Walter de Châtillon's epic poem on the life of Alexander the Great was widely read in the medieval and Renaissance eras, even being translated into Icelandic as the Alexanderssaga. Partly due to its popularity in the period, it was chosen by the French bookseller and printer Robert Granjon (1513-89) to advertise his new Civilité typeface. Granjon had earlier used this type, based on French handwriting of the time, in an educational work for children but this was the first instance of its use in a Latin text. Despite its beauty, the type is difficult to read, particularly due to the large number of ligatures necessary to replicate handwriting as well as the similarities of several letters.