While studying at the Werkplaats Typografie in Arnhem the New Zealand designer David Bennewith stumbled across the work of his compatriot Joseph Churchward, a designer who has spent his entire life drawing letters and alphabets but whose work had hitherto remained relatively unknown.
Bennewith’s research continued at the Jan van Eyck Academie, and the result is this book, with which Churchward has been definitively rescued from obscurity. However, this ‘monograph’ not only showcases Churchward’s work, it also shows us the process of Bennewith’s research into the designer’s person and modus operandi. Essays alternate with type specimens, fragments of interviews, letters, newspaper cuttings, photographs and examples of Churchward’s types in
use. The product of all this is a combination of a biography, a presentation and an analysis of Churchward’s work in which Bennewith also tests Churchward’s typefaces in use. The approaches of the dispassionate investigator and the engaged designer are well balanced.

Churchward’s work is here uniquely revitalized: its energy and excitement are tangible in the book, as is respect for his craftsmanship and dedication.