I wrote the following missive to the Forteana email group the other day, and had no joy. So it is over to you guys:
"You folk are a unique repository of arcane knowledge. Does anyone have any idea what a "black letter pamphlet" is/was?
I am proofreading a book by one of my authors who uses the term, but admits that he just copied it from somewhere and doesn't know what it means..."
From about the 17th Century, it became a common practice for English printers to use a (Black-letter) Gothic style type face when producing news pamphlets. Thus these came to be known as "Black letter Pamphlets".
ReplyDeleteThe practice of using this style of type face continued - particularly in Germany - until the 19th Century.
Quite why the printers used this Gothic type face is a bit of a puzzle, as it can be quite - if not very - difficult to read.
Hi Jon - I've emailed the question to a Professor of Languages I know. I'm pretty confident - 99%, actually - that she'll know what this is. Watch this space...
ReplyDeleteHi Jon - I've emailed the question to a Professor of Languages I know. I'm pretty confident - 99%, actually - that she'll know what this is. Watch this space...
ReplyDeleteA pamphlet printed in blackletter (i.e. Gothic) typeface? Or is that too obvious? Suggests 17th century to me.
ReplyDeleteJon;
ReplyDeleteFrom the information you provide I surmise this is what is being talked about; Blackletter is the older name for Gothic style lettering. This style was first used in about the 11th cent. and was commonly used until sometime in the 17th cent. (the term Gothic is an Italian Renaissance term) Blackletter was considered a faster method of publication than some extant methods from the 11th-17th centuries. After the 17th cent. some privately published pamphlets and books still utilized blackletter as it was felt it gave the publication more gravitas. There are several styles contained within blackletter and the print style would be indicative of how "elevated" the text should be viewed. A quick look at the dates of your pamphlet or if possible a peek into the earliest editions would confirm this. (Blackletter is one word)
"...my understanding is that it is written in that ornate kind of Gothic script beloved by the Victorians and Germans..."
ReplyDeleteFrom my language expert colleague. Hope this helps.