American Upper Case

  *    ¦    ¦¦    §    ||    ¶  fists lbsper@  %    a/c    ´    °  
1
4
1
2
3
4
1
8
3
8
5
8
7
8
$£{{««»»
1
3
2
3
&AEOEaeoe ----------&AEOE
ABCDEFG ABCDEFG
HIKLMNO HIKLMNO
PQRSTVW PQRSTVW
  X    Y    Z    J    U    ]    )     X    Y    Z    J    U   hair   ffl  

This U.S. layout is that given in MacKellar: The American Printer (2nd ed 1866, 5th ed 1870, and still in 17th ed 1889), and also in Southward: Practical Printing (1882 and still in 4th ed 1892). The companion Lower is MacKellar.

MacKellar's lay is almost the same as Harpel: Typograph or Book of Specimens (1870) except that Harpel has AE OE & with AE OE &. Harpel also comments that if being used for job letters, the top row of signs is replaced by . , - ' ; : ! ?

Note that subsequent Upper Case lays show the caps moved to the right, and small caps to the left, eg Lockwood (1894).

The boxes with A, etc are small caps. The box with ¦ is really a single dagger, and the box with ¦¦ a double dagger. The boxes «, «», » are really bottom, middle, top of a 3 piece brace. The box with -- is really an em rule, --- a 2em rule, and ---- a 3em rule. The box with { is a 2em brace, and the larger one a 3em brace.

The empty configuration is that of Moxon, and Smith (1755), Luckombe (1771), Stower (1808), Johnson (1824), Savage (1841), Miller & Richard (1873), Barnhart Bros & Spindler's News (1890s), Stephenson Blake & Co (1922), Caslon (1925) etc.

Other empty cases
ie with the boxes left blank
Other type layouts
ie with characters assigned to boxes
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and Double Cases
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This page was written in 1997 by David Bolton and last updated 3 August 2013.