each printer’s signature. In all, a totally satisfying work on the skills and personalities and, at times, tribulations of these early New World printers.

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A contemporary version of this ornament was designed by Cristóbal Henestrosa, rendered into a matrix by Ed Rayher, and cast on the Thompson by Bradley Hutchinson, who then used it to print the two-color dust jacket at his letterpress printing office and type foundry in Austin, Texas.

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Small 8vo (6" x 9"). 39, [1 (blank)] pp., color illus., facsims.

Interior printed digitally with a letterpress dust jacket.

$37.50, plus $8 shipping within U.S.

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Inquiries to bradley@letterpress.com

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