when in doubting rome

the types were considered neither quaint nor old-fashioned: they looked like the ordinary text and display types of the day. When Caslon’s typefaces were revived in the middle of the 19th century, after the onslaught of the “modern” Didots and Bodonis, they were used at first for “old-fashioned” books and books that might or might not be read straight through. But by the turn of the century, Caslon Old Face (as it came to be known) had become re-established as a standard typeface; in the early 20th century, thanks to numerous revivals manufactured both for hand-setting and for the various hot-metal typesetting machines on the market, Caslon had earned its place in a rule of thumb for printers: “When in doubt, use Caslon.”