An Obsessive Type: The Tale of the Doves Typeface

In 1916 TJ Cobden-Sanderson threw his precious Doves typeface into the River Thames in London after a bitter row..

Almost 100 years later, designer Robert Green set out on quest to restore it for the digital age.

A peer of William Morris, TJ Cobden-Sanderson first became known among the proponents of Arts and Crafts and even coined the term. But it was later at the turn of the 20th century that he became a leader of the British Private Press movement seeking to revive the tradition of the book as an object of art and manual skill.

In 1900 he established the Doves Press along with Emery Walker. But when they fell out, Cobden-Sanderson sabotaged their greatest achievement. He threw every piece of the Doves type into the Thames from nearby Hammersmith Bridge. The only record of the drowned type was the handful of valuable printed books.

A century later and graphic designer Robert Green nervously paces along the Thames riverbank.

This trip is the culmination of four years of his life and his art. He has persuaded the Port of London Authority divers to look for minuscule metal letters buried at the bottom of the river.

Presented and produced by Nicky Birch.

A Somethin’ Else production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2016.