Probably the best book on typography and layout ever written. Although highly technical in places, this book's rich content offers material that will be valued by professionals and laypeople alike. The discussion of fonts and spacing is extensive, but the book also offers in-depth analyses of the formatting issues central to the creation of nearly every book.
Provided, of course, that readers take time to absorb what Bringhurst offers and skip those parts that don't work for them (which should generally be the case for any book but is especially pertinent for this title). For instance, Bringhurst goes into exhausting detail about perfect proportion, thirds, sixths, and ninths, as well as harmonics, all of which may be Greek (or choose other suitable language) to many readers, while also offering diagrams and illustrations showing the "smoothness" or "disorder" of various layouts. The latter elements should connect with readers emotionally even if the geometric discussion comes up short.
Bringhurst's approach is highly technical but also esoteric—he may comment on the tiniest details of a descender for a specific font based on mathematical proportion, then launch into a completely subjective analysis of said descender's emotional impact on readers. Because of this style, many readers may find portions of the text dull or overly abstract; the good news is that, also owing to this nonlinear style, you can just skip forward until you find something interesting, without any loss of continuity. For instance, The font section, with images and detailed descriptions of dozens of oft-used (and some not-so-oft-used) fonts, is a tremendous reference when one is searching for a font for a specific purpose such as page-count reduction or extensive glyphs.
Bringhurst is a genius, and in spots he conveys information about layout and formatting that at first appears paradoxical or at odds with conventional thinking. In other places, as noted by another reviewer, he appears to suffer from the typical inability of geniuses to convey content to a broader audience. Despite that flaw, I considered much of that content to be a bonus because of its mere presence in the book, and for that reason I gave it five stars. Nothing else out there comes even close. And yes, the book itself is laid out perfectly.
All in all, what this book lacks in readability it makes up for with the extensiveness of its content, providing information that can be used both by professionals and by those with no preexisting knowledge of typography.
ISBN-13:
978-0881792065
ISBN-10:
0881792063
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2017
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Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2019
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Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2021
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Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2013
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Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2015
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Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2009
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Top reviews from other countries
Big E
A gem of a book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 29, 2018Verified Purchase
SweetPea
Best typography book I own.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2014Verified Purchase
Lily
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 4, 2016Verified Purchase
Teri
Fantastic book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2012Verified Purchase
Ms T M Starr
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2015Verified Purchase
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