Item 9 - Letter from Kenneth Sisam to R. B. McKerrow

1 single sheet

Clarendon Press, Oxford.—Discusses the sizes and layout of the text.

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Transcript

The Clarendon Press, Oxford
19th August 1926.

Dear Mr. McKerrow,

Thank you for your kind letter. A good share of the books pass through my hands at some stage though this one is so much in Chapman’s province that he has been primarily concerned on the editorial side.

I wholly agree with what you say about the titlepages. And further, we have proved by experiment, that the small style is the easiest of all. One can toss off any number of titlepages in it which don’t look bad, because it is not until one uses the larger and heavier sizes that faulty design becomes conspicuous. It is amazing how well one can imitate a small modern titlepage on a typewriter, whereas the smallness of a good new face titlepage is exceedingly hard to catch.

Anyhow I have had your alternative set, and think it is an improvement. According to the printer, A shows the first two lines in 18 point, as against the third in 14 point. I am frankly incredulous, but still living in a world of pica etc., I cannot contradict. But under the circumstances I have had it set again with the first two lines a size larger (style B), and I cannot help thinking that it comes nearer the effect of your drawing. Please let us have your comments and don’t hesitate to ask for something fresh. To my eye it still looks a little crowded at the head. But it is a great improvement on the first specimen. I fancy the next generation will weary of colophons and urns repeated indefinitely.

Yours truly,
Kenneth Sisam

R. B. McKerrow Esq.,
Enderley,
Little Kingshill,
Great Missenden,
Bucks.

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Typed, except signature. At the head are the reference ‘3249/K.S.’ and, elsewhere, the letters ‘MG.’