author

Edmund G. (Edmund Geiger) Gress

1872–1934

A longtime printer, editor, and typography writer, he helped explain the craft of printing in a way that working printers and curious readers could both appreciate. His books blend practical know-how with a real love of the history and design of the printed page.

1 Audiobook

The Art & Practice of Typography A Manual of American Printing, Including a Brief History up to the Twentieth Century, with Reproductions of the Work of Early Masters of the Craft, and a Practical Discussion and an Extensive Demonstration of the Modern Use of Type-faces and Methods of Arrangement

The Art & Practice of Typography A Manual of American Printing, Including a Brief History up to the Twentieth Century, with Reproductions of the Work of Early Masters of the Craft, and a Practical Discussion and an Extensive Demonstration of the Modern Use of Type-faces and Methods of Arrangement

by Edmund G. (Edmund Geiger) Gress

About the author

Born in Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1872, Edmund Geiger Gress began his career in newspaper work as a compositor, reporter, and feature writer for The Easton Daily Free Press. He later moved into the printing trade more fully, and in 1903 went to New York to work with The American Printer, a magazine devoted to the printing arts.

Gress became widely known as an editor and writer on printing and typography. Sources describe him as an authority on typography, and his best-known books include The American Handbook of Printing and The Art & Practice of Typography, works that brought together practical instruction, trade knowledge, and the history of printing in America.

He retired from The American Printer in 1930, worked for a time as a consultant, and died in 1934. He also wrote A Dash Through Europe, showing that his interests reached beyond the print shop, but his lasting reputation rests on the clear, useful way he wrote about type, design, and the business of printing.