Typographica [Paperback]

Rick Poynor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 3, 2001

Herbert Spencer's Typographica magazine fused new typography and graphic design, avant-garde art, printing history, accounts of the Modernist pioneers and environmental photography to create one of the most remarkable journals ever to emerge from British cultural publishing. Typographica was unusual not only for the consistency of its editorial vision but for its longevity - it was published in London in two series of sixteen issues each, from 1949 to 1967 - especially since the magazine made, and was expected to make, no profit for its gentlemanly owners. Rick Poynor presents a detailed examination of the magazine's development and also provides insightful analyses of both its editor and publisher/printer, Lund Humphries. Spreads and details of the magazine are engagingly reproduced and accompanied by discursive and informative captions.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rick Poynor is a writer and editor specializing in design, media and the visual arts. He founded Eye magazine and edited it from 1990 to 1997, and today contributes to numerous international publications including Eye, Blueprint, Graphis, I.D., Print, Frieze, The Guardian and the Financial Times. His books include Typography Now: The Next Wave (1991); The Graphic Edge (1993); Typography Now Two: Implosion (1996); Design Without Boundaries (1998) and, as co-editor, Looking Closer 3: Classic Writings on Graphic Design (1999).

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Laurence King (September 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1856692434
• ISBN-13: 978-1856692434
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,116,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important book, May 16, 2003

By 

Jose Nieto... (Chestnut Hill, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Typographica (Hardcover)

This important volume works both as a rich and detailed history and as a visual feast. Though the subject may seem esoteric (a British typography magazine that ceased publication in 1967), Rick Poynor makes a convincing case for Herbert Spencer's crucial role in the history of British graphic design as a champion of the modernist aesthetic. The book is cleanly designed by Stephen Coates, with superb reproductions from the magazine.

1 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars an archieve of old Typographica Magazine, March 31, 2003

By 

Cem Gül (Istanbul, Turkey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Typographica (Hardcover)

The name "Typographica" sounds great but may be misleading! It's not an index book or source about nowadays modern typographic design but a memory of Typographica Magazine which has been published over between 1949-1967. Includes collected sample pages and scripts from the old magazine. It's just history...