I have an uncontrollable aversion to centring type. Yes, I do it occasionally, but more often than not, I just can't bring myself to centre. That's not to say I don't like a bit of type that someone else has centred. Like this, that I found "up there" last weekend, while trying to stop small children falling through the hatch (who takes a two year old into the loft?!).
It's kind of lovely and perfect don't you think?
Dated 1951 so it's feasible that the layout was left over from Tschichold's reign (1947-49), though don't quote me on that, I'm wildly speculating. Certainly it has a Tschichold perfection about it. Hans Schmoller then?
It is lovely, so perhaps your 'uncontrollable' should be 'unaccountable'.
Science News started in 1946, continued until 1960, you'd like its other cover designs too (sorry, I don't have them to send). Whether Tschichold or Schmoller doesn't matter, they were absolutely at one in perfecting this kind of layout - see the 1987 Monotype Recorder of special issue on Schmoller.
Posted by: James Mackay | 08 November 2007 at 11:57 AM
It's all about the line lengths.
Posted by: Ben | 08 November 2007 at 12:08 PM
It's neat that the 2/- (or maybe it's 3/-?) is offset, though. A nice touch that.
Posted by: davidthedesigner | 08 November 2007 at 12:34 PM
Perhaps you're right James. I'm in a mind to seek out other centering that I like.
Do you have that Monotype Recorder? And a digital camera? Bringing those two things together in a special FTF could be beautiful.
Only have a couple of old MRs myself. Sadly have lost the special Gill edition from around the same time.
Posted by: Richard | 08 November 2007 at 02:12 PM
here's something for you compare - Mathematician's Delight by W.W. Sawyer in the Tschichold Pelicans.
1951 http://www.flickr.com/photos/scatterkeir/1746966689/in/pool-penguinpaperbackspotters/
1959
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scatterkeir/556812331/in/pool-penguinpaperbackspotters/
the latter seems to have been reset primarily to centre the text.
The had such great attention to detail and pride in those days - I've seen covers from the 60s and earlier that seem to have been reset for very small details, like changing the typeface of the price or moving it a little, rather than waiting for a price rise. By the late seventies they would reprint with design elements more than five years out of date, like narrow SBN numbers, and not bother to change them.
Posted by: Keir | 19 November 2007 at 09:34 AM