Your basket is currently empty
An analysis of letter forms, from Garamond and Bembo to the design and manufacture of sans-serif and newspaper type.
Moderate wear to outside. Overall solid. Ships next business day. Outstanding customer service and unconditional return policy. 
From the blurb: "To the layman, all printing types look the same. But for typographers, graphic artists, and others who believe that the letters we look at daily (and take entirely for granted) are of profound importance, the question of how letters are formed, what shape they assume, and how they have evolved remains one of passionate concern. That exploration of letter forms, and their division and classification into "families" or generic groupings, is the heart of this comprehensive study. Written by an expert who has examined letters all his life, this monumental analysis of letter forms considers a broad and representative range of international typefaces cut in metal or designed for film composition. Lawson explores the vast territory of types, their development and uses, their antecedents and offsprings, with precision, insight and clarity. From Garamond and Bembo to the design and manufacture of sans-serif letters and newspaper types, this is the first full-scale investigation of typefaces since D. B. Updike's classic Printing Types was published in 1922. Written for the layman but containing exhaustive historical research, illustrations, drawings and synopses of typefaces, this book is an essential addition to the library of anyone who uses type or simply has an interest in it. " Contents include: Goudy Text and the Black-letter Types; Hammer Uncial; Cloister Old Style; Centaur; Bembo; Arrighi; Dante; Goudy Old Style; Palatino; Garamond; Galliard; Granjon; Sabon; Janson; Caslon; Baskervillc; Bodoni; Bulmer; Bell; Oxford; Caledonia; Cheltenham; Bookman; Times Roman; Newspaper Types; Franklin Gothic and the Twentieth-century Gothics; Clarendon and the Square-serif Revival; Optima and the Humanist Sans-serif Types; Futura and the Geometric Sans-serif Types; Script, Cursive, and Decorated Types; Type Making from Punch to Computer; Bibliography; Index. 
8vo, 428 pp., illus. Very slight curve to spine at head, otherwise Fine / Fine. 
First edition. 8vo., 428pp., maroon cloth. Illustrated. Review copy, two letters from the publisher (one signed by David Godine) and a photocopy of the publisher's catalogue announcement laid in. Very fine in very fine jacket. 
8vo. pp. 428. 1st edition [1990]. A Very Fine copy in a like dust jacket. Uncommon title! 
New Book. Excellent customer service. May ship from alternate location depending on your zip code and availability. Satisfaction guaranteed! ! 
FLAWLESS COPY, AVOID WEEKS OF DELAY ELSEWHERE. --clean and crisp, tight and bright pages, with no writing or markings to the text. 