Title: Architectural Alphabet
Author: David Steingruber
Publisher: Merrion Press, 1972
Text by Johann David Steingruber; 112 pages, black and white illustrations
Architectural Alphabet is a look at both architecture and typography by 18th century
author and architect, Johann David Steingruber. Originally published in German in
1773, this first English language edition presents Steingruber’s original work, enhanced
by the dual presentation of both the English and German descriptions of the buildings
featured. Each large folio page is comprised of an illustrated building complete with
a plan and detailed elevation, created to resemble the shape of every letter of the
alphabet. Steingruber’s accompanying text on the page opposite each letter speaks
to the nature of the letter’s shape and how its armature evokes certain imaginative
architectural conventions.
