Hyphen news in the journal

Merchandise

Now that we are preparing to publish CDs, a reader has suggested that we consider selling Swiss chocolate (‘in various point sizes’) and sweaters (‘Norman-Potter-style pullover with cross-patterns’). These are good ideas. But we will probably draw the line at E.C. Large T-shirts.

Counterpunch discovery

Not for the first time in the history of publishing, a book that had been declared ‘out of print’ makes a return to availability. We have discovered 25 copies of Counterpunch (the edition of 1996) at the bottom of a box, covered by copies of another book. We are glad to be able to sell these now from this website (only). After these copies have sold, there really will be none left.

Detail in typography arrived

Copies of Hochuli’s Detail in typography have arrived in London. The book is officially published later this month. We are very pleased with the production qualities of the book. The binding, especially, is a marvel of industrial production: completely strong and completely flexible.

Edward Wright

We are now selling copies of the book Edward Wright: readings, writings, published last year by the Department of Typography & Graphic Communication, University of Reading.

Hochuli and tools for reading

Jost Hochuli, author of Designing books and Detail in typography, is responsible for an exhibition of the remarkable book production of his home town of St Gallen. While his own work is also shown, Hochuli insists that ‘Buchgestaltung in St Gallen’ is an exhibition of, as he puts it, work by his close friends Rudolf Hostettler and Max Koller, by his former students and other colleagues. ‘Buchgestaltung in St Gallen’ opened in April at the book fair in Geneva, but will be shown in St Gallen itself from 7 to 29 June 2008.

Hyphen Press catalogue & almanack 2008

We have just received finished copies of our new catalogue of books. This is the first full printed catalogue we have made. Every in-print title is represented, in specially made photographs, and there is a retrospective display of the covers of all the titles we have produced. Bound into the booklet is an ‘almanack’ of short texts.

Martens in London

Among the speakers at the Friends of St Bride Library Conference on 15 and 16 May is Karel Martens. He will show some of his (very) short movies and then engage in unpremeditated dialogue with Robin Kinross.

London Book Fair

We are present at the London Book Fair (14–16 April) c/o our new UK distributor, Publishers Group UK. Go to stand i205 to see some books and the new catalogue.

UK distribution

From the beginning of April our books will be distributed in the UK by Publishers Group UK. After many years with Central Books we are sad to be leaving them. But PGUK will provide a combined sales and warehousing service: the books should get into the shops more.

New titles

We are announcing some new titles for publication in the course of 2008, which will add more than just numbers to the list.

Counterpunch: the second edition

Prompted by this nice review, we can confirm that a second edition of the book is in preparation. We hope to publish later this year: busy schedules permitting. Fred Smeijers is revising the text, to take account of new evidence and to include some of his further thoughts. The original files of the book have been lost, so we would have had to remake the pages in any event. This necessary fresh start is stimulating plans for the design of the new edition.

The shop is open

From today you can buy books directly from this website. We hope this service will be useful, especially to buyers who live away from the metropolis, and in areas that our distributors do not reach. (Customers in North and South America, Australia, the Netherlands, should still buy from bookshops or from our distributors there.) Please let us know what you think of the service.

London Book Fair

We are taking part in the London Book Fair, at Earls Court, from 16 to 18 April. Find our books at the stand of our representatives, Troika, stand Z640.

The new website

The Hyphen Press website appears today in a new form. There are many added and altered features, providing much content beyond the simple description of the books we publish. The old ‘Column’ section – which in retrospect seems to have been a sort of proto-blog – is now made more visible, and will become a backbone of the new website. It is now called ‘Journal’, and includes short pieces of news about Hyphen activities, comments on and links to things that interest us, and some longer articles. All the text on the site is searchable. The books are now shown in photographs, rather than scans, and we will provide downloads of sample pages. Later this year we plan to add a shop from which books can be bought online.

Hyphen New Series

In collaboration with the graphic design practice Polimekanos we are planning to publish books that can be placed in areas contingent to design, which illuminate design, and which are also good contributions to their own fields. The present programme of publishing on design will continue alongside the new branch. The first of this Hyphen New Series, as we are calling it, is Morton Feldman says: a book of interviews with and lectures by the American composer Morton Feldman. It will be launched on Friday 24 March at the Conway Hall in London, with a concert of Feldman’s music, readings from the book, and a reception.

Next books

We now have printed sheets of The stroke; finished copies should be available in Europe before the end of the month. Typography papers 6 is running as late as its quality will be high; we expect finished copies in December.

Representation in the UK

From this month, Hyphen Press books are represented to the book-trade by Troika.

The stroke

A new forthcoming title is added to this website today: an English-language edition of Gerrit Noordzij’s De streek. The book appeared first in Dutch in 1985 and was reprinted in 1991. As Noordzij explains in his foreword to the original book, it takes some steps on from his earlier work, the English-language The stroke of the pen (published by the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 1982). For our edition, the Dutch text of 1985 has been translated by Peter Enneson (in Toronto), working in dialogue with Noordzij. We hope to publish by late September.

Plans for the new year

As well as Typography papers 6, expected now in early summer of this year, we are working on two new titles: the first English-language edition of a work of fundamental thinking, and an extended and fully documented critique of one of the eternally unresolved topics of typography. Full details will be revealed in due course.

Modern typography 2 published

The much delayed second edition of Robin Kinross’s Modern typography is now finished and available.

Publishing Typography papers

We are very pleased to announce that Hyphen Press is taking over publication of Typography papers: the distinguished, occasional, book-length work from the Department of Typography, University of Reading. In-print back numbers can now be ordered from Central Books. The next issue (number 6) is due for publication in spring 2005.

A new Martens book

The first ‘Martens book’ is out of print now, and we will not reprint it. But this new title is just going into production. It should be in the shops before summer begins.

Nordic distribution

Coen Sligting in Amsterdam now has a representative in the Nordic countries. Booksellers in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, should send requests for books and orders to sligting[at]xs4all.nl.

The new year

Greetings to friends and colleagues for the new year. Instead of a greetings card, you may like to look at a snowy image of the place in which we now work, run by Workplace Co-operative 115 Ltd. The project is shown also in the current (December 2003) issue of Domus magazine, with an article by Tanya Harrod on the building and the intentions behind it. New titles are in the pipeline for publication by Hyphen in 2004–5, and will be announced here soon

Buying our books

All Hyphen Press books can now be bought direct from the website of our UK distributor, Central Books.

Type spaces

The next Hyphen Press title to be published will be Peter Burnhill’s Type spaces. Page make-up and proofing of the book is in its final stages.

Designing books in paperback

A paperback edition of Jost Hochuli’s long-lasting Designing books is now available in Europe. It will be released in North and South America later in the year.

Architecture & design publishing

We are posting a new column today. This is a survey, written by Linda Eerme and Robin Kinross for Domus magazine, of the present state of publishing in architecture and design.

A view of early typography

Our reprint of Harry Carter’s A view of early typography: up to about 1600 is published in Europe today. In some weeks’ time copies will be available in North and South America, via Princeton Architectural Press, and in Australia, via Books at Manic.

New titles

The new editions of Karel Martens: printed matter / drukwerk and of Norman Potter’s What is a designer are now finished and have been published in Europe. Copies of both titles are on their way to the USA and will be available this spring in North and South America through Princeton Architectural Press.

New distribution arrangements

In North and South America, all Hyphen Press titles are now distributed by Princeton Architectural Press. In Australia, all titles are distributed by Books at Manic.

This site

After too many months of languishing in outdated and bug-filled form, this website now reappears in a ‘second edition’, thanks to the energy and commitment of designer-programmer Matt Patterson. All the information has been checked through and updated. We hope that visitors find it easier and more consistent in use. Two new ‘columns’ have been added, and we plan to add to this section more regularly

Out of slumber

It is almost a year since the last news item was added. Several small bits of information on the site are out of date, and there are aspects of its design and functioning that need attention. We are now working on an overhaul, and hope to put up a ‘second edition’ in September. There will be two new columns, links to Amazon, and the whole thing will be reprogrammed to help viewing and also maintenance of the site. Meanwhile, we can report that Anthony Froshaug is with the printer. The book will be published in the UK on 12 October. We are planning an open meeting to launch the book: on 10 October at the Conway Hall, London WC1. Advance copies may also be available at the ATypI conference in Leipzig (we hope this event will happen!).

Future publications

We are working hard towards publication of the next books, Anthony Froshaug and Typeform dialogues. They will appear in 2000. Please have patience, and understanding for the sisyphean labours of the small publisher. The wait will be worth it, we are sure. Beyond these books, we are planning a series of small-format paperbacks that will include a revised edition of What is a designer, a new edition of Modern typography, and other texts that have proved themselves.