Eric Gill was born in 1882 in Brighton, England, and from an early age showed an interest in writing and architecture, as well as an aptitude for them. At the encouragement of W. R. Leihaby of the Central School of Arts and Crafts, he began carving letters and attending classes taught by Edward Johnston. In 1903 he went freelance and began his lifelong career as a craftsman.
In 1924 he was asked by Stanley Morison to write an article on typography for the typographic magazine Fleuron. He declined, saying that typography "was not his world". By 1925, however, Gill had already developed several alphabets (one of which eventually became Perpetua) and also formulated principles that he later collected in his famous "Essay".
Eric Gill had a talent for countless things. By the time of his death in 1940, he had mastered many crafts: he was a sculptor, stonemason, engraver, philosopher, illustrator, and typographer. At heart, however, he remained a progressive radical and social reformer whose work always reflected his philosophy and whose hand was guided by his moral convictions.
Czech edition