The Spirit of No.12

Source: 20six Fresh

Source: Fun For All

Win or lose a competition, you have to love the game spirit. Seattle faces San Francisco today in the NFC championship to determine the next Superbowl contender, and the fans are bat-shit crazy. I readily admit, that I'm the last football fan, but I've become quite amused with Seattle Seahawk's team spirit and embrace of the number 12, signifying a tradition of the "12th man"—the team's greatest fan. The number 12 can now be seen in every possible orientation, fontstyle, size and spacing—at the top of the Space Needle, in corn mazes, on pizzas, in the produce aisle...I even saw a homeless man sporting a 12th man flag on his backpack. Recently spotted on the gum-covered bricks of Seattle's Post Alley gum wall was the number 12 gum "collage".

Source: Chromix

Source: Darla Lorbeski on Seahawks fan page

Source: Me

Source: Idalina on KUOW FB page

Source: Tacoma News Tribune

As traditions go, Seattle cannot rightly claim the "12th man" as their own. Legend has it, they stole it from Texas A&M University where it originally began in 1922. Despite this claim—the mystery remains. In a recently unearthed 1870 photograph from the Washington State Historical Society, mountain climber's, Hazard Stevens and P.B. Van Trump, are seen holding an official 12th man flag which they carried to the summit on the first ascent of Mt. Rainier (previously known as Mt. Tacoma). They've got game.

Ghost Writing

When I was ten years old in Mrs. Rogers 4th grade class, I was a member of the Scholastic Book Club. Illustrated catalogs would occasionally arrive from the book company featuring cheap paperback books on science, space exploration, adventure, elephant jokes, and sappy teen novels. Most of the covers were pretty goofy, however some were exceptionally nice with illustrated mid-century patterns. Surely it was a great source of income for many accomplished illustrators at that time. I'm not sure exactly why I was particularly attracted to this Spooky Magic book, but I suspect it was the wacky type with the googlie eyeballs on the cover. A real deal at 45 cents!

Source of 1963 Scholastic Books order form and lots more: Tattered and Lost Ephemera.

Inside there were lots of amusing science and magic experiments, but none delighted me more than the chapter on ghost writing. It was a magic trick for secret lettering and could easily be performed at home with a fresh lemon, a paintbrush, paper, a candle, and matches. Was Scholastic Books encouraging child endangerment or was it spooky science? You decide! 

Being a bit of an arty nerd, I decided to make a haunted Halloween house, just so I could show all my friends this really neato trick I could do with spooky ghost lettering. I set up a table and chairs in a small hall closet where I could close the door and burn a candle in the dark (kids, don't do this at home), to expose the ghost lettering for a line of bemused and probably confused friends.  

Despite my lack of parental supervision, I didn't burn down the house. I guess it was a mild success. I must have earned my arty nerd badge for life, as I still enjoy this ploy. I hadn't thought about ghost lettering in years, but had a momentary flashback when I saw the Spooky Magic book here, where you can learn many more spooky magic tricks.

I had to try this trick once again at home. It's science-errific! For more Scholastic Books' flashbacks check out this fun Flickr set.

Arty Nerd Badge. Get yours here!

Concrete Poem

Long-time Letterology fan Rob Bowker of Typewriter Heaven, home of the Type-o-Matic, sent me this lettres trouvées link today which gave me a good laugh. He stumbled on this cap H on what passes for a hill in his part of the Typosphere. It could be an H for Hazard, or for Hill as he suggests. Or maybe it's just a minimalist concrete poem. 
     Bowker can frequently be found test-driving one of his many typewriters and tasting local beers (is this legal?) Occasionally he will post some great typewriter ephemera such as this recent gem he entitles Magic Fingers. It is a keyboard template from a Halda Portable Typewriter owner's manual.

Bowker recently shared some of his own keyboard handiwork at Typewriter Heaven, which he calls Spiralcast. It's a story about belt-driven turntables and typing, but I think it qualifies as a concrete poem. Since Bowker happens to be a member of The Society for the Ethical Treatment of Typewriters, I trust he wasn't drinking and driving when he put his Olivetti Lettera 32 through all of the tight curves. I can't even read it without getting dizzy.  

The Story of Paper

As promised, I present the companion book to "The History of Printing", featured in my previous post; "The Story of Paper" written by a young Joe Obzina in room 5A at John Hay School in Seattle. There is no date on this book, however I believe it to be from the same era as the book on printing which was 1930. What leads me to think this is the last chapter  where Joe includes a list of 27 pulp and paper mills in the State of Washington in 1928. This charming book was another estate sale find from several years ago, found in stacks of well, paper.
     The binding of this book is a Japanese "stab binding", and coincidentally it uses the same grey binding cloth on the spine as the Printing book did. The other similarity between the two books is the cut construction paper lettering for the cover design and a simple silouette of a silkworm which is instrumental in the making of Japanese papers. They both match the sewing thread and the interior endsheets. The book measures 7.5 x 9 inches, making it just a bit larger than the other. 

The title page is simple and plain, and lacks any sort of typographical hierarchy or ornament. Joe was not an adventurous book designer.

The history of paper coincides with the history of writing, which Joe gives only slight mention in his first chapter on "Ancient Writing Materials".

Joe is actually a much better writer and speller than young Albert was, but could take a lesson from him on illustration and layout.

The tipped-in "School" and "Special Paper" samples are a wonderful addition. Following these are lists of 36 different "Kinds of Paper" and 52 different "Uses of Paper", from Blotters to Parasols.
 

Side Note: Pardon the recent Letterology makeover here, but I inadvertently pushed the wrong button the other day and there is no quick fix. I tried googling "Why doesn't Google understand the definition of the word 'Revert'", but got not reply. Time for that big move over to Wordpress soon! 

The Printing Press Song

Yesterday was a good mail day. It was marked by the arrival of an old recording by George Hamilton IV singing his ballad, If I Possessed a Printing Press. Never a chart-topper, Hamilton released the seven inch vinyl on the ABC Paramount label in 1957 at age twenty. The lyrics recall a boy longing to tell the world of his hunk o' burning love by printing up handbills in many colors. Accompanied by a chorus of crooners, Hamilton wistfully sings:

     And in the middle of each one, in bold face type a line would run. 
     The oldest line it always knew, I'd tell the world that I love you. 

I just hope Mr. Hamiliton IV was a better printer than he was a songwriter. Fortunately, the incomparable ABC-Paramount label with the gothic extended type, along with the infinity logo in its full-color rainbow fidelity, was worth the entire $1.99 I paid for it. If only I possessed a printing press now...

Give it a listen and feel free to hum along.

A nice four color poster from a 1958 "Show of Stars" show in Saskatoon. George Hamilton the IV received top billing along with Sam Cooke, the Everly Brothers and Paul Anka.  
::Thank you for the YouTube post Paco Sanchez.

It's Tattoo Transfers!

This title spread of Peter Rabbit and Jimmy Chipmunk was 'enhanced' after the addition of transfer tattoos by some eager tattoo artist. A young scout perhaps? Granted, Letterology does not condone the defacement of books, but in this case, the transfer tattoos maketh a far better title page methinks. I found this book yesterday at Powells in Portland and it got me thinking about printmaking with tattoo transfers. 

Tattoo flash goes back many years. Based on the illustration style, these above are likely from the 1930s or 40s. The best part is they are needle free! Not only that—you can change your tattoo as easily as changing your mind simply by washing it off!  

This series of little 'Made in Japan' Lucky Tat-oos Books from the Letterology archives are chock full of flash which can be applied simply by moistening with water. Below is the galactic Tat-oos series and a politically incorrect cowboy and indian series.  

More Lucky Tat-oos old stock from the Lovely & Strange Etsy site and teresatudor.  

Another Letterology find: a sheet of early tattoo transfers from Japan, most likely from the 1940s.

WWII era lick 'em and 'stick 'em temporary tattoos. From paperink and Dull Tool Dim Bulb below. For some really nice contemporary temporary tattoo transfers from by pro designers and illustrators, visit Tattly. Some great stuff!