The Elements of Typographic Style

The Elements of Typographic Style (version 3.1) is certainly a very well written book that contains not only a great deal of useful information but also interesting insights of a more subjective nature. However, it is not as perfect as practically every other review posted here suggests, and I would like to point out a few aspects in which it could be improved. Little more than half of the 382-page book is filled with what I would call the actual "core" of the work. The other half is dedicated to analyses of the author's favourite typefaces (about 80 pages) and several appendices. There is nothing inherently bad about this distribution, but unfortunately some of the core parts were only given a cursory mention, when in my opinion they deserved more in-depth discussions. So, for example: (a) In chapter 8, Shaping the Page, the author lists countless page and textblock proportions and provides a large number of geometric figures representing page formats, but does little more than give each proportion a name ("Full Cross Octagon page", "Turned Hexagon" etc). He then gives a few examples, but not nearly enough, and leaves the reader wanting for more details on which proportions or formats would, in the author's analysis, be more appropriate for this or that type of text. And most of the numbers and diagrams merely take up space in the book, since just knowing about their existence does not help much. (b) Two diagrams on page 6 (just before the table of contents) are supposed to show the reader how the author came up with the proportions for the book's pages and textblocks. Unfortunately, the hexagons, circles and intersecting lines are not accompanied by any kind of explanation (and reading chapter 8 is not enough to decipher them), so instead of serving as a useful practical example they do little more than decorate the front matter. (c) In chapter 10, Grooming the Font, Bringhurst advises readers to mend defective glyphs and make glyphs that are missing from a font, but does not suggest ways in which these tasks might be accomplished. One can more or less guess how he went about making the corrections to Photina shown as an example, but it would be useful to be given a little more detailed information. Someone who needs to be told to fix a font certainly needs to be told how to fix it. (d) On pages 204 and 205, the author shows "part of a text file designed to test for missing or dislocated glyphs". Why not give the reader the full file, as an appendix perhaps? Why not save the reader the trouble of trying to reproduce the full test text (after googling in vain for it), which probably will not be nearly as good as the one Bringhurst, a master typographer, has produced over the years? (e) The author's suggestions for further reading are not annotated in any way, and many, if not most, of the books mentioned are out of print. The reader will seldom find information about the contents of the out-of-print books (which are often not made clear by the title) on Amazon.com, so comments by the author would have been extremely useful. Another slightly disappointing feature of a book that has a section on page design is the fact that, at least in my humble opinion, the textblock is a little too close to the spine for comfortable reading - but maybe there wasn't much the author could have done to anticipate the way the binding would work. In the end, anyone serious about typography will want to get this book anyway: not only because it is probably the best in its class, but also because Bringhurst is a master from whom a lot can be learned. Having said that, until the issues mentioned above are addressed (perhaps in a future edition?), I would not consider this book worthy of "bible status". ---- I wrote the above review several years ago and originally gave the book four stars. In a recent comment on my review, fellow reader Steve McFarland wrote: "I only wanted to say, half-seriously: the Bible has a lot more flaws than this, but it's still the Bible - I say Bringhurst wrote the definitive text, warts and all!" And he's right: expecting absolute perfection is unrealistic and unreasonable. Five stars it is.

Say the word "Bringhurst," and almost any designer or typographer knows you're referring to this book, which is a classic (and essential) reference for anyone who sets type for books or long documents. There are few books in any field that warrant the adjective "classic." This is one of them.

So much has been said about this excellent book, but I wanted to comment on the difference between the hardback and paperback versions. As some other reviewers have noted, this is a narrow book with a slim inner margin. With the paperback version, you can't lay the book open without cracking the binding. I think it was obvious the design was made with the hardback version in mind; the paperback seems an afterthought. The hardback also has a ribbon for bookmarking your page, which is very handy in a book like this. This is the sort of book you'll use as a reference for years, and it only costs a few dollars more for a much sturdier version. Don't buy this book if you don't like to read. It isn't a quick guide that will cram the basics of typography into your skull before tomorrow's midterm exam. This is the sort of book you curl up with when you have a long rainy afternoon to yourself. It is long-winded, goes off on tangents, and the author, while immensely knowledgeable, is set in opinions that will not be shared by everyone. An opinionated typographer (and aren't we all?) will read some passages in twitchy annoyance, wishing one could call up that Mr. Bringhurst and tell him a thing or two. But whether you agree or disagree, you will be thinking of your reasons, evaluating your conceptions and becoming better for it. Reading this book is like having a deep conversation with your favorite friend who is keen to discuss the nuances of typography with you hour after hour. Except probably your friends are like mine and wouldn't recognize a ligature if it bit them on the serif, which is why this book inspires so much devotion. It's personal, poetic, and speaks to your heart - if your heart happens to be full of glyphs.

I bought this for one of my editors at work. He liked it and referenced it often. He says he still uses it even though he's moved on from book publishing and is in marketing now. Useful information and the book itself has held up to repeated use. While he was still with us, I had members of the art department look through this book as well.

Subtlety, elegance, simplicity. As someone once said: "Its simple to make something difficult, but difficult to make something simple." This expression holds true for this book. This book is not for the faint of heart; it is dense with typographic information spanning a wide breadth from history to art, and theory to practice. This book is one of the few texts on typography that I flip back to when something I've typeset is bothering me. As a reference text, I have yet to see one that is quite so useful.

I'm a type geek -- for which I make neither excuse nor apology. And while your garden variety Barnes and Noble or Borders will have plenty books on typography (and more on calligraphy), this is a must-have for the serious type nerds out there. Bringhurst's book is an elegant example of all he writes about typography -- it's a pleasure to read the text itself precisely because of its beautiful design (in a paperback!) and typography. Be careful, though -- exposure to this is likely to significantly decrease your ability to tolerate the millions of poorly designed and typeset books out there. Bringhurst gets remarkably technical in areas (and I still don't understand his comparison between design proportions and musical scales), but this book is absolutely critical for any designer.

I'm by far not a great type designer, but I do love type design. This book not only provides a detailed view of type design fundamentals, it also explores typesetting in general. It shows you everything you're doing wrong and how to do it right. The book in itself is a work of art, both in terms of content and design. It makes my mouth water. I love it.

This book has the essentials that every person that's into typography or makes use of it on a day to day basis must know. It is a very concise reference book, so I suggest reading it once from start to finish and then coming back to it whenever you need specific information.