John Baskerville – born 28. 1. 1706 in Wolverley, Worcestershire, England, died 8. 1. 1775 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England – type designer, writing master, printer.

• 1725: Moves to Birmingham.
• 1733–37: Writing master in Birmingham.
• 1750: Sets up his own type foundry and printing works.
• 1757: His first printed book is published, an edition of Virgil.
• 1758: Publishes an edition of John Milton’s "Paradise Lost".
• 1758: Appointed printer to the University of Cambridge. Here he produces several editions of the "Book of Common Prayer" and in 1763 a New Testament in a Greek type he designs.
• 1770–73: Produces a four-volume edition of Ariosto’s "Orlando Furioso". 1953: Baskerville’s original letter stamps and matrices are donated to Cambridge University Press.