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Composition Arts Company, Los Angeles, [Published date: 1975]. Softcover, 98 pp; 24 x 25 cm. Illustrated throughout in black and white with typographic specimens, including full alphabets, weights, styles, and extensive character count tables for professional typesetting use.
In good condition. Red paper covers with black lettering on front and spine. Covers show moderate wear with rubbing, creasing, and edge wear with some color loss; spine intact with visible wear from use. Binding sound. Previous owner's (designer) name and address stamped on first page. Otherwise interior pages are unmarked with light toning. Type specimen and professional reference manual produced by Composition Arts Company, a Los Angeles phototypesetting and composition firm active during the mid-20th century transition from metal type to photographic typesetting. This volume (Body Type) was part of a two-volume set (with Display Type) and was issued for use by designers, printers, and advertising agencies as a practical tool for specifying and measuring type. The work documents a wide range of classic and modern typefaces including Baskerville, Bodoni, Garamond, Helvetica, and Trade Gothic, presented with detailed metrics, spacing guides, and production data. A representative example of phototypesetting-era trade catalogs, illustrating the shift from hot metal type to film-based composition and offering insight into real-world commercial typography practices of the period.