Maximilien Vox
Maximilien Vox (real name: Samuel William Théodore Monod) was a French writer, cartoonist, illustrator, publisher, journalist, critic art theorist and historian of the French letter and typography. He was born on 16 December 1894 in Condé-sur-Noireau in Calvados, where his father was a minister, and educated at the Corneille school in Rouen. In 1914 he published his humorous cartoons in L'Humanité, Floréal and La Guerre Sociale and became editor of Le Mot, the review produced by Paul Iribe.
Maximilien Vox
Maximilien Vox (1894-1974) · "Innocences", by Swiss writer Jacques Chenevière, published by Éditions Grasset in Paris, 1924 · Public domain
- Full name
- Samuel Théodore William Monod.
- Born
- 1894 · Condé-sur-Noireau.
- Died
- 1974 · Lurs.
- Nationality
- France
- Occupation
- journalist · printmaker · typographer · publisher · calligrapher · writer
- Honours
- Saintour Prize
- Languages
- French
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Documentary summary
Maximilien Vox (real name: Samuel William Théodore Monod) was a French writer, cartoonist, illustrator, publisher, journalist, critic art theorist and historian of the French letter and typography. He was born on 16 December 1894 in Condé-sur-Noireau in Calvados, where his father was a minister, and educated at the Corneille school in Rouen. In 1914 he published his humorous cartoons in L'Humanité, Floréal and La Guerre Sociale and became editor of Le Mot, the review produced by Paul Iribe.
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wikidata · Q322131 · wikipedia · Maximilien Vox
In this article
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
Most of his cartoons were signed by Sam Monod or Esmono. Monod adopted a number of aliases before settling on Maximilien Vox. After getting married he went to Paris to learn typography, and in 1926 was awarded the Prix Blumenthal, worth 20,000 Francs, for a series of 24 book covers. During the Second World War, he worked as a department head for the Ministry of Information while continuing his editorial activities. In 1942 he founded The Union Bibliophile de France, which published artworks. After the war he concentrated on typography and created in 1949 the professional magazine Characters, which he edited until 1964. He created the VOX-ATypI classification of type characters. In 1952 he moved to Lurs to live in a house he called Monodière and founded Rencontres internationales de Lure. He died there on 18 December 1974 and was buried in Lurs. He had married Eliane Poulain in 1917 and had five sons.
Maximilien Vox was recorded at birth as Samuel Théodore William Monod. His recorded language was French. He was the child of Wilfred Monod. 2 children are recorded: Sylvère Monod and Richard Monod. Other recorded relations include Jean-Luc Godard.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1894
Maximilien Vox born at Condé-sur-Noireau.
1974
Maximilien Vox died at Lurs.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Condé-sur-Noireau.
Birth place
Lurs.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q322131: Maximilien Vox
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Maximilien Vox”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Literature
Literature
Vox, Maximilien, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2011
La question graphique chez Jean-Luc Godard: typographie, montage et mise en page: avec Maximilien Vox, Marguerite Duras et Jean-Christophe Averty
Chesterton, traduite par Maximilien Vox
A la poursuite du livre rêvé par Jean Giono et Maximilien Vox: dialogues typographiques, Critique d’art, 2021
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q322131: Maximilien VoxWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Prints
4,138 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Maxime DethomasEngraver
- Maxime MaufraEngraver
- Maximilian DasioEngraver
- Maximilien LuceEngraver
- Maxwell ArmfieldEngraver
- May AngeliEngraver
- May Oswald GilbertEngraver
- May SmithEngraver
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