Editor's Fence

Editor's Fence The Excalibur, Typography: To say that people who care deeply about literature know its pervasive influence on our lives is to rehearse a commonplace. We question many things, but we appropriately concede the sovereignty of cogent thinking, particularly when robed in comely writing. Any monarchy, however, shares its dominion, even one so influential. Is it not a curious irony that we who stand watch over literature's immortality and spend so much time with the printed word often fail to challenge the measure of contemporary typography? Of course sometimes there is no choice in the matter. To use a shrewd commoner's bluntness, when you're hungry you don't throw your dinner on the floor just because it's served on a dirty plate. The typographer's craft suggests an alien elitism articulated in unfamiliar terminology. But typography remains central to what we read, and still we seem reluctant to judge the character of the print editors and publishers provide us. Perhaps reluctant is the wrong word. Rather, we may be prey to our own bounty. We become so engaged in the hectic rhythm of our commitments to students and departments and scholarship that there is little time for what those in the "quick-production" world would call antiquated niceties-musing on the personality of the print we read. I reflect on this subject because ELT 1989 has a different typographical expression. If you place this page beside an earlier Fence you'll notice a difference, if you haven't already. Beatrice Warde, an authority on typography, poses a thoughtful question we might pause to consider. She asks us to imagine two goblets of exquisite red wine. One goblet is of solid gold, engraved in elaborate design, the other of crystal-clear glass, "thin as a bubble." If the wine means anything to you, Warde continues, which goblet do you prefer? The clarity of the crystal, of course, for it reveals rather than hides the color and individuality of the cherished wine. Certainly there is a kind of invisibility to well chosen typography; it never trespasses; it facilitates and unveils the writer's thinking. Nevertheless, a typeface possesses a distinctiveness which carries its own connotations. You are reading New Century Schoolbook, a design based on a typeface created for Century Magazine (1881-1930) by L. B. Benton in collaboration with the printer Theodore Low De Vinne. It's strongly drawn, with decided serifs. It communicates with an energetic stress and bold weight that give the thin strokes the desired nuance while extending a lucidity quite effective in photo-offset printing. Among other virtues, it has a large x-height with generous open or "counter" spaces, as the lower-case "e" evidences. Clarity, balance, fluent legibil- ity, overall readability: these are New Century Schoolbook's quiet but meaningful connotations. ELTs typeface is complemented by a new computer program for composition, WordPerfect 5.0. Fewer words appear on each line. The leading is ample. The justification of spaces between letters and words is finely proportioned, the hyphenation more accessible. We have less white space channeling through the black ink. These changes do not bring typographical nirvana-far from it. I hope, however, the eye is afforded a more comfortable read than what the Times Roman typeface provided in previous issues. Such a transition is not without tedious hours of work, nor could it be accomplished without the help of several people. I want to thank in particular Sheila Donohue, EUFs new Editorial Assistant. Her intimate understanding of WordPerfect as well as her counsel on typographical decisions are much appreciated. I also wish to thank Dr. Thomas Sheriff, Tracy Cooley, and Mike Kloepfer of UNCG's Academic Computer Center. Their good offices continue to be indispensable to the publication of the journal. • Announcements · Northeast Victorian Studies Association: "Evolution and Revolution: The Ringing Grooves of Change" is the topic for this conference held at Providence College, 28-30 April 1989. For information, contact Johathan Rose, Program Director, 340 East 81st St., New York, NY 10028. Midwest Victorian Studies Association: "Victorian Anecdotes, Apocrypha, and Hallowed Cliches" is the topic for this conference held in Chicago, 28-29 April 1989. For information...