Thick font used in (older) paperbacks - Orwell's 'Down and out'

[Member Uni…]

 

The above is an example. I know it is some form of Baskerville, and the closest I've come to getting one similar is Monotype Baskerville. The Italic capital 'T' is a distinct shape which isn't in all Baskerville fonts.

 

The problem is that *all* the Baskerville fonts I've found and tested have much wider letter spacing than in the above example, to the point where if I overlay it on the page it may be a whole letter longer, even if the shapes match up, or they are just much thinner, though maybe the thickness has something to do with being an older printed book and ink on paper rather than on a screen?

Are there any which are virtually identical to the above, with close spacing and a bit of a 'thicker' shape?

[Member Ric…]

11 hours ago, Unidentified_Snail said:

maybe the thickness has something to do with being an older printed book and ink on paper rather than on a screen

Exactly. This is a common problem, especially for early digitisations of classic typefaces.

11 hours ago, Unidentified_Snail said:

Are there any which are virtually identical to the above, with close spacing and a bit of a 'thicker' shape?

For the thickness, you could look for a cut that offers slightly heavier weights (like Medium or Semibold), a starting point could be the Related Typefaces on the Baskerville entry on Fonts In Use.

As for the spacing, any software you will use to set the text will allow you to adjust it more or less to your liking (even on the web).

[Member Kev…]

I think Monotype Baskerville is your best bet, and it even comes in an e-text version in which all the weights are slightly heavier (for better readability on screen), if Baskerville Medium or Semibold seems too heavy for you.

Another option would be Baskerville Original Pro.

[Member Uni…]

12 minutes ago, Kevin Thompson said:

I think Monotype Baskerville is your best bet, and it even comes in an e-text version in which all the weights are slightly heavier (for better readability on screen), if Baskerville Medium or Semibold seems too heavy for you.

Another option would be Baskerville Original Pro.

I'll give these a go. I've been testing out Baskerville 10 pro and it seems to be pretty good especially if you give it a +1 bold on the kindle. I'll test these out and compare, thanks!