The Clifford Bible, an historical novel by typographer Ted Staunton, traces seven generations of the Staunton Script Family from entries on the flyleaves of an old family Bible. This collection of fonts, generated to augment the text, reflects some of the stylistic transitions that evolved over that period.
The development of the Staunton Script Family paralleled typographer Ted Staunton’s authorship of a historical novel, The Clifford Bible. In the period between the English Civil War (1640s) and the Victorian Era (1839-1901), seven generations of the Clifford family recorded significant aspects of their lives on the flyleaves of their family Bible. Over that time, their handwriting made stylistic transitions from gothic to copperplate, reflecting cultural influences and the characteristics imparted by the writing instrument — from the quill to the steel nib. The personalities of the family members are glimpsed through their handwriting, providing graphological researchers with clues for the last survivor of the Clifford line to interpret an ancient prophecy and claim his rightful inheritance.
Each distinctive writing style was reconstructed as a font for Mr. Staunton’s Book Project, but the availability to the public is a welcome addition to designers in search of authentic historical handwriting fonts. The fonts will be available for sale on March 1, 2005 exclusively through P22 type foundry’s Sherwood Type Collection division. Each font can be downloaded separately or in one set, prices start at $19.95.
Samples of each font can be found at:
https://www.p22.com/sherwoodtype/files/Virginian.pdf
https://www.p22.com/sherwoodtype/files/Royalist.pdf
https://www.p22.com/sherwoodtype/files/Grosvenor.pdf
https://www.p22.com/sherwoodtype/files/Grenville.pdf
https://www.p22.com/sherwoodtype/files/Elizabethan.pdf
https://www.p22.com/sherwoodtype/files/Broadwindsor.pdf
https://www.p22.com/sherwoodtype/files/Chatham.pdf
This article was last modified on January 10, 2022
This article was first published on February 24, 2005
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