A brisk tour through the history of Western typography, from the time (c.1700 in France and England) when it can be said to have become ‘modern’. A spotlight is directed at different cultures in different times, to trace the developments and shifts in modern typography. Attention is given to ideas, to social context, and to technics, thus stepping over the limited and tired tropes of stylistic analysis. The second edition is now published.
| availability | in print |
| published | 2004.01.01 |
| extent | 272 pp |
| dimensions | 210 × 125 mm |
| illustrations | colour pictures |
| binding | sewn paperback |
| ISBN | 0-907259-18-9 |
| ISBN13 | 978-0-907259-18-3 |
| £15.00 |
Every chapter throws up some surprises and prompts questions about our own attitudes to typography and its practice. I don’t agree with the basic tenets of the book, but find the story fascinating and stimulating just the same.
Phil Baines, Blueprint, no. 92, 1992
But what makes this book a must-read for all designers, and for my proposed accreditation course, is that it is the first history of typography with a critical thesis. As typography becomes more fashionable, and graphic design more democratic, the design books of the furture must strive for this level of intellectual rigor or become trivial by default.
Steven Heller, Print, March/April 1994
This is a book to read and reread. It is provocative, dense, opinionated, and thoroughly original. It is well written and does not insult the reader’s intelligence by restating the obvious. It deserves to become a classic.
Alastair Johnston, Bookways, October 1993
Here are neither definitive conclusions nor firm guidelines. This book offers a great deal more – it is a complete redefinition of the subject and a basis for all subsequent discussions.
Giovanni Lussu, Lineagrafica, no. 288, 1993
