Sol Hess was art director for the Lanston Monotype Machine Company of Philadelphia from 1902 until 1952 and had a lifetime of experience and study of the subject of this booklet. The booklet, sized 5¼x8 inches, containing 16 pages, is the result of an address he delivered to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. It discusses the history of type designs with several examples shown. The cover shown is from the first edition published about 1949. A later edition containing basically the same text, was also published by the company.