Octavo 86.1, International Journal of Typography edited by Simon Johnston, Mark Holt, Michael Burke and Hamish Muir, 1986. Eight Five Zero Publishing (8vo), London, UK. 11.75 x 8.25, pp. 16 with English text.
Designed, published and self-financed in an edition of 3,000 copies as an eight issue series between 1986 and 1992. Distinct and influential, “Octavo arose from a genuine desire to develop a forum for matters related to typographic design, both historical and contemporary. And it was an opportunity to be openly critical of the complete absence of any European sensibility in British typography.” (8vo: On the Outside, Lars Müller, 2005).
This first issue features: Quotations: Thoughts from ten practitioners (Tschichold, Zwart, Weingart, Rand, Moholy-Nagy, Bill, Ruder, Lizzitzky, Bodoni, Dexel) Technics and ethics: the work of Anthony Froshaug (Robin Kinross), Information Texture (April Greiman), Richard Long's Art of Words (David Reason) and Twentieth Century Monograms (Burchartz, Tschichold, Weingart, Schmidt, Zwart, Kandinsky, Arndt, Boggeri, Behrens, Bayer, Rodchenko, Hoffmann).
Near fine with a hint of wear — includes the original, vellum printed wrapper.