Century Schoolbook is the most familiar of typefaces. It has been used in children’s books and primers, as well as in innumerable magazines and books. Its letters are sturdy and round, almost a little bit plump, and can be read endlessly, page after page. Use it for text when you want your words to be instantly readable, when you don’t want anyone to think about the typeface but just absorb the words.
The first Century typeface was designed in 1894 by type designer Linn Boyd Benton, working with typographer T.L. De Vinne. It was designed as a metal typeface to be used in the text of Century magazine, replacing the spindly, less readable typeface then being used. Morris Fuller Benton, Linn Boyd’s son, created several different versions of Century, most notably Century Expanded, for American Type Founders (ATF); Century Schoolbook is one of a number of slightly different typefaces with the Century name, and one of the most commonly used today.
