Re: Cherokee readers

Peter T. Daniels skribis:

>
> [Some time last year, it appears, since the referenced message
> isn't in my 2005 inbox]

December 4, 2004.

> > > > I believe the man who commisioned this font was Walter
> > > > Hamady, a private press operator in Wisconsin.
> > >
> > > So why did he never use it for anything, or allow anyone else to
> > > use it?
> >
> > I wrote to Hamady a month ago, but I have received no reply. I wrote
> > to Paul Duensing, who used to operate a private typefoundry. He is
> > good friends with Hermann Zapf and cut the matrices for Zapf's
> > last metal typeface (Zapf Civilité). His reply:
> >
> > ) The history of the Cherokee font is pretty much as follows.
> > ) Hamady submits an application for funding to commission a
> > ) special font for printing a number of legends in that language in
> > ) a bi-lingual edition. Prof. Zapf agreed to design the font (based
> > ) on Walbaum). In due course the drawings were received, I made
> > ) patterns, cut a few matrices and made casts, proofs of which I
> > ) shipped to Walter and Hermann. Then the project sort of came
> > ) apart and nothing further was done with it. In the past six or ten
> > ) years, various requests were received (mostly from graduate
> > ) students in typography whose instructors needed a diploma
> > ) project). I contacted Hermann who said in effect "I have no further
> > ) traffic with the Sequoia project." then contacted Walter who said
> > ) "did they pay for it?" So the project ground to a halt.
> > ) That's about it. Zapf won't move on it without Hamady's
> > ) permission, and Walter doesn't want to give away what he sees
> > ) as his property.
> >
> > Zapf is 86 years old. Hamady is probably about the same. Perhaps
> > their heirs will agree to do something with it. It's the best looking
> > Cherokee font I've seen.
>
> So the font exists in hot type, and could legally be digitized in the US
> (since, the last I heard, font designs are not copyrightable here).

Duensing made matrices for a few (maybe twenty or so) of the
characters for Hamady's and Zapf's approval. These are the only
ones made in metal. As I understand it, font designs are not copy-
rightable in the USA. But digitizing the font would require getting
a hold of the drawings. Hamady apparently considers them his
property. Zapf apparently does, too, and has written for years
about the need for copyright on typeface designs. Duensing may
still have copies of the drawings, but he's very good friends with
Zapf, so I doubt he'd be willing to release them.

--Ph. D.