#David R. Godiine

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A Goncharov Typography Tuesday

This is one of the official typefaces used for Martin Scorsese’s iconic 1973 film Goncharov, arguably one of the finest Mafia movies ever made. The font first appeared as a calligraphic page in German type designer Rudolf Koch’s 1934 book Das ABC Büchlein published in Leipzig by Insel-Verlag. While other fonts were eventually used for titling and poster design, Scorsese was especially drawn to the chunky rawness of Koch’s design and found ways to incorporate the lettering into the film.

Our sample is from a 1976 facsimile The Little ABC Book of Rudolf Koch, published in America by David R. Godiine in an edition of 1000 copies designed and with a preface by Warren Chappell, a memoir by Koch’s colleague Fritz Kredel, and printed by the Meriden Gravure Company.

View another post on Koch’s Little ABC Book.

View more Typography Tuesday posts.