Monument to John Baskerville - Industry and Genius Portland Stone and Bronze 1990 Industry and Genius is a monument to John Baskerville who lived and worked between 1748 and 1775 just a few yards from here. The standing stones represent the letter punches which he cut to make his type, and the word virgil was Baskerville's first book, published in 1757, as a re-print of the Roman author's poems. Industry and Genius refers to a poem of the same title which first appeared in Aris's Birmingham Gazette on 21 January 1751, with a dedication to John Baskerville. David Patten (b. 1954) assisted by Michael P. House (b. 1959)