John Baskerville, born in England in 1706, was a stonecutter, letter designer, typefounder and printer. Mostly known for the creation of the font 'baskerville' he is also known for his innovative tecniques and transforming English printing and type founding. Along with Carlson, Baskerville is considered one of the greatest type designers of the 18th century. He began his work as a printer in 1757 and 3 years after became a printer for the University of Cambridge. Baskerville didnt complete his first book until 1757, but during that time he made many innovations in press construction. His success came from using a flatter, sturdier bed, printing ink that was more defined, dried quicker, and was blacker and darker. These along with his creative letter designs, cut by his punchcutter John Hardy, resulted in the success of his original typefaces and popular books from 1754 to 1755. His type faces introduced a modern style with large type, wide margins, and the eye catching contrast of his very white page to the dark black text. His masterpiece was a Bible printed for the University of Cambridge published in 1763.
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