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DESIGNER: Brian Willson

Years ago, I developed an interest in the Japanese art of dwarfed potted trees, bonsai. I bought some books on the subject from Brooklyn Botanic Garden. In one—Handbook on Bonsai: Special Techniques (seventh printing, February 1976)—the type was bad. Old worn lead type, I suspect, spread wide in the tops of characters and disappearing on the bottoms. Two decades later, I came across my Brooklyn Botanic Garden collection and was struck again by this interesting type. Inspired, I made a typeface. Didn't take me long to decide on a name for it either: a name with a double-meaning, based both on its look and its inspiration. I still admire bonsai (though I've never dared try nurturing a miniature tree), and BBG is still churning out new versions of its bonsai publications. Bonsai, the typeface, has two styles, a roman and a true italic.

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[NOTE: The TQ Type Tester does not show kerning.]

AVAILABLE AS: Full Family: 2 weights, Roman and Italic
PRICE: Full Family, US$49 (Also available in historical packages.)
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