Baskerville

I went to www.aiga.com under the typography forum, and found nothing besides the forum itself, which has yet to have a posting on it. I also couldn't find any images associated with Baskerville's typeface, the image included is courtesy of Wikipedia.com.  I then next went to www.thinkingwithtype.com and found nothing in regards to Baskerville. So here goes my unillustrated opinion of Baskerville. Baskerville, created by John Baskerville in 1757. John Baskerville was an Englishman, in an era when the printing press was in full gear, and publications such as literature were expanding their ideas regarding printed word. I think that Baskerville is successful in its attempt to transition between the old typefaces(ie: Garamond) and the more modern typefaces(ie: Bodoni). This is the reason it is referred to as a Transitional typeface, because it bridges the old to the new. Baskerville, with it's vertical stress and greater contrast between thicks and thins, offers a more easier readability than it's predecessors. The letters are very wide for it's x-height, which are ideal proportions if the goal is increased readability. I believe that there is a humanistic quality in Baskerville, mainly due to its curvilinear serifs, which are less bracketed than the Old Style fonts, which is smoother and less gothic and dated than Garamond.