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Surely we all know about "Type: A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles" based on the specimen collection of Jan Tholenaar and edited by Cees De Jong.

But,

I Want More!

My entire type specimen and lettering book collection now resides at the University of Virginia library, so I can't give you exact details, but…

Someone (Taschen, perhaps?) published a gorgeous two-volume set of specimen book samples from the mid-1800s through the 1960s, with much WOW! stuff in the set…

Reproductions of letterpress specimens aren’t Type Specimens.

Uhhh.. OK... If I change the name of the thread to "Sources of Reproductions of Victorian era Letterpress Specimens other than Jan Tholenaar?" would you list some sources?

I wonder if there isn't some library somewhere in Europe that has like every type specimen ever made or something...?

http://www.oakknoll.com/detail.php?d_booknr=60132
Very interesting book, but the quality of reproductions is poor.

Nineteenth Century Ornamented Types and Title pages (Faber & Faber 1938, 1951, 1976), By Nicolette Gray:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/19th-Nineteenth-Century-Ornamented-Types-Nicolet...
Sure it’s expensive, but one thing you’re paying for is the fact that the reproductions are made from line blocks, size as.

Google book:
http://www.galleyrack.com/images/artifice/letters/press/noncomptype/typo...
This really demonstrates the problem with reproductions, there is nowhere near enough resolution, never mind the flatness of the image.

I think you would be better to go to a rare-book library, they are likely to have a type specimen section.

That may be the books based on Tholenaar's collection.

http://www.amazon.com/Type-Visual-History-Typefaces-Graphic/dp/3836511010

BTW, bravo on the book donation

Thank you, Nick.

I know there can be problems with reproductions, but anything is better than nothing. I'll take it anyway I can get it.

Gray’s book was among those I donated to the UVA library. The University of Maryland in College Park houses the Maurice Annenberg collection of type specimen catalogs, which is quite extensive. The New York Public Library is supposed to have a large collection of specimen books, also, but I haven’t seen it.