John Baskerville was an innovative type designer born in Birmingham, England in 1706. He also had experience in calligraphy and stone cutting. John Baskerville first began his exploration of type after starting his own varnishing business in 1740. In 1750, Baskerville started up his own printing press. Seven years later he published his first book, an edition of Vergil. In 1763, he printed one of his finest works, a folio bible. In 1920, long after his death, Baskerville finally received the recognition he deserved. Baskerville’s types were bought by Beaumarchais and printed by French playwrights. Baskerville’s fonts gained recognition and popularity in the 1920s. He set about improving the William Caslon font. The Baskerville type is known for its balance and clarity. With these strong characteristics the font became a good type to be used in books and long articles. These books were often large and contained wide margins. The Baskerville font is a unique font and is often referred to as a transitional font. The Baskerville font helped make the shift from the older style fonts to the modern fonts a smooth process. Baskerville font has a vertical stress like the modern font type and a lower contrast like the older font styles.
Sources:
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0806405.html
http://ilovetypography.com/2007/09/23/baskerville-john/
http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/BAR_BEC/BASKERVILLE_JOHN_1706_1775_.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/55215/John-Baskerville
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