KL 745.6 / 001 · On display in the library
The Stretched Letter
Notes on kashida in print, 1950—2000. A field guide to the stretch, from hot metal to the screen.
- Author
- N. A. Hamdan
- Published
- Kashida Editions, Riyadh, 2024
- Pages
- 312 pages, 240 drawings
- Language
- Arabic and English, parallel text
- Subject
- Arabic type; printing history
- Shelfmark
- KL 745.6 / 001
- Copies
- One on display, one in the reading room
About the book
Half a century of newspapers, posters, book jackets and signs, collected to answer one question: what happens to the stretch when the tools change? The book follows the kashida from hand-set metal, where every extension was a separate piece of lead, through phototypesetting and the first digital fonts.
Each chapter pairs a printed specimen from the library’s collection with a short essay and a set of measurements. The last section is a practical guide for designers who want to stretch with care.
Contents
- ILead and space
- IIThe newspaper column
- IIILight on film
- IVThe first screens
- VStretching with care