The Invention Of Typography

"The Invention of Typography" by Frederick W. Hamilton. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

The Visual History of Type is a comprehensive, detailed survey of the major typefaces produced since the advent of printing with movable type in the mid–fifteenth century to the present day. Arranged chronologically to provide context, more than 320 typefaces are displayed in the form of their original type specimens or earliest printing. Each entry is supported by a brief history and description of key characteristics of the typeface. This book will be the definitive publication in its field, appealing to graphic designers, educators, historians and design students. It will also be a significant resource for professional type designers and students of type. Reviews "A mind–blowing catalogue of typefaces and type history… a fantastic, heavyweight compendium of letterforms that's a firm WIRED art department favourite." – WIRED magazine "The Visual History of Type is a comprehensive, detailed survey of the major typefaces produced since the advent of printing…This book will be the definitive publication in its field, appealing to graphic designers, educators, historians and design students." – Against The Grain "Accessible, highly readable and, moreover, a type book to pore over and simply enjoy as the history of the medium evolves chronologically from page to page." – Creative Review "This exquisitely produced, extensively researched and extraordinarily comprehensive work is a definitive study of the history of type." – New Design "The Visual History of Type is a beautiful book. Its arranged into hundreds of short chapters invites one to peruse it haphazardly for pleasure. Beneath its coffee–table appearance lies a genuine reference work." – The Times Literary Supplement

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Typographer, translator, cultural historian, poet, and linguist Robert Bringhurst presents a taxonomic study of the many iterations of the typeface Herman Zapf's Palatino, along with a broader overview of the cultural history of type design. This is an important book, writes David R. Godine, "that argues, as eloquently and as convincingly as has ever been argued, that type design belongs squarely in the humanist tradition, that it is as much a member of the fine arts as painting and printmaking and calligraphy."

Modern Typography, 2nd Edition is a completely updated and revised edition of Robin Kinross's classic survey of European and North American typography since 1700, first published in 1992. In addition to numerous new illustrations and revised text, Modern Typography has been re-scaled to a new, convenient pocket format. Kinross's overview breaks ground by focusing on the history of typography as an intricate web of social, technical, and material processes, rather than a parade of typeface styles. Eye magazine calls Modern Typography the book that tells "how modern typography got to be the way it is." Together, Kinross's clear, concise writing combined with his extensive knowledge of the history of typography create a gold standard for how design history ought to be written.

'Books Before Typography' is a fascinating exploration of the history of the book, tracing its development from the earliest attempts to convey a message through markings to the invention of movable type. The author, Frederick W. Hamilton, covers topics such as writing materials, the evolution of the book, and the conditions of manufacture, distribution, and preservation of books before printing. This comprehensive knowledge of the main facts is of great value to young printers and those interested in the history of the written word.

From the practical challenges of polychromatic printing or printing music staves and notes to the techniques for illustrating books with woodcuts, producing books for children and the design of the first fonts, these stories chart the invention of the printed book, the world's first means of mass communication.