setting the font in .emacs

[Dan Hitt]

Hi,

I'd like emacs (21.2.1) to come up with a larger font than it
does by default, and i'd like to do this by adding some command
to my .emacs file.

In other words, i don't want to go through shift-down-mouse-1 to
change things each time i start emacs.

How can i do this?

This is all on x windows, so i suppose i should be willing to
solve this problem with some x resouce method, although my
preference would be to do something more window-system independent.

I've done C-h a, and nothing seems appropriate.  I've also
looked at the faq (and, btw, is there some way to toggle
the faq between its current info format at a flat file?).
I've also looked at mouse.el, but don't want to start reverse
engineering if there's a simpler way.

Thanks in advance for any tips on how to do this, including
rtfm advice, and thanks also for any suggestions on further
sources to consult for help.

dan