Goudy, Frederic William

Goudy, Frederic William gouˈdē [key], 1865–1947, American type designer, b. Bloomington, Ill. Goudy is celebrated as one of the finest and most prolific type designers in history. In 1905, Goudy established his first press, which he moved to New York City the next year. His wife, Bertha M. Sprinks Goudy, acted as typesetter. Kennerley, Deepdene, Garamont, and Forum are a few of his more than 100 typefaces. About 75 of his designs were destroyed when his plant burned down in 1939. Goudy is the author of The Alphabet (1918), Elements of Lettering (1922), and Typologia (1940).

See his Half Century of Type Design and Typography, 1895–1945 (1947).

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