''Anatomy of a Typeface'' is a 1990 book on

typefaces A typeface (or font family) is a design of letters, numbers and other symbols, to be used in printing or for electronic display. Most typefaces include variations in size (e.g., 24 point), weight (e.g., light, bold), slope (e.g., italic), width ...

written by Alexander Lawson.''Anatomy of a Typeface'', Alexander Lawson, David R. Godine, 1990.

Background

The book is notable for devoting entire chapters to the development and uses of individual or small groupings of typefaces. The book is also set in Gaillard, which happens to have its own Chapter in the book. The first 30 chapters specifically are devoted to an individual

typeface A typeface (or font family) is a design of Letter (alphabet), letters, Numerical digit, numbers and other symbols, to be used in printing or for electronic display. Most typefaces include variations in size (e.g., 24 point), weight (e.g., light, ...

per chapter. Beyond ''Anatomy of a Typeface'' Lawson has considered and discussed the classification of types. Within ''Anatomy'', Lawson arranges the typefaces by classification. In his preface, Lawson qualifies his classification: "After using this system in the teaching of typography over a thirty-year period, I know that it is reasonably effective in the initial study of printing types. I am not disposed to consider it faultless by any means. A classification system, after all, is simply a tool ... Its primary purpose is to help people become familiar with these forms preparatory to putting them to effective and constructive typographic use."

31 Chapters of ''Anatomy of a Typeface''

* the Black-letter Types: ** Goudy Text and Hammer Uncial * Old Style Types: ** Cloister Old Style **

Centaur A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version o ...

Bembo Bembo is a serif typeface created by the British branch of the Monotype Imaging, Monotype Corporation in 1928–1929 and most commonly used for body text. It is a member of the "Serif#Old-style, old-style" of serif fonts, with its regular or ro ...

** Arrighi **

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

** Goudy Old Style ** Palatino **

Garamond Garamond is a group of many serif typefaces, named for sixteenth-century Parisian engraver Claude Garamond, generally spelled as Garamont in his lifetime. Garamond-style typefaces are popular to this day and often used for book printing and bod ...

** Galliard ** Granjon ** Sabon ** Janson **

Caslon Caslon is the name given to serif typefaces designed by William Caslon, William Caslon I in London, or inspired by his work. Caslon worked as an Engraving, engraver of Punchcutting, punches, the masters used to stamp the moulds or Matrix (printi ...

** Baskerville **

Bodoni Bodoni (, ) is the name given to the serif typefaces first designed by Giambattista Bodoni (1740–1813) in the late eighteenth century and frequently revived since. Bodoni's typefaces are classified as Didone (typography), Didone or modern. Bo ...

** Bulmer **

Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

** Oxford **

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the forested region in the central and western Scottish Highlands, particularly stretching through parts of what are now Lochaber, Badenoch, Strathspey, and possibly as ...

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

** Bookman * Newspaper Types: ** Times Roman * Twentieth-century Gothics: ** Franklin Gothic; * Square-serif Revival: ** Clarendon; * Humanist Sans-serif Types: **

Optima Optima is a Humanist sans-serif, humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Hermann Zapf and released by the D. Stempel AG foundry, Frankfurt, West Germany in 1958. Though classified as a sans-serif, Optima has a subtle swelling at the terminals s ...

; * Geometric Sans-serif Types: ** Futura; * Script, Cursive, and Decorated Types; Type Making from Punch to Computer.

Editions

The book has been published a total of three times with the first release coming in 1990, the second edition released in 2002, and the third being released in 2010 and Published by David R, Godine.

References

{{Reflist Design books 1990 non-fiction books Godine books

Background

31 Chapters of ''Anatomy of a Typeface''

Editions

See also

References