Very long dashes in Victorian-era book

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up vote
11
down vote

favorite

3

I am trying to faithfully recreate the typographic style of a Victorian era book. One thing I've noticed is the extensive use of dashes: em-dashes are everywhere, for example.

Beyond the em dash however, I notice a set of even longer dashes. For example the dash used to indicate a pause in conversation due to a sudden interruption is about 1.5 times the length of an em dash. A similarly long dash is used to indicate the missing part of a name, e.g. "He traveled by horse to W-----".

How can I go about defining and working with dashes longer than an em dash. I can't seem to find any information on the web? I'm using XeLaTeX for my work.

punctuation

share|improve this question

asked Sep 7 at 19:09

A. Ahmad

1137

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  See also tex.stackexchange.com/q/447557 If your fonts support it, you can use Unicode’s omission dash.
  – Thérèse
  Sep 7 at 19:23
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  For those wondering why old books do that in the first place, it's discussed on English.SE.
  – Wildcard
  Sep 8 at 1:31
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  If your goal is to faithfully recreate the typography of the original book, wouldn't it be more accurate to use a series of dashes? I believe that's what was typically used at the time, as Victorian-era typesetters wouldn't have had access to sorts (i.e, special pieces of movable type) for abnormally long dashes either.
  – duskwuff
  Sep 8 at 22:54
  
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
11
down vote

favorite

3

I am trying to faithfully recreate the typographic style of a Victorian era book. One thing I've noticed is the extensive use of dashes: em-dashes are everywhere, for example.

Beyond the em dash however, I notice a set of even longer dashes. For example the dash used to indicate a pause in conversation due to a sudden interruption is about 1.5 times the length of an em dash. A similarly long dash is used to indicate the missing part of a name, e.g. "He traveled by horse to W-----".

How can I go about defining and working with dashes longer than an em dash. I can't seem to find any information on the web? I'm using XeLaTeX for my work.

punctuation

share|improve this question

asked Sep 7 at 19:09

A. Ahmad

1137

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  See also tex.stackexchange.com/q/447557 If your fonts support it, you can use Unicode’s omission dash.
  – Thérèse
  Sep 7 at 19:23
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  For those wondering why old books do that in the first place, it's discussed on English.SE.
  – Wildcard
  Sep 8 at 1:31
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  If your goal is to faithfully recreate the typography of the original book, wouldn't it be more accurate to use a series of dashes? I believe that's what was typically used at the time, as Victorian-era typesetters wouldn't have had access to sorts (i.e, special pieces of movable type) for abnormally long dashes either.
  – duskwuff
  Sep 8 at 22:54
  
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
11
down vote

favorite

3

up vote
11
down vote

favorite

3

3

I am trying to faithfully recreate the typographic style of a Victorian era book. One thing I've noticed is the extensive use of dashes: em-dashes are everywhere, for example.

Beyond the em dash however, I notice a set of even longer dashes. For example the dash used to indicate a pause in conversation due to a sudden interruption is about 1.5 times the length of an em dash. A similarly long dash is used to indicate the missing part of a name, e.g. "He traveled by horse to W-----".

How can I go about defining and working with dashes longer than an em dash. I can't seem to find any information on the web? I'm using XeLaTeX for my work.

punctuation

share|improve this question

asked Sep 7 at 19:09

A. Ahmad

1137

I am trying to faithfully recreate the typographic style of a Victorian era book. One thing I've noticed is the extensive use of dashes: em-dashes are everywhere, for example.

Beyond the em dash however, I notice a set of even longer dashes. For example the dash used to indicate a pause in conversation due to a sudden interruption is about 1.5 times the length of an em dash. A similarly long dash is used to indicate the missing part of a name, e.g. "He traveled by horse to W-----".

How can I go about defining and working with dashes longer than an em dash. I can't seem to find any information on the web? I'm using XeLaTeX for my work.

punctuation

share|improve this question

asked Sep 7 at 19:09

A. Ahmad

1137

share|improve this question

share|improve this question

asked Sep 7 at 19:09

A. Ahmad

1137

asked Sep 7 at 19:09

A. Ahmad

1137

asked Sep 7 at 19:09

A. Ahmad

1137

1137

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  See also tex.stackexchange.com/q/447557 If your fonts support it, you can use Unicode’s omission dash.
  – Thérèse
  Sep 7 at 19:23
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  For those wondering why old books do that in the first place, it's discussed on English.SE.
  – Wildcard
  Sep 8 at 1:31
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  If your goal is to faithfully recreate the typography of the original book, wouldn't it be more accurate to use a series of dashes? I believe that's what was typically used at the time, as Victorian-era typesetters wouldn't have had access to sorts (i.e, special pieces of movable type) for abnormally long dashes either.
  – duskwuff
  Sep 8 at 22:54
  
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  See also tex.stackexchange.com/q/447557 If your fonts support it, you can use Unicode’s omission dash.
  – Thérèse
  Sep 7 at 19:23
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  For those wondering why old books do that in the first place, it's discussed on English.SE.
  – Wildcard
  Sep 8 at 1:31
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  If your goal is to faithfully recreate the typography of the original book, wouldn't it be more accurate to use a series of dashes? I believe that's what was typically used at the time, as Victorian-era typesetters wouldn't have had access to sorts (i.e, special pieces of movable type) for abnormally long dashes either.
  – duskwuff
  Sep 8 at 22:54
  
  

  
  
  
  

1

1

See also tex.stackexchange.com/q/447557 If your fonts support it, you can use Unicode’s omission dash.
– Thérèse
Sep 7 at 19:23

See also tex.stackexchange.com/q/447557 If your fonts support it, you can use Unicode’s omission dash.
– Thérèse
Sep 7 at 19:23

1

1

For those wondering why old books do that in the first place, it's discussed on English.SE.
– Wildcard
Sep 8 at 1:31

For those wondering why old books do that in the first place, it's discussed on English.SE.
– Wildcard
Sep 8 at 1:31

If your goal is to faithfully recreate the typography of the original book, wouldn't it be more accurate to use a series of dashes? I believe that's what was typically used at the time, as Victorian-era typesetters wouldn't have had access to sorts (i.e, special pieces of movable type) for abnormally long dashes either.
– duskwuff
Sep 8 at 22:54

If your goal is to faithfully recreate the typography of the original book, wouldn't it be more accurate to use a series of dashes? I believe that's what was typically used at the time, as Victorian-era typesetters wouldn't have had access to sorts (i.e, special pieces of movable type) for abnormally long dashes either.
– duskwuff
Sep 8 at 22:54

add a comment | 

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

up vote
13
down vote



accepted

You can superimpose two em-dashes:

newcommandemmdash---kern-0.5em---

Full example:

documentclassarticle

newcommandemmdash---kern-0.5em---

begindocument

``He traveled by horse to Wemmdash”

-- --- emmdash

enddocument

share|improve this answer

edited Sep 7 at 19:32

answered Sep 7 at 19:13

egreg

681k8318113058

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  At first you suggested something like hbox to 1.5em---hss---. Is there a significant difference between both methods?
  – Phelype Oleinik
  Sep 7 at 19:24
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @PhelypeOleinik The current version respects possible kernings with characters before and after the dash.
  – egreg
  Sep 7 at 19:25
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  The overlaid portions appear somewhat darker.
  – AlexG
  Sep 7 at 19:28
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @AlexG Artifact. I added a high resolution screenshot.
  – egreg
  Sep 7 at 19:31
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Very creative solution. Thank you!
  – A. Ahmad
  Sep 7 at 19:36
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
12
down vote

You can use a Latex "rule" to create a thin rectangle.

documentclassarticle
begindocument
He travelled by horse to Wrule[0.5ex]3em0.5pt
enddocument

the format is rule[raise]width-xthickness-y (source)and this can of course be used in a newcommand for convenience.

By using "ex" and "em" units, the rule should scale nicely with the font.

share|improve this answer

answered Sep 7 at 20:45

James K

22114

New contributor

James K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

add a comment | 

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2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

active

oldest

votes

active

oldest

votes

up vote
13
down vote



accepted

You can superimpose two em-dashes:

newcommandemmdash---kern-0.5em---

Full example:

documentclassarticle

newcommandemmdash---kern-0.5em---

begindocument

``He traveled by horse to Wemmdash”

-- --- emmdash

enddocument

share|improve this answer

edited Sep 7 at 19:32

answered Sep 7 at 19:13

egreg

681k8318113058

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  At first you suggested something like hbox to 1.5em---hss---. Is there a significant difference between both methods?
  – Phelype Oleinik
  Sep 7 at 19:24
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @PhelypeOleinik The current version respects possible kernings with characters before and after the dash.
  – egreg
  Sep 7 at 19:25
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  The overlaid portions appear somewhat darker.
  – AlexG
  Sep 7 at 19:28
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @AlexG Artifact. I added a high resolution screenshot.
  – egreg
  Sep 7 at 19:31
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Very creative solution. Thank you!
  – A. Ahmad
  Sep 7 at 19:36
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
13
down vote



accepted

You can superimpose two em-dashes:

newcommandemmdash---kern-0.5em---

Full example:

documentclassarticle

newcommandemmdash---kern-0.5em---

begindocument

``He traveled by horse to Wemmdash”

-- --- emmdash

enddocument

share|improve this answer

edited Sep 7 at 19:32

answered Sep 7 at 19:13

egreg

681k8318113058

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  At first you suggested something like hbox to 1.5em---hss---. Is there a significant difference between both methods?
  – Phelype Oleinik
  Sep 7 at 19:24
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @PhelypeOleinik The current version respects possible kernings with characters before and after the dash.
  – egreg
  Sep 7 at 19:25
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  The overlaid portions appear somewhat darker.
  – AlexG
  Sep 7 at 19:28
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @AlexG Artifact. I added a high resolution screenshot.
  – egreg
  Sep 7 at 19:31
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Very creative solution. Thank you!
  – A. Ahmad
  Sep 7 at 19:36
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
13
down vote



accepted

up vote
13
down vote



accepted

You can superimpose two em-dashes:

newcommandemmdash---kern-0.5em---

Full example:

documentclassarticle

newcommandemmdash---kern-0.5em---

begindocument

``He traveled by horse to Wemmdash”

-- --- emmdash

enddocument

share|improve this answer

edited Sep 7 at 19:32

answered Sep 7 at 19:13

egreg

681k8318113058

You can superimpose two em-dashes:

newcommandemmdash---kern-0.5em---

Full example:

documentclassarticle

newcommandemmdash---kern-0.5em---

begindocument

``He traveled by horse to Wemmdash”

-- --- emmdash

enddocument

share|improve this answer

edited Sep 7 at 19:32

answered Sep 7 at 19:13

egreg

681k8318113058

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

edited Sep 7 at 19:32

edited Sep 7 at 19:32

edited Sep 7 at 19:32

answered Sep 7 at 19:13

egreg

681k8318113058

answered Sep 7 at 19:13

egreg

681k8318113058

answered Sep 7 at 19:13

egreg

681k8318113058

681k8318113058

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  At first you suggested something like hbox to 1.5em---hss---. Is there a significant difference between both methods?
  – Phelype Oleinik
  Sep 7 at 19:24
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @PhelypeOleinik The current version respects possible kernings with characters before and after the dash.
  – egreg
  Sep 7 at 19:25
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  The overlaid portions appear somewhat darker.
  – AlexG
  Sep 7 at 19:28
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @AlexG Artifact. I added a high resolution screenshot.
  – egreg
  Sep 7 at 19:31
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Very creative solution. Thank you!
  – A. Ahmad
  Sep 7 at 19:36
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  At first you suggested something like hbox to 1.5em---hss---. Is there a significant difference between both methods?
  – Phelype Oleinik
  Sep 7 at 19:24
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @PhelypeOleinik The current version respects possible kernings with characters before and after the dash.
  – egreg
  Sep 7 at 19:25
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  The overlaid portions appear somewhat darker.
  – AlexG
  Sep 7 at 19:28
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @AlexG Artifact. I added a high resolution screenshot.
  – egreg
  Sep 7 at 19:31
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Very creative solution. Thank you!
  – A. Ahmad
  Sep 7 at 19:36
  

  
  
  
  

1

1

At first you suggested something like hbox to 1.5em---hss---. Is there a significant difference between both methods?
– Phelype Oleinik
Sep 7 at 19:24

At first you suggested something like hbox to 1.5em---hss---. Is there a significant difference between both methods?
– Phelype Oleinik
Sep 7 at 19:24

1

1

@PhelypeOleinik The current version respects possible kernings with characters before and after the dash.
– egreg
Sep 7 at 19:25

@PhelypeOleinik The current version respects possible kernings with characters before and after the dash.
– egreg
Sep 7 at 19:25

1

1

The overlaid portions appear somewhat darker.
– AlexG
Sep 7 at 19:28

The overlaid portions appear somewhat darker.
– AlexG
Sep 7 at 19:28

1

1

@AlexG Artifact. I added a high resolution screenshot.
– egreg
Sep 7 at 19:31

@AlexG Artifact. I added a high resolution screenshot.
– egreg
Sep 7 at 19:31

1

1

Very creative solution. Thank you!
– A. Ahmad
Sep 7 at 19:36

Very creative solution. Thank you!
– A. Ahmad
Sep 7 at 19:36

add a comment | 

up vote
12
down vote

You can use a Latex "rule" to create a thin rectangle.

documentclassarticle
begindocument
He travelled by horse to Wrule[0.5ex]3em0.5pt
enddocument

the format is rule[raise]width-xthickness-y (source)and this can of course be used in a newcommand for convenience.

By using "ex" and "em" units, the rule should scale nicely with the font.

share|improve this answer

answered Sep 7 at 20:45

James K

22114

New contributor

James K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

add a comment | 

up vote
12
down vote

You can use a Latex "rule" to create a thin rectangle.

documentclassarticle
begindocument
He travelled by horse to Wrule[0.5ex]3em0.5pt
enddocument

the format is rule[raise]width-xthickness-y (source)and this can of course be used in a newcommand for convenience.

By using "ex" and "em" units, the rule should scale nicely with the font.

share|improve this answer

answered Sep 7 at 20:45

James K

22114

New contributor

James K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

add a comment | 

up vote
12
down vote

up vote
12
down vote

You can use a Latex "rule" to create a thin rectangle.

documentclassarticle
begindocument
He travelled by horse to Wrule[0.5ex]3em0.5pt
enddocument

the format is rule[raise]width-xthickness-y (source)and this can of course be used in a newcommand for convenience.

By using "ex" and "em" units, the rule should scale nicely with the font.

share|improve this answer

answered Sep 7 at 20:45

James K

22114

New contributor

James K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

You can use a Latex "rule" to create a thin rectangle.

documentclassarticle
begindocument
He travelled by horse to Wrule[0.5ex]3em0.5pt
enddocument

the format is rule[raise]width-xthickness-y (source)and this can of course be used in a newcommand for convenience.

By using "ex" and "em" units, the rule should scale nicely with the font.

share|improve this answer

answered Sep 7 at 20:45

James K

22114

New contributor

James K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

answered Sep 7 at 20:45

James K

22114

New contributor

James K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

answered Sep 7 at 20:45

James K

22114

answered Sep 7 at 20:45

James K

22114

22114

New contributor

James K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

New contributor

James K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

James K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

add a comment | 

add a comment | 

 

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