Fraktur Mon Amour [Imitation Leather]

Judith Schalansky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2008

When was the last time a book on typography made you swoon? Just wait until you feast your eyes on Fraktur MonAmour, Berlin-based graphic designer Judith Schalansky's love letter to Blackletter fonts. Blackletter, also known asFraktur or Gothic type, was commonly used throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. By the end of the Renaissance it had mostly been replaced by the typeface Latin Antiqua. The use of Blackletter type became taboo in Germany after World War II because it was incorrectly associated with the Nazis, who actually banned its use in 1941 because it was falsely believed to be a Jewish invention. Revelations about the true history and meaning of Blackletter type have resultedin a resurgence in usage by graphic designers. Companies such as Nike, Reebok, and Coca-Cola now use Fraktur intheir advertising. It decorates posters, album covers, and even skin in the form of tattoos. But a comprehensive collectionof the most beautiful classic faces, as well as the best new variations, has been missing until now.

Fraktur Mon Amour reproduces 300 variations of Blackletter fonts, ranging from historical fonts to contemporary reinventions, in a sensuous, beautifully crafted, hot-pink prayer book-style catalog that is destined to become a fetish object for designers and type enthusiasts. Each Blackletter font is presented on a full page along with its complete alphabet, date of origin, the name of its designer, and its original foundry. On the facing page is a composition created fromthat font that explores the subversive beauty of this unique typeface. In addition, 137 of these fonts—including fourcreated exclusively for this book—are collected on an enclosed CD (Mac and PC) for free private and restricted commercial use. Fraktur Mon Amour is the winner of several awards, including the Type Directors Club of New York's 2007 Award for Typographic Excellence.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In Blackletter, "Blackletters association with Nazi propaganda cast the type style as the black sheep of typography. But more and more brands are using the style as a way to bring an edgy vibe to their products." -- Sean Ashcroft --How Design:

"I'm happy to confess my weakness for beautiful books like the new love letter to Blackletter typography "Fraktur Mon Amour"though I have to admit it had been some time since I came across one that stopped me in my tracks like this one did. Berlin-based designer Judith Schalansky's presentation of the typeface collection is almost more compelling than the fonts themselves. Bound like a King James Bible for font geeks and printed in contrasting black, white and shocking pink, it makes for a book that's as much a gorgeous object as it is a handy and inspiring resource." -- Brian Fichtner --Cool Hunting Blog, November 7, 2008

"Fraktur Mon Amour is essentially a compendium of currently available digital blackletter fonts (expanded to cover 333 of them) preceded by a few words by Schalansky and supplemented by a CD of 150 free fonts. Since its initial publication in 2006, it has been a raging success. The design, which deliberately thumbs its nose at the standard image of blackletter, is a key factor in that success. The book looks like a Bible with its squat proportions and placemarker ribbons except that its title and its page edges are in hot pink. Although not a shade I like, its choice as a second colour was a brilliant decision. It not only yanks blackletter out of its medieval and unfortunate political associations, but it also signals that blackletter is not inherently masculine or even black. The fonts in Fraktur Mon Amour are a mix of the excellent, the important and the trivial. But this is surely one part of its popularity. Schalansky has brought blackletter to the people. The book is a bold and welcome addition to the sparse literature on blackletter" -- Paul Shaw --Eye Magazine, Spring, 2009

Review

"I'm happy to confess my weakness for beautiful books like the new love letter to Blackletter typography "Fraktur Mon Amour"though I have to admit it had been some time since I came across one that stopped me in my tracks like this one did. Berlin-based designer Judith Schalansky's presentation of the typeface collection is almost more compelling than the fonts themselves. Bound like a King James Bible for font geeks and printed in contrasting black, white and shocking pink, it makes for a book that's as much a gorgeous object as it is a handy and inspiring resource." -- Brian Fichtner

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Imitation Leather: 648 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (October 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156898801X
• ISBN-13: 978-1568988016
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #382,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amour fatal = You'll become addicted, October 11, 2008

By 

Wm. Boletta "wlbtyo" (Tokyo JAPAN/San Francisco USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fraktur Mon Amour (Imitation Leather)

If you like typefaces, typography, books, printing, or even if you just like beautiful and interesting design, cough up the rather pricey asking-price and buy this book immediately. You will love it. At first glance, it looks like a missal or prayerbook. Unlike missals, however, the page edges are done in PINK rather that red, and that little fillip more or less sums up what this book is about: why serious and foreboding typefaces have become the badge of gangs, rappers, and super-hip types everywhere. And why blackletter is now commonplace in packaging, storefront awnings, and endless other sites.

In addition to the thorough presentation of some 300 typefaces with dates, designers, and origins, you will find a facing-page design using the typeface. Many quite well done and some even exciting. Of course, I'm not the first to find the book spectacular. It won the Type Directors Club of New York's 2007 Award for Typographic Excellence. It should also get some kind of prize for campiest title for a typography book ever.

The book was originally printed in Germany, and at the bottom of each typeface sample page, there is a German text (translated in the introduction). It is quite a ridiculous text, something about a diplomat eating a pie, but in fact many pages have variations on the text, some of which are even more hilarious. Of course, you'll have to be able to read German to appreciate these, so you might want to consult Amazon's selection of German instruction books.

In short, this book is a classic "sleeper." When I ordered it I was expecting a rather straightforward, perhaps dry book about blackletter typefaces. What I got was a thoroughly delightful and entertaining romp through type and design. Yet a book that was also full of information and even scholarly in its details. Not to mention a CD-ROM with 100+ blackletters.

Just be careful, you may find it addictive. I did.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful collection, October 2, 2008

By 

David Lemon "type nerd" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fraktur Mon Amour (Imitation Leather)

I read a review of this book months ago in Eye magazine, and waited impatiently for the new edition to come out. The wait was worth it. Judith Schalansky's love of blackletter is clear on every page. Each spread shows one blackletter font - the character set and a pangram on the right side, and a graphical arrangement on the left. The new edition contains 333 such spreads, which is an astounding collection. (Who knew there were so many blackletter fonts?) Anyone interested in typography or calligraphy will find this book a delight to page through.

I have only two complaints. First is the paper. It is less opaque than I'd wish, so there's substantial show-through from page to page. (This is hard to avoid; in a book with 720 pages, the paper must be fairly thin.) Additionally, there is a disappointingly high number of flecks in the paper, which can be rather distracting when looking at the type. Second, many of the graphical compositions fail to give much sense of the specific font's "feel", and some are little more than wasted space. However, there are also some which are both intriguing and informative.

I'm glad I got a copy, and thank Ms Schalansky for her dedicated work!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Caligraphy Bank, February 21, 2010

By 

Daniel E. Layne "danlayne" (iowa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fraktur Mon Amour (Imitation Leather)

I bought this book from Prairie Lights in Iowa City for $60 and it is worth it! I practice calligraphy every day and was looking for a new set of exercises as most of the books of such tutorials are rather shallow. Months later, not yet have I delved the depth of this tome! Inspiration bon appetit!