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A Grammar of Typography

Classical Design in the Digital Age

Mark Argetsinger author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:David R. Godine Publisher Inc

Published:18th Jun '20

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

A Grammar of Typography cover

The complete guide to achieving classical type and book design with a keyboard and screen.

How do we absorb the lessons of the printing tradition’s hot metal past and bring them to the digital era? Distinguished designer Mark Argetsinger guides the reader through every aspect of modern book design and production — from the choosing the proper typeface and leading of type to the choice of paper and specifications for binding.

Chapters include “The Classical Tradition,“ “A Short History of Typographical Variations,“ “Desktop Publishing,“ “Composition,“ and “OpenType Fonts and Font Editing.“

Illustrated with over 425 images and diagrams, many in color, Argetsinger discusses and delineates typography as a discipline, situating it among other art forms. Two appendices cover the history of cast-type ornaments and of Greek typography. Throughout there is special reference to the historical printers’ grammars—from Moxon to De Vinne—that serve as a present-day apprenticeship in the traditions of classical typography. Whether a novice or an expert, readers will gain a deeper appreciation for text, and all its rules of form, that can make words on a page a joy to the eye.

Praise for A Grammar of Typography

“Argetsinger has created what will be considered the definitive work on the subject of the history and application of book design.”—Fine Books & Collections

A born classic….How can you not love a book with an introduction titled ‘The Hidden Soul of Harmony: The Classical Tradition. A Practice in Search of a Theory‘? Although Argetsinger claims ‘this is primarily a practical manual, not a scholarly treatise,‘ one would be hard-pressed to find a more philosophical look at ‘marks of quotation,’ ‘font editing,’ or ‘horizontal space.’….Open it anywhere and start reading.”—Graphic Arts Collection, Princeton University

“Argetsinger is a top-notch expert on the subject of typography, well suited to tackle the enormous task of an overall review of the art, from its beginnings through to today’s digital permutations....To anyone who works with type, I recommend you acquire this book. Students studying the art of typography can find no better source for all the information needed to learn the craft. For professional designers, I consider A Grammar of Typography mandatory.”—Jerry Kelly, Printing History, the journal of the American Printing History Association

ISBN: 9781567926538

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

529 pages