Tipoteca. Una storia italiana

"A good book is a landmark, that we can refer to in space and time. And those who print books everyday and are familiar with this craft are well aware that books represent the best way of committing a story to paper." (Lucio Passerini)

The celebration of the first 50 years of Grafiche Antiga as a printing company gives the worthy opportunity to bring a work, rich in pictures and contents, that is not just limited to relive the history of the museum, but, above all, examines extremely valuable materials and documents.

Starting from the three inserts printed in letterpress with the historical typefaces of the Tipoteca's archive, techniques and sheets of paper are carefully applied in order to give "character" to a book printed in the digital age, so that the book itself is like a journey in print.

Tipoteca. Una storia italiana has been designed by the London-based graphic designer Simon Esterson and it is enriched by the visual narrative of the photographer Claudio Rocci, with texts of Italian and foreign designers and scholars. This book is a tribute to the beauty of books and typography. It focuses on typefaces and printing equipment: a unique historical heritage that is still available for the audience thanks to the Tipoteca, that has managed to save it after years of efforts and passion.

Introduction by Lucio Passerini, Texts by James Clough, Cesare De Michelis, Jost Hochuli, Alan Kitching, Matthieu Lommen, Arnaldo Loner, Bill and Jim Moran, James Mosley, Sergio Polano, Erik Spiekermann, Enrico Tallone, Alberto Vigevani