Book Review - The Elements of Typographic Style

Although this is really a reference manual, it turns out to be a surprisingly compelling read. This book instructs the reader in the art and craft of typography — mainly for laying out type in books. There is a lot to say (and Robert Bringhurst says it well) about an art form that strives to be beautiful, functional, and when done right, somewhat invisible.

There are sections about the historical development of type and fonts, plus detailed instructions on pleasing and harmonious margins and text blocks on pages. But if you know you aren't going to read this book from cover to cover, try to sample at least Chapters 1 and 2. These present more general ideas and advice about typography and are valuable to one who is interested in setting type well.

One of my favorite pieces of advice comes from Chapter 6, Choosing and Combining Type. He says to "use what there is to the best advantage."

If there is nothing for dinner but beans, one may hunt for an onion, some pepper, salt, cilantro and sour cream to enliven the dish, but it is generally no help to pretend that the beans are really prawns or chanterelles.

When the only font available is Cheltenham or Times Roman, the typographer must make the most of its virtues, limited though they may be ... but there is nothing to gained by pretending that Times Roman is Bembo.

Perhaps because he uses a food analogy here, but that has stuck with me. I also liked Chapter 10 where various fonts are listed by category (serif, san serif, blackletter, script, etc.) with a short history and samples. Plus, throughout the book he uses different fonts to demonstrate his points. And while not all of us will face having to typeset Greek letters in conjunction with English ones, Bringhurst goes into great detail about how to do so successfully in Chapter 6.

You don't have to feel like this book sets out rules in stone, especially if you are a professional typesetter and you are comfortable with the basics already. In fact, I think trying to follow all of the author's suggestions at once would be counterproductive. Instead, use this book to think about the little details in typography, or to pull yourself out of your usual approaches to type and see someone else's perspective for a little while.

This isn't the only book on typography that is a good resource, but it has stood the test of time rather well. I would recommend it to anyone interested in typography.