[Amiens, France]

Centre for Printing History and Culture

You are cordially invited to a two-day international conference organised by the Centre for Printing History and Culture (Birmingham) in conjunction with École supérieure d’art et de design (Amiens) with the support of the Ministère de la Culture, and the Bibliographical Society.

Venue

Ministère de la culture et de la communication
DRAC Hauts-de-France
Site d’Amiens
5 rue Henri Daussy
80000 Amiens

Date

18 and 19 October 2018

Registration

This is a FREE event, but if you would like to attend, please email Barbara Dennys with your name. b.dennys@amiens-metropole.com

About

John Baskerville (1707–75) was an English typographer, printer, industrialist and Enlightenment figure with a worldwide reputation. He not only designed one of the world’s most popular and important typefaces, he also experimented with casting type, improved the construction of the printing press, trialled a new kind of paper and refined the quality of printing inks. His typographic experiments put him ahead of his time, had an international impact and did much to enhance the printing and publishing industries of his day.

Baskerville, however, was a prophet without honour in his own land and ‘only in France did he meet with the encouragement he undoubtedly deserved.’ This conference considers the impact of Baskerville in France from the eighteenth century to the present day. Papers will present the technical, aesthetic, literary, political or philosophical influences of Baskerville on France and France on Baskerville. A companion exhibition displays rare artefacts, books and documents related to his career and his posterity.

Speakers

Patrick Goossens (Belgium), Barry McKay (UK), Aurélie Martin (UK), Albert Corbeto (Spain), Marc H. Smith (France), James Mosley (UK), Quentin Schmerber (France), Jérôme Knebusch (France), Thomas Huot-Marchand (France), Charles Mazé (France), Rosalie Wagner (France), Malcolm Dick (UK), Caroline Archer (UK)

All papers will be delivered in English.