Today the Lawson Archive is proud to present “Teaching Typography,” a slightly revised version of Professor Lawson’s acceptance speech upon receiving the American Printing History Association’s Annual Individual Award in 1981 for his many books and articles on typography and his years of distinguished teaching. As its editor’s note states: “This paper is of special interest because it describes both historical attitudes and changing patterns of teaching typography in a period that does not seem so long past but demonstrates considerable differences.”

I would like to take this moment to express copious thanks to the American Printing History Association for granting me permission to post this article, which first appeared in print in issue 12 of Printing History: the Journal of the American Printing History Association (pp. 17–26, volume VI, number 2, 1985).

And moreover, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Doug & Ken Lawson, sons of the late Alexander S. Lawson, who just recently gave me their collective blessing to continue work on this site.

The ASL Archivist