Lettering for Commercial Purposes (1918) — Digital Download

Commercial lettering from a Speedball founder, as an instant download.

Lettering for Commercial Purposes (1918) by William Hugh Gordon is the Speedball co-developer’s full course in lettering for the trade — 182 pages of alphabets, layouts, and commercial plates aimed squarely at working sign and card men. Same buyers as the Speedball titles, deeper content.

Inside this 1918 textbook:

William Hugh Gordon's 1918 course walks through alphabet construction and letter spacing with the plate-by-plate patience of a classroom text — 182 pages of it. For lettering artists, sign painters, and show card writers, it is the closest thing to apprenticing with a 1920s lettering man.

Details:

• Complete 1918 edition scan — 182 pages
• 182-page commercial lettering course with plates
• Alphabets and layouts for working tradesmen
• Pen-lettering drills arranged as a working course, not a picture book
• Built-up and one-stroke letterforms for commercial work
• Two files included: the original scan, cleaned of dust, stray marks, and handwritten notes, and a cleaned white-background edition that's easy on the eyes and the printer
• PDF format, instant download after purchase — no physical book ships