The Form of the Book: Essays on the Morality of Good Design (Classic Typography Series) (Paperback)

by Jan Tschichold (Author), Hajo Hadeler (Translator), Robert Bringhurst (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Hartley & Marks Publishers (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881791164
• ISBN-13: 978-0881791167
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #579,234 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for any designer., April 3, 2000

By	Eric Heupel (USA) - See all my reviews

This collection of 23 essays on book design and typography should be read at least once by all typographers and students of design. Written over a period spanning 42 years, these essays cover many aspects of typography from paper color to tight typesetting to page proportions. A few of the ideas presented in the essays may indeed be outdated now (due mainly to the economic freedoms in modern digital design), but they are few and are still important from an historical persective. Folloowing the rules of design presented here will help ensure a well designed book that does not detract from the contents in any way and best serves to allow that content to speak for itself. Even if you want to always break the rules of design, isn't it better to understand why and how those rules came to be? Of interesting note is that Jan himself was in his youth a radical rulebreaker in his designs, but he learned when it was best to work inside and outside the rules to present the best effect, his design legacy shows how effective he was, and how influencial he remains to this day.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it. Learn it. Live it., June 18, 1997

By A Customer

High-handed, even pompous, Tschichold doesn't coddle the "I gotta be me" crowd. He lays down the laws of type and, by God, they work. You can bend, even break, his rules and still do great work. But you must do so consciously for a specific purpose, not willy-nilly because you feel like it. As Robert Burton put it "A dwarf standing on the shoulders of a giant may see farther than a giant himself." This giant has broad shoulders, indeed. Standing upon them will give one an excellent view

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Changed the way I look at books., May 5, 1999

By A Customer

I'll never look at a book or booklet again without judging it against the conventions set forth by Mr. Tschichold. Book size, type style, readability, binding, paper, text block placement, aesthetics and a dozen other minor details will not escape the scrutiny of my newfound expertise.