Finding a New Font

My husband, the Sci-Fi fan, recently checked Lightless by C. A. Higgins out of the Davenport library. I saw it laying innocently on an end table and picked it up. I couldn’t help it, books will be books. But I didn’t have enough time to read the whole thing, so I skimmed a few parts, enough to get the gist of the story and the characters.

I made the most amazing discovery when I flipped to the end of the book. There was a nice explanatory note about the type used to produce the book’s text. I’ve seen notes like this a few times before. Nice. Interesting. I did watch the movie about Helvetica. I have a friend who collects different fonts. So yeah, I know there is life outside of New Times Roman. (I’ve been an Arial fan for quite awhile.)

The main point was where this type came from—Sweden!

“This book was set in Berling. Designed in 1951 by Karl-Erik Forsberg … in Lund, Sweden… A classic old-face design, its generous proportions and inclined serifs make it highly legible.”

That got my attention.

Swedes settled Bishop Hill.

News from Bishop Hill enticed an influx of Swedes to the Midwest.

It seems like yet another way to make my book a product of the Midwest.

It’s too perfect to pass up.

So, now I have a new mission. Find Berling and convert my manuscript.

How hard can that be?