Noordzij Bibliography

Robin Kinross, November 2002

Gerrit Noordzij’s theory of letters was launched publicly in 1970, with his article ‘Broken scripts and the classification of typefaces’. Despite the ostensible subject of that piece, his idea of ‘translation / expansion’ and ‘cursive / interupted’ as the governing schema of letters is presented there, ‘in nuce’.

Noordzij’s main books on letters and type are The stroke of the pen (1982) and De streek (1985, reissued 1991). Otherwise, the essential Noordzij texts on typography and letters are the bulletin Letterletter (1984-96), produced for ATypI, and the compendium of his ‘views about everything’: De handen van de zeven zusters (2000).

EvB, 2026: I’m adding GN material dated after 2002. These are more articles from various archives and a couple of Stroke translations. I try to follow the existing reference style as much as possible. A low-resolution PDF is sometimes provided.

Images courtesy of the archives of Peter Verheul, Erik van Blokland, Petr van Blokland, Peter Matthias Noordzij, Allard Pierson Museum, University of Amsterdam, Royal Academy of Art, The Hague.

Written about Gerrit

  • Alexander Nesbitt, To the editor. Visible Language, vol.5, no.1, 1971, pp.82-4
  • Huib van Krimpen, Gerrit Noordzij: master of crafts. Penrose Annual, vol.72, 1980, pp.121-8 → PDF ()
  • Jost Hochuli, The stroke of the pen [book review]. Typografische Monatsblätter, vol.102, no.3, 1983 pp.28-30
  • Ewoud Sanders, ‘Vijfenzestig lettertekens per regel, niet meer en niet minder’ [interview]. NRC Handelsblad, 14 March 1987
  • Max Caflisch, Die Schriftentwürfe von Gerrit Noordzij, [preface]. Typografische Monatsblätter, no.2, 1994 , p.9
  • Stijn Verbeeck, Het midden der aarde. Leeslint, vol.6, no.1 (15 April 1996), pp.1, 4-5 → PDF ()
  • Bas van Lier, Een A is gauw gemaakt [interview]. NRC Handelsblad, 31 October 1996
  • Robin Kinross, Type as critique. Typography Papers, no.3, 1997, pp.77-87
  • Paul Stiff, Spaces and difference in typography. Typography Papers, no.4, 2000, pp.92-130
  • Hans Bouman, Gerrit Noordzij: een eigenzinnig typograaf [interview]. De Uitgever, October 2000, pp. 12-13

  • Image: KABK

    Frank E. Blokland, Erik van Blokland, Reynoud Homan, Eveline den Heijer, Henk van Leyden, Jack Verduyn Lunel, Gerrit Noordzij, Huug Schipper, et al., Het primaat van de pen: een workshop letterontwerpen met Gerrit Noordzij. Den Haag: Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten, (February 16, 2001) [48 pp] Published for the Gerrit Noordzij Prize
  • Jan Goossensen, Heilige letters: uit de grabbelton van Gerrit Noordzij [interview]. HN, vol.57, no.11 (17 March 2001), pp.6-7
  • Reviews of De handen van de zeven zusters. Willem Dijkhuis, Financiële Dagblad, 10 March 2001, Mathieu Lommen, Items, no.3, 2001, pp.98-99., Guus Middag, NRC Handelsblad, 2 March 2001, p.33, Maartje Somers, Het Parool, 16 February, 2001, Lisa Kuitert, Vrij Nederland, 10 March 2001, pp.65
  • Jan Middendorp, Gerrit Noordzij,teacher & master of crafts. Dutch Type, 2004 pp.150-157,175
  • Aafke Boerma, ‘De mooiste letter? …die maak ik morgen”. Leeslint, vol.16, no.31 (december 2006) pp.1-2 → PDF ()

  • Image: [Z]OO Productions

    Karel Kuitenbrouwer, Sybrand Zijlstra (ed.), Gerrit Noordzij. No.9 in the Roots series. [Z]OO Productions, 2007 [16 pp] The printed publication is in Dutch. The web version was translated to English. Material by Peter Verheul, Wim Westerveld and Jan Middendorp. → Dutch Graphic Roots

  • Image: Stichting Laurens Janszoon Coster

    Wim Crouwel, Bernt Schneiders, Gerrit Noordzij, Huug Schipper, Peter Verheul, Robin Kinross, Willem Jan Otten, Jaap Blansjaar, Wouter van Oorschot, Gerrit Noordzij Laurens Janszoon Costerprijs 2011. Stichting Laurens Janszoon Coster, Haarlem. 2011 [64 pp] 120 × 210 mm Book design Christoph Noordzij. Typeset in TEFF Ruit

  • Image: De Buitenkant

    Jorn Henkes, Rogier van der Sluis, Thom Janssen, Gewone Letters, Gerrit’s early models. Amsterdam: Uitgeverij de Buitenkant, 2013 [72 pp] 170 × 240 mm Eighteen printing plates from the 1960s, about writing with various nibs.

Written by Gerrit, 1970 - 1989

  • Reading the journal. The Journal of Typographic Research, vol.4, no.1, 1970, pp.85-90
  • Broken scripts and the classification of typefaces. The Journal of Typographic Research, vol.4, no.3, 1970, pp.213-40 One page is reproduced here, not the entire article. → PDF
  • A reply to Alexander Nesbitt. Visible Language, vol.5, no.1, 1971, pp.85-7

  • Image: ATYPI

    A program for teaching letterforms. Dossier A-Z: Association Typographique Internationale 1973. Andenne: Rémy Magermans, 1973, pp.80-8
  • Fotografisch zetten met zelfgemaakte matrijzen. Den Haag: Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten, 1973 [5 pp] Photocopied typescript, stapled. Courtesy the Jurriaan Schrofer Archive, Allard Pierson Museum, University of Amsterdam → PDF
  • Handwriting as design: report for discussion at the Congress of ATypI. Warsaw, 1975. Tuil: ATypI, Committee on Education in Letterform [22 pp]
  • Die Hände der sieben Schwestern. In navolging: een bundel studies aangeboden aan C.C. de Bruin bij zijn afscheid als hoogleraar te Leiden, Leiden, 1975, pp.180-8
  • Die Hände der sieben Schwestern. Nederlandsch archief voor kerkgeschiedenis, vol. 56, no.1, 1975
  • Haags ABC. Compres, no.3, 1978, pp.13-19

  • Image: Noordzij Estate

    Zeis en sikkel: de kunst van het maaien. Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 1979 [80 pp]
  • Het verzamelde misverstand van Gerrit Noordzij: de dingen, als je ze op hun kop zet, worden niet altijd duidelijker maar dikwijls wel leuker. Amsterdam: Universiteitsbibliotheek, 1980 [24 pp]
  • De ontwerper analyseert opdracht en specificeert de productie. Het kader van grafisch ontwerpers. Lecturis, 1980 p.14

  • Image: Noordzij Estate

    Papier: weet ik veel. Finish, vol.3, no.5, 1980 [12 pp]
  • Letters: een conventioneel systeem. Grafische communicatie, deel B, Letters, 1981, pp.1-12
  • The stroke of the pen: fundamental aspects of western writing. The Hague: Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten, 1982 [52 pp] For the occasion of the tricentennial of the Royal Academy of Art. “Designed by the author, illustrated by the author”
  • De burgundische Bastarda: Vortrag am 29. März 1983.
  • Inleiding. Letters in studie: letterontwerpen van studenten in het Nederlands Kunstonderwijs Eindhoven: Lecturis, 1983
  • De nieuwe letters van de keizer. Tirade, vol.27, no.288, 1983, pp.514-27
  • Deliciae: over de schrijfkunst van Jan van den Velde.. Haarlem: Enschedé, 1984 [80 pp]
  • Letterletter, no.1 (winter 1984-1985). The art of quibbling. Münchenstein: ATypI [4 pp] → PDF

  • Image: Compres CHECK

    Schrift en spelling. Compres, no.9, 1984, p.65
  • De streek: theorie van het schrift. Zaltbommel: Van de Garde, 1985 [80 pp]
  • De streek: theorie van het schrift. Zaltbommel: Van de Garde, 1985 [80 pp] A special edition of 150 copies for Van de Garde, “to coincide with the trade edition of 1000 copies”
  • Letterletter, no.2 (spring 1985). Münchenstein: ATypI [4 pp] → PDF
  • Das Kind und die Schrift. Munich: Typographische Gesellschaft München, 1985 [56 pp]. → PDF
  • Letterletter, no.3 (February 1986). Münchenstein: ATypI [8 pp] → PDF
  • Letterletter, no.4 (May 1986). Münchenstein: ATypI [8 pp] → PDF
  • Zetten bij Thieme, Nijmegen. Nijmegen: Thieme, 1986 [82 pp]
  • Inleiding. Letters] Den Haag: Rijksmuseum Meermanno-Westreenianum, 1986
  • Stichworte für Braunschweig. Tuil, November 1986 [9 pp] Laserprinted notes for a lecture. German
  • Inleiding tot de fotografie. Het fotografische beeld. Tuil, December 1986 [3 pp] Introduction to Noordzij’s ideas about the geometry of optics. Laserprinted. Dutch
  • Letterletter, no.5 (spring 1987). Correspondence on research in writing. Münchenstein: ATypI [8 pp] → PDF
  • Letterletter, no.6 (autumn 1987). The seven-times table. Münchenstein: ATypI [8 pp] → PDF
  • De staart van de kat: de vorm van het boek in opstellen. Leersum: GHM, 1988 [112 pp]
  • Letterletter, no.7 (spring 1988). Münchenstein: ATypI [8 pp] → PDF
  • Letterletter, no.8 (autumn 1988). The grammographic polyglot. Münchenstein: ATypI, [12 pp] → PDF
  • Letterletter, no.9 (spring 1989). The historical fact maker. Münchenstein: ATypI [12 pp] → PDF
  • Letterletter, no.10 [autumn 1989]. A matrix of writing. Münchenstein: ATypI [8 pp] → PDF
  • Ikarus op Macintosh: 1. Compres, 27 June 1989, pp.31-7
  • Ikarus op Macintosh: 2. Compres, 18 July 1989, pp.17-23

Written by Gerrit, 1990-2025

  • De streek: theorie van het schrift. Leersum: ICS Nederland, 1991 [80 pp] → editions
  • De start van de kat: de vorm van het boek in opstellen. Leersum: ICS Nederland, 1991 [112 pp]
  • Letterletter, no.12 [June 1991]. The logic of book design. Münchenstein: ATypI [12 pp] → PDF
  • The shape of the stroke. Raster imaging and digital typography 2: papers from the second RIDT meeting, held in Boston, October 14-16, 1991 New York, 1991, pp.34-42 → PDF
  • Jan van Krimpen, 1892-1958: een keuze uit de collectie. Amsterdam: Universiteitsbibliotheek van Amsterdam, 1992 [8 pp]
  • Letterletter, no.13. The Burgundian issue. Münchenstein: ATypI [16 pp] → PDF
  • Ruse on trial. Hurwenen: The Enschedé Font Foundry, 1993 [1 sheet]
  • Het domein van de typograaf. De Gids, vol.165, no.4/5, 1993, pp.267-80
  • Chiaconna in e flat: classifying type. TypeLab Gazette, 27 September 1993, Antwerp: ATypI Antwerp, pp.17-19
  • Letters kijken: 1995 [calendar]. Leersum: Bankiva [12 leaves + covers]
  • Die Schriftentwürfe von Gerrit Noordzij. Typografische Monatsblätter, no.2, 1994 , pp.9-16

  • Image: Noordzij Estate

    Vergeetboek: de expansie van het boek in zijn ontwikkeling van leesboek tot naslagwerk, van rol tot rom. Den Haag: Colofon, 1995 [44 pp]
  • Rule or law. Jan Tschichold: reflections and reappraisals. New York: Typoscope, 1995, pp.25-31
  • Oorzaak als gevolg (filosofische kruimels). Filosofie & Praktijk, vol.16, no.4, 1995, pp.214-15
  • The mannerist writing-book and Stanley Morison. Quaerendo, vol.25, no.1, 1995, pp.59-71
  • De betekenis van Jan van Krimpen. Vormberichten, no.7/8, 1995, pp.30-1
  • Letterletter, no.14, 1996. Mannerist writing. Zaltbommel: The Enschedé Font Foundry [16 pp] → PDF
  • Letterletter, no.15, autumn 1996. On copperplate. Zaltbommel: The Enschedé Font Foundry [16 pp] → PDF

  • Image: KABK

    Een eenvoudig verzinsel. Haagse letters: letterontwerpen aan de Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten Den Haag. Amsterdam: Uitgeverij de Buitenkant, 1996, pp.6-9
  • Het primaat van de pen. Van pen tot laser, Amsterdam: Uitgeverij de Buitenkant, 1996, pp.204-11
  • Reply to Robin Kinross. Typography Papers, no.3, 1997, pp.89-90

  • Image: Noordzij Estate

    De handen van de zeven zusters. Amsterdam: Van Oorschot [382 pp] dated 2000, but published in February 2001

  • Image: Peter Verheul

    The one attribute this book is remembered for.

    Letterletter: an inconsistent collection of tentative theories that do not claim any other authority than that of common sense. Vancouver: Hartley & Marks, 2000 [xii + 180 pp]
  • The Gerrit Noordzij Issue. Alphabet [San Francisco: The Friends of Calligraphy], vol. 26, no.3, 2001, pp.3-29 → Paul Shaw
  • The stroke, theory of writing. Hyphen Press, 2005, 2009 [86 pp] English edition. Translation Peter Enneson. Includes the original foreword from 1985 and an additional one from 2005. Corrected reprint in 2009 → editions
  • Gerrit Noordzij over de tekeningen van Jan van Krimpen. Leeslint, vol.16, no.31 (december 2006) pp.3 → PDF
  • Il tratto. Teoria della scrittura. Milan: Edizioni Sylvestre Bonnard , 2006 [88 pp] Italian edition. Translation Alessandro Collizi. → editions
  • El trazo, Teoria de la escritura. Valencia: Campgràfic Editors 2009 [78 pp] Spanish edition. Carlos García Aranda → editions
  • Le trait, une téorie de l’écriture. Paris: Ypsilon Éditeur, 2010 [88 pp] French edition. Translation by Fernand Baudin, Jan Middendorp (ed.) → editions
  • Potez, teorija pisanja. Split: Department of Visual Communications Design, Arts Academy, 2012 [92 pp] Croatian edition. Translation Mirna Herman Baletić. Nikola Djurek, Hrvoje Živčić, Igor Čaljkušić, Dejan Kršić, Damir Bralić, Marko Hrastovec, editors. → editions
  • o Traço, teoria da escrita. São Paulo: Blucher, 2013 [82 pp] Portuguese edition. Translation Luciano Cardinali, Andréa Branco → editions
  • Shtrikh, Teoriya pis’ma. Moscow: D. Aronov, 2013 [88 pp] Russian edition. Translation Irina Smirnova → editions
  • The Stroke : Theory of Writing. Seoul: Ahn Graphics, 2014 [152 pp] Korean edition. Translation Yoo Ji-won → editions
  • Štrichas, rašymo teorija. Vilnius: Vilnius Academy of Arts Publishing House, 2015 [?pp] Lithuanian edition, translation Almanté Triantafyllidou → editions
  • Il tratto. Teoria della scrittura. Milan: Lazy Dog Press srl, 2020 [88 pp] Italian edition. Translation Alessandro Collizi. → editions
  • The stroke, theory of writing. The Hague: Royal Academy of Art, Amsterdam: Uitgeverij de Buitenkant, 2021 [86 pp] Reprint of the 2009 Hyphen Press edition with minor text corrections. New cube illustration by Just van Rossum. → editions
  • Tah. Teorie písma. Prague: UMPRUM Publishing House, 2025 [82 pp] Czech edition. Translation Magda de Bruin Hüblová → editions

Handwritten note on a postcard, reference to W.G. Ovink, Legibility of Printing Types, 1938. Undated. Archive Erik van Blokland.