Printed Bengali Character - Tapa dura

This study traces the evolution of Indian typeforms, from the earliest attempts by European officials, missionaries and craftsmen both in India and in England in the late-18th century, through the eras of hot-metal typefounding and filmsetting, to the latest use of computer technology. The author begins by appraising the publication of Nathaniel Brassey Halhed's "A Grammar of the Bengal Language" (1778), which marked the inception of the printed Bengali character, and takes the story up to the first fount of digital Bengali typeforms two hundred years later, which formed the blueprint for the production of many other non-Latin digital founts. The author concludes with an assessment of desk-top publishing and its implications for non-Latin typography. The book also contains over 100 reproductions of typefaces.