Book Collection: Typography

  1. An A-Z of Type Designers, by Neil Macmillan, is a quick, useful reference on type designers and their works.
  2. The Adobe Original Silver Anniversary Story, by Tamye Riggs, provides insights on the talented team at Adobe Type.
  3. Adrian Frutiger Typefaces, by Heidrun Osterer & Philipp Stamm, is a big, beautiful, and comprehensive documentation of Frutiger’s typefaces completed with detailed analysis.
  4. Anatomy of a Typeface, by Alexander Lawson, is an informative analytical study of classic typefaces and their letter forms.
  5. The Anatomy of Type, by Stephen Coles, is as delightful to read as insightful to study.
  6. Book Typography, by Michael and Susan Wightman Mitchell, is indeed a designer’s manual for making beautiful books while still focusing on legibility and readability.
  7. Building Ligatures, by TypeTogether, features inspiring behind-the-scenes stories of the foundry as well as informative how-to essays. It is an essential and enjoyable read for anyone who touches types.
  8. The Complete Manual of Typography, by James Felici, is a concise yet comprehensive manual on typesetting drawing from over thirty years of experience.
  9. The Complete Typographer, by Christopher Perfect, manages to provide a comprehensive history of typography starting from 3000BC to 1990s within the first 35 pages.
  10. Designing Type, by Karen Cheng, is a must-read for anyone who is interested in type design and typography.
  11. Detail In Typography, by Jost Hochuli, exams the elements of micro-typography including letters, words, lines, and spacing.
  12. The Elements of Typographic Style, by Robert Bringhurst, is the quintessential text on typography.
  13. The Evolution of Type, by Tony Seddon, is useful, insightful, and a perfect complement to Stephen Coles’s The Anatomy of Type.
  14. The Field Guide to Typography, by Peter Dawson, is a breezy and beautiful introduction to the world of typography we see everyday.
  15. Inside Paragraphs, by Cyrus Highsmith, advises designers to look at the space (such as glyph, counter, letter, and line) rather than the text.
  16. Just My Type, by Simon Garfield, is an engaging book about fonts that even non-type nerds will enjoy.
  17. Mastering Type, by Denise Bosler, teaches all basic parts of typography and points out good-vs.-bad examples.
  18. The New Typography, by Jan Tschichold, provides practical principles for contemporary design.
  19. Reading Letters, by Sofie Beier, is packed with research on the history of reading and typography.
  20. Revival Type, by Paul Shaw, is an awe-inspiring collection of typefaces that have been reinvented and reinterpreted from the past to the present.
  21. Shady Characters, by Keith Houston, reserves a place on my bookshelf to remind me these characters whenever I work on my typographic design.
  22. Shaping Text, by Jan Middendorp, covers the basics of typesetting and the nuances of typography.
  23. Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works, by Erik Spiekermann and E.M. Ginger, uses amusing, relatable analogies to help readers understand the important of typography.
  24. Thinking with Type, by Ellen Lupton, is a rare gem—a book on typography that is as thoughtfully explained as it is designed.
  25. Type Tricks, by Sofie Beier, is not only an essential guide for type designers, but also a useful reference for typographers who want to make better typographic choices.
  26. Twentieth Century Type Designers, by Sebastian Carter, features short profiles of prominent type designers starting from Frederic W. Goudy to Carol Twombly.
  27. Web Typography, by Richard Rutter, is a comprehensive resource that has everything you need to know for setting beautiful, readable, and responsive type on the web.