Circus Alphabets: Dover Pictorial Archives

For this impressive collection, typographer and print historian Dan X. Solo has selected 100 fonts, many of which are reminiscent of the old-fashioned print styles found on turn-of-the-century posters and broadsides. Alphabets such as the attention-getting Carnival, Frolic, and Houdini fondly recall that era. Others are attractions themselves, including the foreign-looking Armenian and Tokyo; the eerie Monster Outline and Raindrops; and the glamorous Diamond Inlay, Startime, and Golden Era. Additional alphabets include: Balderdash; Big Cat; Eureka; Cheapjack; Dodge City; Earthquake; National Gothic; Ringmaster; Toscana; Wood Relief; and 80 other high-impact typefaces.
Each font contains a complete upper-case alphabet; many include numerals, lower-case alphabets, punctuation marks, and symbols or vignettes. Available in a variety of sizes, the faces come in assorted shapes--mostly tall, fat, and bold--but always eye-catching and affordable.