Customer Reviews

Type: The Secret History of Letters

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Even though I'm not a typographer or type-designer, when I began engaging in desktop publishing a decade ago and sought out guidance for the decisions I suddenly had to make, I became interested in the history and minutiae of fonts and letterforms for their own sake. Also, in pursuit of a master's degree in library science more than thirty years ago, I took an elective in the "History of Books and Printing," so the background knowledge was already there. Loxley has produced a thoroughly fascinating social and philosophical history of the development of type, beginning with Gutenberg (who may or may not have been the inventor of moveable type) and following the development of words-in-print down through the centuries to the Nazi affection for Blackletter and the present-day democratization of the field via the personal computer. The author is very knowledgeable, especially about biographical details and personalities among western type designers. Illustrations and quotations are frequent and the book itself, naturally, is very nicely designed with footnotes and cut-lines set off in a one-third-size outside column. Though this is Loxley's first book, I hope it won't be his last.

I bought this book, thinking it would educate me about the different kinds of type and how the edesign of type evolved. This is an interesting book, but it's mostly a history book about the people who designed type and does not focus on their innovations. I'd recommend a book more focused on design "Elements of Typographic Style" if you are looking for a book about type itself.

I'd retitle it to "The Secret History of the people behind Letters"

A good book of type history, but limited to England and Northern Europe, missing the fundamental Italian and French designers.

This is an enjoyable book of the stories, controversies and even gossip surrounding the people who populate the history of books and typography. I would recommend it if you enjoy a certain chatty type of history writing and are interested in design or the history of print. I would not recommend it if you are looking purely for a technical book about typography - especially if you are a design student looking for a comprehensive overview of typography. There are several excellent books on that topic that cover what this book does not. This is a good read for design or history geeks. I loved it, but its focus will not suit everyone.

A fascinating history of type and it's designers right up to the present digital era. I couldn't put it down.