User Guide

typographic experiments of the 20th century, as recorded in
Typographica magazine.
Typography
The Crystal Goblet; sixteen essays on typography by
Beatrice Warde [Cleveland and New York: World
Publishing Company, 1956]. From a major woman in the
field of typography come some thought-provoking pieces,
including the famous analogy that gave the collection its
name. Out of print, but available, and mandatory reading.
Better Type by Betty Binns [New York: Watson-Guptill,
1989. 192 p]. An excellent contemporary book that shows
by copious examples the subtle differences in relationships
between typefaces, letters, and spaces. From the
preface: “This book systematically trains designers to make
these fine discriminations, with the aim of specifying text
type that is not only readable, but also beautiful and
expressive.” Highly recommended.
Introduction to Typography by Oliver Simon [London:
Faber & Faber, 1945]. Not a bad place to start. This edition
is out of print, but there has been at least one reprint in
recent years. Simon’s introduction is designed for the
layman, and discusses many of the basic principles and
theories of designing with type.
First Principles of Typography by Stanley Morrison
[Cambridge: at the University Press, 1951]. An important
book from the man who designed Times Roman for the
London Times.
Asymmetric typography by Jan Tschichold [(Translated
by Ruari McLean) New York, Reinhold Pub. Corp. 1967.
94 p. illus. (part col.) facsims]. Jan Tschichold (1902-1974),
a well-known typographer, caused many people to
rethink ‘conventional’ theories of typography when this
seminal work was published in the mid-60s. Whether or not
you agree with his approach, this book is required reading
and will widen your typographic horizons.
An essay on typography by Eric Gill [1 U.S. ed. Boston:
D.R. Godine, 1988]. A classic typographic manifesto on the
art and craft of letterforms from the designer of Gill Sans
Fontographer User's Manual
D: A Short Bibliography Page #6