The first book I got is called 'Just My Type: A book about fonts' by prolific author (and fellow Penwithian) Simon Garfield. It is really a collection of anecdotes and stories about typefaces throughout history. If you want to know why Comic Sans is so derided or why Cooper Black works better on easyJet aeroplanes than Beach Boys CDs then this is the book for you. All the typefaces that he discusses are written in that particular font so you can easily see what he is talking about. What I also like about it, apart from its beautiful cover, is that it is in no way academic - it speaks in language one might expect from an article in the Guardian rather than a dry and dusty old library tome.
The second book I received is 'Retro Fonts' by Gregor Stawinski. It is a compilation of over 360 vintage typefaces, arranged chronologically from 1830 to 1990. I was particularly excited to get this book as it comes with a CD containing 222 decorative and ornamental fonts to download. With its cover designed by Pentagram this is a really classy book, top production and lovely examples of the featured fonts in use, it is a perfect reference for choosing the right type for the right decade. I highly recommend it to all typophiles!
Last but not least comes 'Penguin 75: Designers, Authors, Commentary' by Paul Buckley (foreword by the wonderful Chris Ware). In celebration of Penguin's 75th Anniversary this book looks into 75 (mostly recent) Penguin covers, with commentary from the designers and the authors. As the Executive Vice President Creative Director at Penguin, Paul Buckley is particularly well placed to edit this informative collection. For me, as an aspiring book designer, reading it is like discovering the secrets of success of a greatly revered group of people. It includes some of my favourite covers of all time: the Graphic Classics series where classics were re-designed by Graphic novelists such as Daniel Clowes, Jeffrey Brown and of course Chris Ware. Well worth a read.
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