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John Baskerville was born in 1706 in Wolverley, near Kidderminster, the youngest son of parents of some standing. He moved to Birmingham and entered into the trade of commissioning and selling of japanned goods (the decoration of metal objects with coats of varnish), one of the major industries in Birmingham at the time, which he continued for most of the rest of his life.

In 1754 he produced prospectuses for his first book, a proposed edition of Virgil, asking for subscribers. He designed and cut the types, improved the wooden press on which he printed the book and made improvements to the paper he used. He published it in 1757 supported by a long list of subscribers of standing, including Matthew Boulton. The quality of the printing, the design of the letters and of the page stood out from the work of contemporary professional printers. Between 1757 and 1775 he printed books in a wide range of subjects. Modified versions of Baskerville type have been popular and admired to the present day, and are a recognised font on 21st century word processors.

Baskerville was known as a kind and generous man. He took in Sarah Eaves as his housekeeper when her husband abandoned her, and he treated her children generously as his own. They were married as soon as her husband was reported dead.

He died in 1775, an established, if eccentric, citizen of Birmingham, celebrated internationally for his type design and his printing of beautiful books.

Category: People , Product

Institute: Birmingham Libraries Central Library

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