Twentieth-Century Type [Hardcover]

Lewis Blackwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1992

Twentieth-Century Type surveys the significant issues that have shaped the history and evolution of typography and graphic design, showing how current typographic trends are part of a continuously changing movement that can be plotted through the decades. Generously illustrated with over three hundred examples-more than two hundred of which are in color-the book charts significant topics including the arrival of mass-production; the birth of the art director; the appearance of the grid (and its subsequent rejection); the coming of non-print media; and the launch of the Macintosh computer and its ushering in of a new generation of designers enfranchised by digital technology. This revised edition of a fundamental work brings the story up to date with new text and images covering type on screen and, in particular, type for the internet. Combining an assessment of the culture of experimentation in contemporary typographic design alongside a clear presentation of the field's historical context, the book is an informed and accessible source for all students of design and for designers needing an expert overview of typography.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This book steps back from the usual typographic discussions found in style and design manuals and places type in the context of the larger social and cultural movements that influenced and were influenced by it, from the Arts and Crafts movement of William Morris to deconstruction in our own time. Beautifully illustrated, carefully researched, and eloquently presented, this volume traces type decade by decade through the turbulence of the century and the rapid changes in technology and viewpoint that repeatedly threatened to degrade the craft and from which it always emerged fresh and vital. Recommended for all graphic arts and larger art collections. See also Robert Bringhurst's The Elements of Typographic Style and Alex White's Type in Use , reviewed below.--Ed.
- Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., N.Y.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Lewis Blackwell is International Creative Director at Tony Stone Images. Formerly publisher and editor of Creative Review, his books include The End of Print (2000); David Carson, 2nd Sight: Grafik Design After the End of Print (1997), and (with Neville Brody) G1: New Dimensions in Graphic Design (1997). --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli; First edition (October 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084781596X
• ISBN-13: 978-0847815968
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #560,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lewis Blackwell likes to make beautiful books with inspiring ideas. Whether it is his passion for trees, which led to the bestselling Life and Love of Trees (celebrated on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and featured on oprah.com, among others) or more arcane delights in the history of typography and vernacular signage (20th Century Type and Ed Fella Letters on America), or sharing his powerful insights from the top table in photography (Photowisdom), the resulting books are always highly visual, original in thought and word, and accessible.
Lewis finds the perfect project for a book typically combines a great subject to investigate with fascinating people to work with and remarkable places to visit. He is currently working on two projects that will take him around the world, from the depths of nature to the heights of technology. Or perhaps that will turn out to be the other way around...
You can contact him via his publishers PQ Blackwell. Visit www.pqblackwell.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Overview of the 20th Century, September 30, 2005

By 

meagainstme (Springfield, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twentieth-Century Type, New and Revised Edition (Paperback)

This is a great book containing a very good overview of the 20th century changes in typography. It covers everything from pre-art nouveau to postmodernism. A good resource for any design or typography library. My only complaint is that Blackwell waxes a bit too poetic on 1990's postmodernism. Also, they used a tight-fitting Helvetica for the body copy - so reading it takes some effort.
This is certainly worth having in your collection.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for the beginner, May 23, 2010

By 

Pen Name and That A - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Twentieth-Century Type, New and Revised Edition (Paperback)

This book has one chapter for each decade of the 20th century and a collection of fonts at the end of the book. There are a couple of pages on the anatomy of a font, too. Each chapter consists of a chat about the important fonts of the centry and how and why they were developed. The accompanying pictures tend to be of book covers and advertising. There are samples of many of the fonts throughout the book, too.

There is alot of assumed knowlege in this book. I did not understand most of the printing or font terminology and the terms I wondered about tended not to be in the glossary. Perhaps because I did not start off knowing much about the fonts, the information/chat just seemed to be thrown down. There were no specific exmples or illustrations of how fonts that were derived from each other differed from each other.

Many of the picture captions were run together so it was hard to work out where the caption for a particular picture came from. The book was written in a sans serif font, too. How come professionals are the ones to break the rules? That's a common reason scuba divers drown, but here it's the hapless reader who flunders about.

Arial was not mentioned in the book or the index. How interesting that a book might be intersting because of what is left out of it. A quick check of the net revealed to me that Arial is uncool because it is a Microsoft loyalties-dodge rip of Helvetica. Everyone on the net seems to prefer Helvetica. Well, even before I knew about this controversy (i.e. 10 minutes ago), I MUCH preferred Arial over Helvetica. It was as if every letter was different. Well, it just goes to show the difference a small change can make. Now I recon that Helvetica is way too uptight compared to Arial. So there.

P.S. No cudos for the author for dodging the Arial/Helvetica issue. I recon it illustrates what an enormous difference a small difference can make to the vibe of a font. Isn't that a cool thing to have illustrated to one?

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great reference, June 22, 2007

By 

Reviewer "Reviews" (East USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Twentieth-Century Type, New and Revised Edition (Paperback)

This book is one of my favorites as far as type books. It is a great reference and the layout is easy to navigate.