Alphabets of Wood is the first study to survey the hitherto unknown history of wood type in Italy. The archive of the craftsman and wood type maker Luigi Melchiori, collected in the Tipoteca, was the starting point to broaden our gaze and investigate the history of the wood type manufacturers.

The book is enriched by two inserts letterpress printed from original wood type from the Tipoteca’s archive: a more than natural choice, since the topic of the book. The most incisive form to “highlight” them was their impression on paper.