Beyond the Mac Is Not a Typewriter [Paperback]

Robin Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1996

This book takes up where the phenomenally successful The Mac is not a typewriter left off, providing short, pithy chapters on all the typographic principles necessary to create sophisticated and professional typography. It covers issues and techniques that every designer and typographer will want to know, including how to make type more readable and legible, issues regarding punctuation and spacing, and examples of special techniques such as initial caps and swash characters. It also includes a chapter on evocative typography, or how to choose typefaces to emphasize your message, as well as how to cater typefaces according to project. In all, this book is an entire and final course in excellent typography.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This book takes up where the phenomenally successful The Mac is not a typewriter left off, providing short, pithy chapters on all the typographic principles necessary to create sophisticated and professional typography. It covers issues and techniques that every designer and typographer will want to know, including how to make type more readable and legible, issues regarding punctuation and spacing, and examples of special techniques such as initial caps and swash characters. It also includes a chapter on evocative typography, or how to choose typefaces to emphasize your message, as well as how to cater typefaces according to project. In all, this book is an entire and final course in excellent typography.

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley Longman; 1st edition (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201885980
• ISBN-13: 978-0201885989
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #605,235 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robin Williams is the author of dozens of best-selling and award-winning books, including Robin Williams Mac OS X Book, The Little Mac Book, The Non-Designer's Design Book, Robin Williams Design Workshop, and Web Design Workshop. Through her writing, teaching, and seminars, Robin has influenced a generation of computer users in the areas of design, typography, desktop publishing, the Mac, and the World Wide Web.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A top of the line introduction to typography., December 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Beyond the Mac Is Not a Typewriter (Paperback)

I am extremely distressed by one of the previous reviews that calls this "just another book by an amateur". I can think of noone more qualified to discuss typography and modern design principles. This is a great book to begin dispelling the errors we make by applying typing 101 principles to our computers. As far as Robin Williams not being a historian, I was looking for the correct method of getting my message across. Not a history lesson. Robin Williams is the most qualified expert on "today's" typography skills not yesterdays. Lets leave that to the historians.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a great way to learn about typography!, May 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Beyond the Mac Is Not a Typewriter (Paperback)

I am distressed by the negative review above. This is a well written and beautifully designed introduction to typography for beginners. If you own a Mac, or do some DTP and are interested in learning more about typography in a fun and accessible manner, this is the perfect book for you. In fact, my appetite was whetted, and I did indeed purchase "The Elements of Typographic Style," but I never would have developed an interest without Robin Williams' thoughtful guidance and enthusiasm. The Bringhurst book is much too deep and involved for total beginners, but is probably the best book on the subject, once you understand the basics. Beyond the Mac is Not a Typewriter is an excellent source for familiarizing oneself with those basics.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Must Begin Somewhere, June 13, 2002

By 

J. B. Potter (Clio, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond the Mac Is Not a Typewriter (Paperback)

For all of us who learned typing but not typography before we first acquired a desk top computer with a "word processing program," Williams' clear guidance steers us away from the more obvious mistakes too many of us have already made in great profusion. Ordinary tools in the hands of ordinary people can turn out surprisingly good typography. Williams leads you by the hand down the beginning of the right path.

This handy little book is not just for Mac users, either. For some techniques in some applications, folks not blessed with a Mac will not benefit from the detailed "how to" instructions, but the principles apply to any platform. So, do your typograpgically ignorant friends (even those on the dark side) a favor; give them a copy of Ms. Williams' book.