The Prince with the Silver Hand trilogy by Michael Moorcock (Allison & Busby)
![The Bull and the Spear [More info on ISFDB]](https://fiu-original.b-cdn.net/fontsinuse.com/use-images/N213/213071/213071.jpeg)
The Bull and the Spear [More info on ISFDB]
The Bull and the Spear, The Oak and the Ram, and The Sword and the Stallion are three novels by Michael Moorcock. Published between 1973 and 1974, they form the second trilogy about fantasy hero Corum Jhaelen Irsei, after The Swords Trilogy (a.k.a. The Prince in the Scarlet Robe) from 1971. This second trilogy was titled The Prince with the Silver Hand in the United Kingdom and The Chronicles of Corum in the United States.
Shown here are the covers of the first UK edition published by Allison & Busby in London between 1973 and 1974, with illustrations by Keith Roberts. The letterforms are drawn by hand, unmistakably following Arnold Böcklin, a Jugendstil typeface first cast by the Weisert foundry in Stuttgart in 1904.
In this rendition (possibly also by Roberts), the letterforms are more condensed and exhibit more contrast between thick and thin strokes. An “Arnold Böcklin Display”, so to speak. Not that the painterly typeface in its standard form would be suitable for anything other than display. Also, it’s not really made for all caps use. In this case, though, the weird and wonderful typography is a fitting expression of Moorcock’s fantasy world.
![The Oak and the Ram [More info on ISFDB]](https://fiu-original.b-cdn.net/fontsinuse.com/use-images/N213/213069/213069.jpeg)
The Oak and the Ram [More info on ISFDB]
![The Sword and the Stallion [More info on ISFDB]](https://fiu-original.b-cdn.net/fontsinuse.com/use-images/N213/213070/213070.jpeg)
The Sword and the Stallion [More info on ISFDB]
1 Comment on “The Prince with the Silver Hand trilogy by Michael Moorcock (Allison & Busby)”
See also the cover lettering for Love Is by Eric Burdon & The Animals from 1968, which is also based on Arnold Böcklin: