Ian Mackenzie-Kerr

Ian Mackenzie-Kerr took great delight in the design of a book not mentioned in his obituary [by Alan Powers, 6 June], writes Jeremy Greenwood. Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, printed by Aldus Manutius in Venice in 1499, is one of the most famous books in the world and of particular interest to book designers for the integration of its noble typography and woodcut illustrations.

Professor Jocelyn Godwin approached Thames & Hudson with the first full translation in English of the lengthy and complicated text in time for the 500th anniversary of the book's publication. By a happy coincidence, 1999 was also the 50th anniversary of the founding of Thames & Hudson.

The Monotype Corporation had in 1923 cut a version of the typeface used in the book naming it Poliphilus: Mackenzie-Kerr set the English text in a digitised version of the typeface and by small adjustments of type size and line spacing closely followed the original in layout and design.

The book was published in the autumn of 1999 in time for both anniversaries. An article by Mackenzie-Kerr describing the delights and difficulties of the project was published in the journal Matrix in 2001.