John Baskerville: Books of Consequence Exhibition
An online exhibition from the Cadbury Research Library from Monday 6 January 2025, showcasing Baskerville's typography and book arts.
Demystifying the work of John Baskerville, the Birmingham inventor and entrepreneur who revolutionised the world of printing, is one of the key objectives of a new research project led by Birmingham City University (BCU) and the University of Cambridge (UoC).
To mark the 250th anniversary of Baskerville’s death, researchers will use a blend of pioneering digital technology and traditional methods to examine the work of the 18th century cultural icon, who created one of the world’s most widely used and enduring typefaces.
"It is not my desire to print many books, but such only as are books of Consequence…" - John Baskerville’s Preface to Milton's Paradise Lost, 1758.
January 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the death of famed Birmingham printer and polymath John Baskerville (1707-1775).
To commemorate this important anniversary and celebrate Baskerville’s legacy, an online exhibition will be curated by the Cadbury Research Library, with the generous support of colleagues from the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City University.
The exhibition will highlight some of Baskerville’s most beautiful ‘books of consequence’ housed at Cadbury Research Library. Drawing out John Baskerville’s astonishing advancements across a variety of printing technologies and his significant contribution to print history in Birmingham and beyond through examples of his work.