John Baskerville

John Baskerville (1706-1775) was a typographer, printer and Enlightenment figure in Birmingham who developed an international reputation.  He created one of the world’s most important and enduring typefaces having become wealthy in the making of Japanware. Baskerville’s unconventional lifestyle was followed by a unique post-mortem history which is commemorated in a radio play Hic Jacet or The Corpse in the Crescent recently re-recorded by History West Midlands. 

The Baskerville Society is dedicated to the study of John Baskerville.