At 11:06 9/4/2001, Marco Cimarosti wrote:

>Why is "ß" often called "es zet" in German?
>
>I know that today this sign is a ligature for "ss". But, in ancient times,
>was it also a ligature for "sz"? Or was it *only* a ligature for "sz"?
>
>Where can I find a history of this sign, on-line or on paper?

Do you read German? There is a very interesting essay on the history of the
long s typography, including discussion of the eszet, written by the Swiss
typographer Kaspar Brandt as his masters thesis. If you are interested, I
can put you in touch with Kaspar.

John Hudson

Tiro Typeworks www.tiro.com
Vancouver, BC tiro@...

Type is something that you can pick up and hold in your hand.
- Harry Carter