Amazon.com

Fonts can make or break a layout, and good designers know it. Knowing what a bitmapped font is might not seem like a big deal...until you go to print it. The author, Robin Williams, explains how a font that is bitmapped will have very different results on a printer than one that is not. How to Boss Your Fonts Around will also show you the merits of investing your time in organizing your fonts through a font manager.

In a day when there are now "Beat Generation" fonts for the Mac, good font use and management is essential. Williams, Mac expert and the author of bestsellers such as The Non-Designer's Design Book and The Little Mac Book, goes into great detail on the origin and creation of great fonts. Did you ever wonder why so many fonts are named after big cities (such as New York and Geneva)? Turns out, they're all in the same font family, and knowing the characteristics of that grouping will enhance how you use them. Williams provides a full glossary of terms, and the book is rich with visual examples. She treats fonts as the tools they are, showing the reader all the necessary care and maintenance to allow for great design and for the text to shine through. --Jennifer Buckendorff ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Mac-Oriented Book
Although the Amazon editorial review calls Williams a Mac expert, it doesn't make clear that this book is pretty exclusively Mac-oriented. Some of it will be useful to Windows users, but there are surely other, similar font books on the market more useful for Windows users. If I had realized this before I started making notes in the margins, I would have returned it.

Everything you wanted to know about fonts...
As a typesetter in a large corporation I found this book very helpful when I recently had to organize our fonts on 12 computers. It clearly explains the difference in the various types of fonts and how to use them properly. It also covers in detail all the different type management software (ATM, Suitcase, etc.). After speaking with several designers, it appears that fonts can be the single biggest nightmare and this book would be an asset to any designers library.

Not so good...
I bought Robin's book aobut 2 weeks ago and I have read it over and over. I found that the book was not helpful in getting my fonts organised. I am left with fundamental questions unanswered and a lot of frustration. I am still looking for a book that will show me how to sort my fonts what to keep what to throw and how to do it. This book has some good back ground informationon the benefits of ATM, and the history but what about open fonts, and master fonts? It's dated and not helpful.

Probably the best writer on typography around.
Except for her mild endorsement of grunge (why have we spent hundreds of years designing typefaces that are both readable and beautiful only to have a generation of" designers" design deconstructed faces that are likely to be used only once in a lifetime), Robin Williams is probably the most articulate and literate writer on typography around, digital or traditional. She is sensitive to those qualities that have somehow been lost on those who have been brought up facing a monitor rather than a type book, type case or drawing board. Too many people in business have been led to believe, and accept the idea, that a typist is automatically a typographer/designer. Every designer who has grown up on the computer should have all of her books at their side, along with Strunk & White, Fowler's Modern English Usage, Roget's Thesaurus and a good dictionary.

Excellent design and crash avoidance techniques
"He who dies with the most fonts wins," is a fact of life for a lot of desktop designers for print and the web. However, having tons of fonts of every weight, format and variety gobbles up lots of system memory, and corrupted or conflicting fonts cause crashes. This book tells all on how to get your collection under control, and keep your fonts organized, in good shape, and zipped in place for when you need them. This book is also well written, and will keep you alert and interested, which is most refreshing because I've found many how-to design/computer management books must be read with toothpicks propping up your eyes. It's also just the right length, concise and everything is clearly, not condecendingly, explained. It's a must read for any Mac designer, from the newest newbie to the most advanced. ... Read more

Book Description

When you need the ultimate reference to the ultimate desktop publishing software, this is the place to turn. Acknowledged Quark master David Blatner provides comprehensive coverage of everything Quark: using the Tool palette, building a document, working with graphics, adjusting color, and more. Even better, this best-selling classic has been updated to cover all that's new in what promises to be a significant update: native support for Mac OS X and Windows XP, an enhanced Undo feature, full-resolution preview of on-screen images, reorganized menus, new commands, and more. In friendly, easy-to-read style, David offers an indispensable collection of industrial-strength tips and tricks, as well as in-depth discussions of the core concepts that drive QuarkXPress use in the real world. Whether you're new to QuarkXPress and need a thorough grounding or an old hand looking to get up to speed quickly on all of its new features, you'll find what you need here. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Review of RealWorld QuarkXPress 6
First let me say this is a great book of information. One can find it very useful and apply the authors techniques just fine.

Having said that it's very annoying to read and use as a reference.

Fist issue is it's BULK (3 actually 2.98 pounds for my copy) and the size 9.5 x 7.5 x 1.875. With over 900 pages (908) there is a lot of redundancy and extraneous reading.This is a Two Handed Whopper to hold. Which makes it difficult to use at the computer unless you have a big desk to hold it for you.

Next issue is that the author references Figures constantly. They give the reader a great visual of what he's intending you to see however: The page he references you to SEE a figure on is more often than not on the page that the figure is on.

IE on page 441 he tells you to: (see Figure 7-14). You will find Figure 7-14 on page 442 but that figure is on the page behind what your reading. So now your turning the page to look at the figure only to have to go back to the previous page to keep reading. The reader will find this in almost every instance ... notice I said ALMOST ... because there were a FEW instances where the figure was actually on the page I was reading ... but not very often.

Quark without Blatner is no quark at all
If you have to put up with the quirks in Quark, then David Blatner's book is essential. I don't know him, have nothing to do with his book, but I do know he's a heck of an instructor and writer. Quark (the company) is useless when you need help. Quark is an average software made good by Blatner's book. He's the Lynda Weinman of Quark. Get it. You'll be elated that you did. ... Read more

Book Description

This new text from our BASICS series provides introductory coverage of many desktop publishing topics, including working with, enhancing, and formatting documents.Additionally, there is coverage of the use of graphics and design concepts.An excellent foundation for any curriculum on desktop publishing.An excellent basis for any curriculum on desktop publishing. ... Read more

Book Description

Don't have the time or artistic skills to design business documents from scratch? The latest update of PageMaker, PageMaker 6.5 Plus, adds hundreds of professionally designed templates to its impressive list of tools. To help you get the most out of this upgrade, PageMaker 6.5 Plus for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide shows you how to use and customize these templates to create your own professional-looking pieces.

Even if you've never "designed" anything more complicated than a business letter, you'll soon be creating newsletters, brochures, print ads, and more, thanks to the book's clear, step-by-step explanations and hundreds of illustrations. Design tips sprinkled throughout the pages will help you turn out polished work, whether you need to pull together a flyer for the company picnic or produce a complete corporate identity system for your small business. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good for novices.
This is a fine introduction but your money will be better spent buying Newspaper Production Using Pagemaker 7 by Gordon Woolf, Adobe Pagemaker 6.5 Plus and Adobe Pagemaker Classroom In A Book Pagemaker.

journal
I have need-it because ,I'm working in a thèse of journalisme.

Perfect way to learn PageMaker!
I've been a fan of the Quickstart series from Peachpit for a while now, but this book is by far the best that I have read. What really impressed me was that this book was actually designed by the author in PageMaker. If anyone knows the product, he does, and he's managed to share all of his insights and tips quite well. A must have.

Simple to read; easy to reference
Great book for early users of Pagemaker 6.5. It's a perfect reference book to have when you're working on a Pagemaker file and need to learn a particular portion of the program. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book has all the benefits of both a manual and a tutorial. Since it was written by the Adobe staff, its voice lacks the personal "avoid-the-mistakes-I've-made" tone of an individual. Instead, what comes through is the confident authority common to books written by an application's creators.

InDesign is Adobe's powerful layout application that it hopes will be used in place of current industry favorite Quark Express. One of the main selling points of InDesign is its commonality and integration with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

The book begins with a Quick Tour, which is actually a lesson in itself since it covers many of the basic text, page, and image-handling features of InDesign. Each subsequent lesson goes deeper into these topics. The files for each lesson are provided on the cross-platform CD-ROM. The lessons range from working with text and typography to working with graphics, using advanced frame techniques (frames hold text or images), and prepress document preparation. There is a color section with illustrations that clarify many steps, especially those that use color, and show the finished projects.

Each lesson begins with an overview of what's covered and ends with review questions. Don't worry: answers are provided on the same page. Reading the overviews and review questions first is a good way to decide whether that chapter can be skipped or should be read in depth. This makes Adobe InDesign CIB useful for both beginners and intermediates. For example, it is easy to jump ahead to the fairly advanced section on filling one block of text with a different block of text to which a gradient has been applied. The fact that executing this involved graphic becomes a simple process is a credit both to the InDesign application as well as to this book.

It should be noted that Adobe InDesign CIB does not come with a demonstration copy of the application, nor is a demo available on the Adobe Web site. Interestingly, you can follow along without actually using the application at the same time. However, the book is clearly meant for those who have already purchased InDesign and are convinced it will be the Quark killer the design world has been hearing about for months. --Angelynn Grant

Topics covered: Features of Adobe InDesign, including lessons on the work area and interface; creating and setting up a document; working with frames; applying color; importing and editing text; working with typography; placing and drawing images; color management issues; and preparing a document for high-resolution printing. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Book in progress
Got the book a few days ago and have only, so far, perused it carefully.

Looks like' If you want to really teach yourself this program, step by step'

If you want to really gain a feeling of solidity that you know the program'

This is the book. Seems to cover everything. Chapters on typography (crucial to my design work), on Bézier curves, on color management, seem especially stimulating. And you need not go in sequence, they say, though I prefer to.

Type is big so no page feels overwhelming. Images are clear. Words are easy to grasp.

Two caveats / quibbles:

(1) The index sucks. I looked up simple words and ideas and did not find them. [Shame on you, Adobe.] (2) Do not throw out the original manual that comes when you buy the application, which provides a depth of details beyond the scope of this book. I do wish this book provided page number referrrals to that manual .

It's a classroom alright.
Adobe InDesign 1.5: Classroom in a Book, gives you real lessons and basically covers all you need to know about Indesign 1.5. It gets you all geared up for the next lesson in the book and really promotes the passion for Indesign and all other adobe products. One thing it does not teach is how to portray your creative self in the pages you create with this powerful tool. It is a great resource book. However, when it comes to getting ideas this book is not the best to look at. Overall, this indesign 1.5 classroom in a book is a great resource book, one where you can take it out any day refer to it and still learn something from it.

Just the Facts...
After using (and loving) Classrooms for Acrobat 4.0 and PhotoShop, I expected more from the one on InDesign. It has done the basic job of introducing the power of ID, but I don't feel as competent to use it as I did after the courses in Acrobat and PS. I will probably try the upcoming Real World ID, hoping I get what I need from it.

The best parts of the course were on the graphic effects you can achieve within ID; as a PageMaker user, I'd like to see more on manipulating text.

But it covers the basics, and my enthusiasm for the new product grows as I learn.

Don't waste your money
At over thirty dollars, I expected more from this book. Like a better index. Some organization. And honesty about what the problem can and can't do.

This book is little more than a sales demo of what the product can do. However, even then they haven't done a very good job.

I suppose this book would be OK if I were taking a class and had a teacher there. But on its own there's not enough explanation of why you want to do things.

The visual quickstart book is half the price, but contains much better instructions, is laid out better, and has a good index.

Another great Classroom in a Book
Each tutorial touches on something unique and different about ID - mostly stuff you won't find in Quark. Plus, it is still geared toward the real world. It's very tricky for the software companies to write tutorials. They have to showcase features that are not found in other programs yet be realistic. And they have to be short because people who have to do them have to struggle through something new. ... Read more

Book Description

Why is TeX so hard to use? Because it is in essence a programming language and so it is best viewed from this perspective. In this book, the author presents a complete course in TeX which will be suitable for users of TeX who want to advance beyond the basics. The initial chapters introduce the essential workings of TeX, including a detailed discussion of boxes and glue. Later chapters cover a wide range of advanced topics such as: macros, conditionals, tokens, leaders, file I/O, the line- and page-break algorithms, and output routines. Throughout, numerous examples are given and exercises (with answers) provide a means for readers to test their understanding of the material. As a result, no serious user of TeX will want to be without this text. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A very good book
I read the book and loved it, I am a regular Word User who is not happy with word... sure I can figure out right from the first session what to to with it, but when I get around to what I really wanna do, not just simple functions like changing fonts, I am lost for .... lets call it words. TeX however allows much more. But it suffers from the common plague of people trying to make it wordlike simple. These people do TeX a great disservice, because its true power lies in its complexity, and its flexibility, this book is distinguishibale in that it never takes anything for granted, and explains the printing and formatting process from scratch, in fact its the one true good book of TeX or LaTeX I have seen in the entire long quest of mine for that true book.

The one thing that is wrong with it... is that its VERY VERY expensive, it is worth the price, but still I am under the opinion the author or the publisher, could have realised what a treasure this book is an released it in a more affordable price or version... even if it ment lesser quality paper.

But it is a GREAT BOOK! ... Read more

Book Description

Since its first publication in 1969, Pioneers of Modern Typography has been the standard guide to the avant-garde origins of modern graphic design and typography. In this essential reference, Herbert Spencer shows how new concepts in graphic design in the early decades of the twentieth century had their roots in the artistic movements of the time in painting, poetry, and architecture. Spencer examines the "heroic" period of modern design and typography, the beginning of which he traces to the publication in Le Figaro of the Italian artist Manetti's Futurist manifesto. He discusses the work of such "pioneers" as El Lissitzky, Alexander Rodchenko, and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. He examines the artistic background of the new concepts in graphic design, and traces the influences of futurism, Dadaism, de Stijl, suprematism, constructivism, and the Bauhaus. His text is profusely illustrated with examples of the new typography, shown in genres that range from posters and magazine covers to Apollinaire's "figurative poetry."

This revised edition, which follows the revised and redesigned edition of 1983, includes a foreword by design critic Rick Poyner that discusses the important contributions to the history of graphic design made by Herbert Spencer. ... Read more

Book Description

The Graphic Idea Resource series is a collection of graphic design work selected by designers for designers. Each book in the series is dedicated to a specific area of graphic design, creating an affordable library of design inspiration.

Graphic Idea Resource - Type demonstrates the myriad ways type can be used as an essential design element. A discriminating collection, this array of masterful type-design treatments includes type fonts custom-made for the job, elegant and classic fonts stretching traditional boundaries, mod and retro type that avoids looking cliched, and much more. Learn how to stretch, alter, and successfully use type in place for any graphic design assignment. ... Read more

Book Description

For designers, desktop publishers, art directors, printers and students. Typographic Specimens cuts through the crowd of available typefaces and provides a compendium of exceptional quality for functional and creative design. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

a magnificent type book
This book presents beautiful specimens of the best typefamilies. Each section (Bodoni, Stone, Gill Sans, Garamond, etc.) opens with an experimental composition by a renowned grapphic designers such as Paula Scher, Louise Fili, Paul Rand, and Wolfgang Weingart. The authors' concise write-up on each typefamily provides the history and discusses its character and usage. ... Read more

Book Description

LaTeX is the premier software system used for presenting technical information.It is considered the system of choice for writers in mathematics, the sciences, computer science, and engineering who need to present formulas and technical infomation in a clear and elegant manner.It is also increasingly used by nontechnical writers interested in superior printing and document presentation.However, users of this ubiquitous software need to know much more than how to use basic style files or LaTeX commands.They need to know how to integrate TeX--the original version of LaTeX--with other commercially available software and hardware.People also need clear, accurate and brief instructions and solutions to many common problems.This unique book is intended to provide these valuable aids.It also tells how to use LaTeX or TeX with files prepared with everyday office software such as Lotus or Wordperfect, and how to set up software links with Acrobat and hyper-text using LaTeX for internet communication.TeX Unbound will be the reference of choice for every writer wishing to express technical information, ... Read more

Reviews (4)

MetaPost fans will *love* Chapter 13!
Alan Hoenig's book is a real tour-de-force when it comes to discussing TeX's arcane font-handling. If you want to learn how to install fonts for use with TeX, this is the book for you. Virtual fonts, PostScript fonts, MetaFont +... they're all covered. Want to mix-and-match new maths typefaces -- you'll find nearly 30 pages of examples (the "Rogues' Gallery").

It is quite apparent, to me anyway, that the author has a love of typography and you'll find lots of examples and hints for good "typographic style".

The book abounds with examples of what is possible -- if you think "TeX = Maths only", think again. As this book shows, TeX is about fine typesetting -- whether mathematical or straight text.

It is, as others have commented, quite an eclectic mix of topics, but, for me, one topic makes the book's price worthwhile -- the coverage of MetaPost (John Hobby's graphics programming language). MetaPost is a little "tricky" to learn, so the fact that the author devoted a whole chapter to it (Chapter 13 -- some MetaFont too), is what made me buy the book.

Personally, I would like to see more MetaPost at the expense, perhaps, of some of the more exotic font material, but that's a personal preference. The MetaPost examples are well chosen, and well explained. If this book comes out in a second edition, I'd ask the author to (at least) double the size of the MetaPost chapter -- good introductory information on MetaPost programming is very hard to find :-(. Publishers, please publish a book about MetaPost!

Overall, this is not the sort of book you'd read in one sitting, but you'll certainly find yourself dipping into it on a regular basis to make use of the wealth of ideas, tips + tricks.

Nice one Professor Hoenig, but more MetaPost, please :-)

Best discussion on TeX/LaTeX and fonts yet
I'll agree that this book is a bit of a hodgepodge of issues on the TeX/LaTeX typesetting systems. One of the various topics covered, however, and as I recall it's also the most extensive part, is a comprehensive discussion on one of the most arcane of all TeX issues, that of fonts. Even after many years of experience as a fairly advanced end user, I realized, while reading that book, that there were, to my shame, countless details I had up-to-now failed to _really_ understand. The discussion on the use and installation of type-1 fonts alone, to my mind, is well worth the price.

The discussion on graphics, while interesting, cannot obviously be compared to the definitive work by Goosens, Rahtz et al., but it doesn't take anything away from my general appreciation: it's one of the few books on TeX/LaTeX in recent memeory that made me feel I was actually learning something I didn't know. Hoenig makes a point of using a rich, fluent, and extremely acurate prose which further enhances the reading enjoyment.

Is it a beginner's book? Is it an advanced text? I dunno.
I'll admit I'm just a LaTeX junkie who doesn't have a lot of time for plain TeX commands. I picked up this book because it looked as though it had some LaTeX stuff on fonts in it, and I was bored. Once again, I had recently skimmed my way through Knuth's "TeX Book" in yet another ill-fated effort to motivate myself to learn some plain TeX commands. ("\hsize" in TeX, "\hspace" in LaTeX--oh, I'll just confuse myself.) The short Appendix in this book (for which Hoenig is way too apologetic) which starts the reader out on TeX was much more fun to read, and I immediately sat down, picked up Knuth's bible to use as a reference, and re-coded some of my LaTeX documents into plain TeX, all the while muttering, "This isn't too onerous. Hmmmm, maybe in a couple of weeks I'll write my own TeX style set." The LaTeX Appendix is less successful as a primer, but that's okay because you aren't really buying this book for the appendicies. Or are you? The rest of the work deals with advanced topics regarding fonts and graphics and is set forth in lucid fashion with a good and concrete discussion of the NFSS. (Why is it that most of these TeX/LaTeX books are so vague and nebulous concerning fonts? This book proves that you can concisely write about TeX fonts without forcing the reader to read between the lines or piece together nuggets of wisdom from multiple sources.)

Sure, it's geared toward advanced TeX users, I think. But LaTeX afficianados should give it a look or at least buy it and photocopy that little Appendix to pass around to friends.

A great resource for the font freaks
Alan Hoenig's "TeX Unbound" is a very remarkable book which differs greatly from any other TeX-related book seen so far. This is not a book about using TeX or LaTeX; it is about related topics that are equally important to good typography, namely setting up and making proper use of PostScript fonts, and creating high-quality graphics illustrations with TeX-friendly methods.

The first five chapters provide a brief but comprehensive overview about TeX, LaTeX, METAFONT and METAPOST, with particular emphasis on how it all fits together, how the production cycle works, and what kinds of files are involved. While the material is generally adequate, it might be a little terse at times, and the coverage of recent TeX distributions and Internet resources is not quite as up-to-date as one might have wished.

The second part, comprising chapters 6--10, is one of the greatest strengths of "TeX Unbound" and delves deeply into the topic of fonts. Starting fr! om the basics of setting up a standard font family, it moves on to more and more fancy and extraordinary applications, covering a wealth of material you don't find anywhere else. For example, it explains how to generate special effects fonts, or how to set up a font family containing alternate character sets or symbols. This part is rounded off by a chapter on math fonts, followed by 30 pages of examples showing how various combinations of well-known text typefaces might be used together with the few choices of math fonts currently available.

Finally, the third part of _TeX Unbound_, comprising chapters 11--15, discusses graphics applications, with particular emphasis on TeX-friendly methods such as METAFONT and METAPOST, the PSTricks package, PicTeX, or MFpic.

If there is any other book that covers a similar range of topics as "TeX Unbound", it might be "The LaTeX Graphics Companion" which, however, sets different priorities.

In the area of fonts, &! quot;TeX Unbound" is clearly the winner. While "T! he LaTeX Graphics Companion" has a good coverage of the basics, "TeX Unbound" goes far beyond that, providing the deepest and most comprehensive coverage of the topic ever published so far.

In the area of graphics, both books are about equally good in their coverage of some of the best methods, but "The LaTeX Graphics Companion" covers a wider range of graphics applications, including quite a few methods you don't find in "TeX Unbound". Nevertheless, "TeX Unbound" provides enough to get you started.

In summary, "TeX Unbound" is a great resource if you like playing with fonts (and if you have a sufficient range of typefaces at your disposal). If your primary interest lies in designing graphics illustrations, "TeX Unbound<" does a good job of what it covers, but it is not the most comprehensive reference available. ... Read more

Book Description

An invaluable tool for designers and typographers, Type Style Mixer allows new combinations of fonts to be explored quickly and easily. Type on screen can look very different from the way it appears on paper: Type Style Mixer provides a ready stock of printed alternatives, making it particularly useful in presentations to clients. Selections of type can be mixed and matched using the split pages to show at a glance which faces/weights complement each other. With its 32 fonts in 56 weights, this handy, pocket-sized book covers a broad range of text faces, providing alternatives to the old favorites. ... Read more

Book Description

Merz to EmigrÈ and Beyond is a historical survey of avant-garde cultural and political magazines and newspapers from the early twentieth century to the present day. The book features a unique selection of international publications from Europe and the USA - including Merz (1920s), View (1940s), East Village Other (1960s), Punk (1970s), Raw (1980s) and EmigrÈ (1990s). The design of these magazines, often raucous and undisciplined, was as ground-breaking as the ideas they disseminated. Many were linked with controversial art, literary and political movements such as Dada, Surrealism, Modernism, the New Left and Deconstruction. They contain the work of many leading experimental artists and designers of their time - from Kurt Schwitters and El Lissitzky in the 1920s and 30s, to Art Spiegelman and Rudy Vanderland in the 1980s and 90s.

Steven Heller is a Senior Art Director at the New York Times and co-chair of the MFA/Design Program of the School of Visual Arts in New York. A respected authority in the design world, he has written and co-authored numerous publications, including Paul Rand, also published by Phaidon. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

For anyone who loves old magazines
This is not as I expected, a collection of vintage covers of old magazines, but a detailed and interesting history of how the avant garde expressed itself and produced original art in the process. It covers the 20th century well up until the zines of the 80s - 90s. It kind of stops there because, says the author, the web takes over. I may not agree with that exactly, but I believe this is a must book for anyone who is passionate about magazine design. ... Read more

Book Description

Quickly master the concepts and skills you need to successfully design with type

a typographic WORKBOOK

To help you gain a deeper understanding of the effects produced by various fonts and typographic techniques, designer Kate Clair takes you on a fascinating tour of the innovative potential of type. Extensive visual examples illustrate the use of type as an expressive communication tool. From selecting the right font, to spacing it, to the creative integration of fonts, she explains the decisions made by successful designers. At the same time, she provides step-by-step guidance and numerous practice exercises that help you develop the confidence and skills needed to put that knowledge to work in your own designs. In addition, a detailed history of type is included.

A valuable professional resource for working designers and an indispensable training tool for graphic design students, A Typographic Workbook features:
* A historical overview of type and typographic technologies
* In-depth explanations of the formal qualities of different typefaces
* Skill-building exercises and projects to sharpen your skills
* Quizzes and review questions that help you gauge your progress
* An overview of computer terms and principles ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Very poorly written, not always accurate or relevant
This may be the most poorly written book I've read. There are numerous spelling, grammatical, and even typographic errors in every chapter. In addition, there is a great deal of irrelevant historical information (some of which is dubitable, some of which is simply inaccurate) which the reader is obliged to skip over. It is ostensibly provided as background, but rarely serves that purpose. Occasionally it is downright insulting (purely as a random example: she actually takes a paragraph to explain that the 13th century is the 1200s, and why--do we need this?). Finally, the inaccuracy one sees in the world history here makes one question the accuracy of the typographic information provided.

That said, there is quite a bit of information packed in here. If you are a beginner looking for historical or introductory information on typography, you may find it here. The book does serve as a decent typographic specimen book also, which is nice. (However, even some of the specimens are not well done--several of the typefaces shown in Chapter 6 show pixellation. The Universal font on page 94 is especially degraded.)

I do hope that many of the book's problems may be worked out for a future edition. I wish they had been worked out for this one.

User-Friendly Typography!
Typography has never been an easy or interesting subject for most people. It is rare to find a book that explores and explains Typography in an interesting and modern. This book does just that. Having taught the subject, I used this book as a basis for my course. It is a wonderful primer for students and a great refresher for typographers. The information is well-written and presented. The book provides wonderful exercises and quizes at the end of each chapter and great typographic examples. My only minor criticism is that some pages are not the easiest to read because of the font and font size that is used - but this is very minor and easily overlooked. I whole-heartedly recommend this book!

Avoid at all costs
This is unequivocally the most poorly written textbook I've ever encountered in my life. I have no idea how this got published. If you casually flip through the book as a cursory review, you'll find that it LOOKS nice, (On almost every other page there's an enlarged sample of a font - complete with an unnecessary, meticulously hand-drawn portrait of it's creator) But once you begin an attempt to actually read the text, it's migraine time. The writing is so distractingly bad that I'm at the point where after reading this book for a few hours, I find myself having learned nothing because I keep finding awkwardly written sentences and revising them in my head instead of retaining the information they're supposed to convey.

As an example, proving why no one should ever spend money on this book, here is an excerpt from the first chapter:

"Those who could read were looked to for advice in all types of disputes and emergencies, their knowledge and judgment were unchallenged. Scribes - those who could write - were believed in some cultures to have power over human life, if an Egyptian scribe wrote your name in the Book of the Dead, your time was up in this world! Doubtless, the scribes did little to dissuade this myth. Scribes were trained in Egypt from the time they were about five years old. Today we have abolished this controlled system of learning writing and reading skills. (But a parallel to that practice today can be seen today in the knowledge of computer programming.) In ancient times, hand-copied scrolls were expensive to produce, (not many people were taught to write); any scrolls were cherished, valued and cared for from one generation to the next."

Reader for New Hampshire
This book was required (forced on me ) for a graphic design course that I am taking. Flipping through the pages, it appears to be a great book. Ten times I have attempted to read it, but after ten or fifteen minutes it gave me a headache or I couldn't keep my mind on it. No one else in the class was able to read it either. The material could be very interesting, but the author loves to use extremely small type size with a typeface that is extremely difficult to read (for example, page 259). This book never saw an editor--no competent editor would have allowed it to be printed.

Good Price
If your going to Fairleigh Dickinson University you will need this book if your taking Digital Design and Graphics Price is GOOD ... Read more

Book Description

The Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) is a revolutionary innovation designed to improve the productivity and competitiveness of all computers.It greatly facilitates the sharing of data and the integration of diverse types of software, yielding a new era of efficiency and flexibility.This guide to SGML is written by the inventor of the language.In it he gives his thoughts on each clause of the widely adopted international standard, and explains every detail for the benefit of computer users.The handbook also includes the up-to-date amended full text of ISO 8879, extensively annotated, cross-referenced and indexed, along with additional tutorial and reference material. The book will be invaluable for all those involved in the development of SGML applications and the implementation of SGML systems. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Necessary for SGML; useless for XML
This book is, regrettably, the one authoritative book on the SGML standard. Given how broad and confusing the SGML standard is, it's not surprising that this book on it is equally opaque -- this is, in my experience, the worst-written technical book I've ever seen that is not actually inaccurate. But if you're doing serious SGML development, you have no choice but to get this book and to spent forever trying to make sense of it.

But beware: if you're doing just XML, and if you think "well, since XML is a form of SGML, I might as well get the SGML standard", don't do it! XML is all you need to know, then just look at the XML standard, at ...and maybe also get a book specifically about XML. I happen to like Eckstein and Casabianca's /XML Pocket Reference/, partly because it's less than one-tenth the price of the SGML standard, and a hundred times more useful!

Required SGML Reading IF
you are planning on really getting into the world of SGML. If you are a beginner, or just playing with SGML, this book isn't for you. The book does contain the entire ISO 8879 standard and is extensively cross referenced. After five years using it, I still find it easy to get lost in the references. If you want the final, definative word from the MAN who wrote the standard, this is it.

Turgid, obscure, confusing; but essential for advanced SGML.
This is a particularly badly written book on a particularly badly designed and written standard, SGML.

However, SGML is so far the only reasonably universal and standard way of marking up text, and this is the only comprehensive treatment of it, including all the peculiar little bits that you probably should never use. The book includes the full text of the ISO standard as well as cross-references and annotation.

The book, like the standard, uses terminology and notation which are not standard in the rest of computer science. The tutorial material is weak. The book design is ugly and hard to read.

Yet SGML, bad as it is, is an important and useful standard, and this is a comprehensive reference for it. Let us hope that both the standard and the book will be improved radically in the future.

The official ISO standard.
This is not the first book you should read about SGML, but if you are going to do any serious development in SGML, you need this on your bookshelf. It contains the entire text of the ISO standard, plus Goldfarb's annotations ... Read more

Book Description

Helvetica is a sans-serif typeface. It is simple and clean, and commonly seen in advertising, signage, and literature. The R has a curved leg, and the i and j have square dots. The Q has a straight angled tail, and the counterforms inside the O, Q, and C are oval. It is an all-purpose type design that can deliver practically any message clearly and efficiently. It is one of the most popular typefaces of all time.
Helvetica: Homage to a Typeface presents 400 examples of Helvetica in action, selected from two diametrically opposed worlds. Superb applications by renowned designers are juxtaposed with an anonymous collection of ugly, ingenious, charming, and hair-raising samples of its use.
Designed in 1957 by Max Miedinger for the Haas foundry in Switzerland, Haas Grotesk, as the type was originally called, was based on the grotesques of the late-19th century but given new refinements that put it in the sans serif sub-category of neo-grotesque. The 1960s saw the typeface renamed Helvetica (for Helvetia, is Switzerland's Latin name) and introduced to the United States. Today, Helvetica is popular again, used by young designers for posters and party flyers. The book is Lars Müller's hommage to this icon of modern design, an icon which he favors in his own work.

Helvetica is the typeface used on IRS forms. In Switzerland, it appears on everything from government papers to lingerie catalogues.

Essay by Lars Müller.

Hardcover, 160 pages, 200 color images. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great book!
I really like the book. It's a comprehensive showcase for one of the most controversial typeface. This tiny book holds numerous artwork (many of them are quintessential pieces) designed by both well-trained designers and amateurs, as well as debating quotes, throughout the decades. The collection of logos is also quite interesting.

Again, and as always, Helvetica didn't speak just for itself here. At least, it also spoke of Graphic Design as a discipline. Wonderful, brilliant and impressive; both the book and the typeface.

Sounds cool
Its seems silly to me to write a review about a book that's not out yet, like the review by the New York person. He dosen't even critique the book, he rants about the font, big difference! I haven't read it either, but Ill balance the star rating with my non-review review.

How can you review a book if you haven't even seen it.
... Great book... in a lovely format... shows how many different guises Helvetica can give. Love the hidden perforated sections too. A book you'll pick up time and time again ...

Helvetica: A Plague Upon Humankind
In all fairness, this is a nicely produced book. Looks good and is well-researched. However, it's amazing to think there was a time when Helvetica was the hip new font. Before it ate the (typography) world.

I'm a professional desktop publisher. The point of this review is that Helvetica should be outlawed before the next 800 million people overuse it again. Someone's typographic aesthetic could get permanently damaged by the sheer mindless repetition of this font. Sure it changed the world-- so did smog, the plague, and junk food. ... Read more

Book Description

This giant sourcebook of dazzling headline typography offers a cornucopia of typographical ideas and eye-catching letters, words, phrases, slogans, logos, humorous comments, headlines and graphic symbols. Individual sections present a rich variety of typefaces: Condensed, Victorian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Rustic, Thick-and-thin, Calligraphic, Latins, Blackletter and many more. With humorous commentaries and helpful tips that make the catalog as fun to use as it is inspirational. Index of fonts.
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Reviews (3)

Wow! What a Nice Collection of Type!
I received my Solotype Catalog today and it was beyond anything I expected! I have worked with type for over 60 years and this is a wonderful collection of type and includes the colorful 19th Century fonts as well as recent fonts (to 1992). Special effects are well presented. This book is a must for anyone interested in type and letterforms.

A MUST for anyone who loves typography!
Dan Solo's book has the most beutiful fonts I've seen. He has a love of typography, and this comes out not just in the quality and number of fonts, but in the manner they are presented. I did my wedding invites with these fonts, and keep looking for reasons to bring back such beautiful typefaces as Nicholas Cochin, or authentic Gold Rush era such as Smuggler, French Kate, and Lyons Egyptian.

this is a great book to get really inspired
this is a great book to get really inspired and makes to instantly want to create something beatifull with it. Only problem is to get it in your computer system (digitalize it) which takes me about one hour for most headline fonts which don't need so much car ... Read more

Book Description

“The art of illumination is re-examined in this richly illustrated publication. Each page is filled with eye-catching full-color examples of the illuminator’s art. This in-depth historical overview...begins with The Lindisfarne Gospels and moves through contemporary forms....[This] unique publication...[includes] hundreds of skillfully rendered full-color examples.”—School Arts.
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Reviews (3)

Solid starting point for anyone doing illumination
When you start illumination, you want to try different styles to see which fits your interest and talents best. This book creates a step by step walk-through for many different styles in a do-able manner for a beginner. But beyond that, the book provides examples of where to go from there. For instance, start of with the letter used as the example. When you finish that, try including one of the borders shown in that section using the same skills developed by following the example.
What this book accomplishes is to help you develop the "vocabulary" used by the sample styles. As you develop the vocabulary that the sample styles illustrate, you are on the path for more complex work (i.e. see Christopher De Hamel's books). Also, by learning the basics that this book provides, you are ready to play with styles not covered because you have the basis for where other styles came from or what they led into.

a feast for the eyes
this book couldn't be more beautiful! i just love paging through it randomly. the projects are not for beginners, but they're not impossible either. the materials are explained thoroughly. the instructions are a little sketchy (so to speak) - they assume a pretty high level of expertise. but the book is just lovely to look at - i recommend it to beginners as inspiration and experts for the actual projects.

an excellent book for intermediate to advanced art student
a well done and inspiring book on illuminating letters. a good read for a small book. the illustrations were beautiful and easy to follow. ... Read more

Book Description

Language Culture Type grew out of the first international type-design competition, the 2001 bukva:raz!, whose goal was to promote global cultural pluralism, interaction, and diversity in typographic communications. The book lavishly presents the winning entries, along with information about each typeface, its language, and its designer. A series of essays gives context for the interplay of types and languages in the world today — including the attempt to mesh all existing scripts into a single digital encoding system called Unicode. It also delves into the specific issues around developing typefaces for the many linguistic cultures in the world, from the various Cyrillic letterforms to Vietnam’s ancient ideographic script. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beautiful book
This is by far the most beautifully designed book I have. The binding is elegance like I have not seen in a long time. Definitely gives off that "wow" factor when you first open the box.

But it's what is inside that counts. It is put together so well, the writing is fantastic and well illustrated. The articles are of great interest and will be as essential to me as Bringhurst's Elements of Typographic Style has been. Highly recommended.

Very well put together; great essays and visual examples
The first half of the book contains well-written essays on typography from various typographers from around the world:
Voices, languages and scripts around the globe / Robert Bringhurst
Unicode, from text to type / John Hudson
ITC Cyrillics, 1922- / Maxim Zhukov
How do the Japanese read? / Akira Kobayashi
An approach to non-Latin type design / Fiona Ross
A primer on Greek type design / Gerry Leonidas
Zvi Narkiss and Hebrew type design / Misha Beletsky
Type ramblings from Afrika / Saki Mafundikwa
Arabic type and typography / Thomas Milo
Civil Type and Kis Cyrillic / Vladimir Yefimov
Pickled herring and strawberry ice cream / Adam Twardoch
The other half of the book contains typographic visual examples and work from famous typographers in color and B/W. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in studying typography. Essays are better written than those on "Looking Closer" series. ... Read more

Book Description

An innovative and essential guide, Big Book of Typographics, combines the first two internationally successful books in the Typographics series: Typographics 1: the art of typography from digital to dyeline and Typographics 2: cybertype-screens and 'zines.

This collection of work from professional and student typographers features more than 530 full-color illustrations and examples of dynamic and original uses of type. The designs are grouped into several categories including personal work, posters, installations and signage, packing publications, corporate identity, typeface design and unpublished work, and cybertype. Explore the type innovations and experimentation happening in colleges and design firms across the globe. ... Read more