James Mosley's The Nymph and the Grot was originally produced to accompany the exhibition Primitive Types at Sir John Soane's Museum in 1999.

It enlarges on a ground-breaking article published by James Mosley in 1965 in Herbert Spencer's legendary Typographica magazine. The author's introduction to this new edition recalls the article's genesis in the 1960s when, in England at least, sans serif types had only just achieved acceptance within the idiom of the "modern" designer.

Exploring the history of this primitive, elemental and universal letter, Mosley relates the history of sans serif to the history of art and of ideas, and uncovers its origins in the interests and enthusiasms of a select group of eighteenth-century antiquarians amongst whom the architect Sir John Soane was prominent.

This edition, illustrated in color and black and white, contains compelling new evidence in support of the author's original 1965 position.

Designed by Justin Howes

Published by St. Bride Foundation, 1999

Hardcover, 56 pages, b&w and color images, 8.4 × 11.25 inches