Title: Just My Type: A Book About Fonts
Author: Simon Garfield
Genre: Non-fiction
About
the book…
A brief look at the history of typography, the way society views typography,
and the specific fonts that we see most commonly.
What I think…
While this book may not seem like the most interesting topic in the world,
even if you have only a passive interest in typography it will suck you in.
Admittedly,
I did prefer the first half of the book in regards to the history of early
printing (the reason I picked up the book in the first place) and the progression
of font types. The latter sections, especially those that focused on fonts on
road signs and those used in subway station, I did not find as interesting.
Between
chapters there are short sections of a couple of pages called Font Breaks, which offered a bit of
background on specific fonts. I really enjoyed these sections and felt like they
were a great way to break up the more weighty information presented or to add
to an understanding of something that had been discussed in the chapters.
I
also loved the witty titles for each chapter, such as “We don’t serve your type”
and “The Ampersand’s Final Twist”.
To sum it all up…
A great book if
you’re interested in the history of typography or even if you’re just a little
bit curious about some of the more popular fonts used every day. ♥
