Letter by Letter [Paperback]

Laurent Pflughaupt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2008

Letters are the building blocks of our language, and quite possibly of our consciousness. Written into young minds through constant repetition, letters soon function like water in a fishbowlessential for life, but too familiar to qualify as objects of serious inquiry. But considered separately from words and sentences, letters express their own mysteriousbeauty. In order to uncover their secrets, it is necessary to forego the conventional historical approach in favor of animpassioned appreciation of their formal and sensual characteristics.

In Letter by Letter graphic designer and calligrapher Laurent Pflughaupt analyzes each letter of the Roman alphabet in detail, tracing its origin, evolution, and form, as well as discussing its important abbreviations, symbols, and associated meanings. Arranged in alphabetical order, twenty-six entries offer a wealth of facts about each letter, establishingcorrespondences between letters and elements borrowed from a variety of different fields of study, ranging from traditionalpaleography, phonetics, and graphic arts to the more arcane areas of musicology, esotericism, and even Eastern philosophy.In addition to a glossary, timelines and images allow us to visualize the letters during the different historical eras, givingthe reader an appreciation of their successive metamorphoses. Written as an homage, this lovingly illustrated book takes abroad approach to the modern alphabet, allowing the reader to see letters anew, in a fresh and lively manner guaranteed toinform and enchant anyone interested in typography and language.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Although readers won't find Arial (the favorite default sans-serif on the computer) or Zapf Dingbats (the most commonly used typographic ornaments, at least on the Macintosh), they will be told about the calligraphic and engraved origins of the Western alphabet, particularly the Roman letter, with such clarity (and a touch of raciness) that even the novice will be appreciative. -- New York Times Book Review, June 1, 2008

Today, the computer has turned many unschooled nondesigners ino ersatz typographers. Since type is now so integrated into our everyday lives, it is imperative we be more in the know--indeed, literate--about how letter forms developed and typefaces came to be. Letter by Letter by Laurent Pflughaupt, a designer and calligrapher who studied at l'Ecole Municipale Superieure des Arts et Techniques in Paris, is a Baedaeker of letters from "A" to "Z." Although readers won't find Arial (the favorite default sans-serif on the computer) or Zapf Dingbats (the most commonly used typographic ornaments, at least on the Macintosh), they will be told about the calligraphic and engraved origins of the Western alphabet, particularly the Roman letter, with such clarity (and a touch of raciness) that even the notice will be appreciative. -- New York Times, 6/1/2008

Few books have really explored the meaning, origins and aesthetic of individual letters in the Roman alphabet. Pflughaupt, a Parisian designer, calligrapher and artist, examines the very form of these building blocks that make our language possible, providing a rich and unusual background that combines paleography, phonetics, graphic arts and even musicology. While this book has been written for artists and linguists, the information contained within will enhance the knowledge of anyone who reads or writes using this particular alphabet. --Book News Inc., August 2008

About the Author

Laurent Pflughaupt is a designer, calligrapher, and artist. He received his degree from l'École municipale supérieure des arts et techniques in Paris.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (March 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568987374
• ISBN-13: 978-1568987378
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 7.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #998,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Typography explained beautifully, July 3, 2008

By 

Nick Morgan (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Letter by Letter (Paperback)

This is a brilliant book on the history of letters and lettering. I could have done without the chakras, but everything else was to the point and fascinating. This is a learned and beautiful book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Almost a 4, but for questionable historical claims, July 2, 2008

By 

H. Sansom "huw_the_book" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Letter by Letter (Paperback)

This is a joy to read or peruse. Visually beautiful. Very entertaining, even insightful. But, I have some serious reservations about some of the historical claims. The book attempts a sweeping historical perspective by making many grand historical claims. You'll find that many better dictionaries give a history of individual letters of the alphabet. And they don't mesh particularly well with some of the claims of Laurent Pflughaupt. Moreover, the persistence of certain kinds of claims by Pflughaupt suggests to me a certain religious/historical bent (or bias, perhaps).

That said, I'm no expert on the history, so feel free to disregard my gripes. One way or another, the book is a pleasure to read at length or just to browse.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Letter by Letter" or, the letters that wrote history, June 24, 2008

By 

Robert Fripp "RobertFripp.ca/" (Toronto, ON) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letter by Letter (Paperback)

"Letter by Letter" by Laurent Pflughaupt lays bare its author's passion for the origins and anatomy of lettering. Pflughaupt guides us, from "History" (ancient Cuneiform to the Roman alphabet) and thence to modern styles, in a succinct 18 pages. Then he plunges into his passion, supplying a "genealogy" for the twenty-six letters we think we know so well -- his "Letter by Letter" section. Here he explains origins and transformations of these ancient and modern symbols that have conveyed the richness of human communication through recorded history. Indeed, these letters were, and remain, the iconic symbols by which much of that history was recorded and recalled.

One wishes for more. For example, discrete symbols in Old English sounded out the diphthongs "th" and "gh." They disappeared when Gutenberg's moveable type imposed standardized forms. Never mind; regional variants abounded across Europe, and Pflughaupt's focus is the Roman twenty-six.

In 1963, Ben Rosen asked his former teacher, designer Will Burtin, to contribute the Foreword for Rosen's book, "Type and Typography: The Designer's Type Book." Rosen's book predates Pflughaupt's "Letter by Letter" ("Lettres Latines," 2003) by forty years, but Burtin's comments about Rosen's fonts also apply to Pflughaupt's letters. Burtin wrote: "Each typeface is a piece of history, like a chip in a mosaic that depicts the development of human communication. Each typeface is also a visual record of the person who created it -- his skill as a designer, his philosophy as an artist, his feeling for ... the details of each letter and the resulting impressions of an alphabet or a text line." Burtin might have been writing a prequel for Pflughaupt's "Letter by Letter" while commending his passion for those letters. Every student of type and typography should read "Letter by Letter" -- more than once.

Robert Fripp, co-author of
"Design and Science: The Life and Work of Will Burtin"