The complete manual of Typography

“The complete manual of Typography” written by J. Felici is a great book for those people who want to start with the basics of typography and move on. The book explores typography in depth and it can be used as a reference as well. Web designers and graphic designers are the main groups of people who would care about it, but the subject is practically open to anyone.

The book is divided into two main chapters. The first one has to do with the basics of typography e.g. differences between fonts and typefaces. It also covers the evolution of typography through time.
The second part of the book examines the correct use of typography and it covers all details about it.

Typography is a kind of art and technique at the same time and it is interesting to see how things have changed through centuries depending on the use. For example, Garamond, a typical typeface for everyone who uses a computer, was born in the 16th century because of people needs to create a more legible and at the same time elegant type. Garamond, changed the way people used typography and it remains unchanged and heavily used until nowadays.

If the previous paragraph feels a bit geeky, I must add that “The complete manual of Typography” involves a series of practical guidelines which can be applied anytime to our designs. Kerning and manual kerning, leading (or line-height, if you prefer), the differences between serifs, sans-serifs and slab serifs, the aesthetics of ligatures are only a few subjects this book covers.

“The complete manual of Typography” is one of the best on the subject and it is highly recommended to anyone who likes or has to work with typography. It is also cost-effective via Amazon ($32).