Body-text fonts, pt. 32: Caslon 224

Benguiat is a fine choice for horror movie opening titles – but not for body text.

Well, what other fonts did Ed Benguiat make?

Hmmm … ah, yes, Caslon 224. Arguably not for body text, either. But I’ve seen it used in this nice little book, Tolkien’s Ordinary Virtues.





A bit eye-watering due to the very high contrast between thickest and thinnest strokes. But – allowing generous spacing between lines – not bad.

Really, it’s a font for benign fairy tales. Hence its aptness for a Tolkien-inspired, quasi-devotional book.

P.S. Cheaper and less eccentric (once certain ligatures have been disabled) is this obscure Serbian font, Bajka. It creates a similar fairy-tale effect.