TypeTalk is a regular blog on typography. Post your questions and comments by clicking on the Comments icon above. If Ilene answers your question in the blog, you'll receive one Official Creativepro.com T-Shirt!

Q. What's the purpose of the character that looks like a lowercase f with a short crossbar? And why is it in some fonts but not others?

A. This mysterious character is not an f but a long s, which derived from the old Roman cursive medial s. In its upright form, it looks like f without the right side of the crossbar. The italic form of the long s usually lacks the crossbar entirely. Both the long and short forms of the lowercase s were used up until about 1800, after which they went out of fashion in most printing.

In this setting of Adobe Caslon Pro, the top line uses the modern lowercase short s (traditionally called the miniscule s). The lower two lines illustrate the different designs of the Roman (upright) and Italic versions of the long s.

Because OpenType fonts can accommodate thousands of characters, the long s is popping up again in some typefaces. The two and three-letter long s ligatures are most often categorized as Standard Ligatures, while the single version is usually classified as a Historical Form.

Use the long s and its variants judiciously, as today’s readers are apt to read a long s as an f. But when you're aiming for an historical look and feel, go for it!

This facsimile of a 1738 newspaper set in Caslon Old Face contains the long s and its variants.

For more detailed information, check out James Mosley’s scholarly explanation.

Love type? Want to know more? Ilene Strizver conducts her acclaimed Gourmet Typography workshops internationally. For more information on attending one or bringing it to your company, organization, or school, go to her site, call The Type Studio at 203-227-5929, or email Ilene at info@thetypestudio.com. Sign up for her e-newsletter at www.thetypestudio.com.