American Proprietary Typefaces historyoftypedesignlithos So we asked Mary Yang

So we asked Mary Yang to dig deeper and introduce us (and you) to the work of this designer worthy of more attention

We remember reading our copy in bed

When Goudy said that all the old guys stole the best ideas

The whole gathering shows the remarkable variety and vitality of typography now—or

living together in perfect harmony

American Proprietary Typefaces historyoftypedesignlithos So we asked Mary YangIn these first days of 2026, its easy to forget that at one time in history, a proprietary typeface was a rare thing. It took a lot of work to make type. Yeah, yeah. We know. It still does. But in the hot type era, it was a different kind of work. It took forever and was incredibly expensive. Now everyone and every company has a custom typeface. But this is a book about American proprietary typefaces in the early twentieth century, when such a thing