The first edition of Alfa-Beta reviewed the evolution of writing systems and typography from their advent up to the present day. The first edition was published in 1964 by Progresso Grafico and distributed by G.B. Paravia & C. The book showcases a very specific point of view: it is one of very few works on the history of type originally written in Italian, and one of even fewer to have been written by a type designer rather than a historian or academic. It also marked the public debut of Novarese’s own typeface classification system.