Today I am reviewing Just My Type, a book about fonts, for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
My review: I am fascinated by fonts, typography and graphic design. I had a feeling I would like this book and I was right. What a fascinating subject! Simon Garfield is the perfect guide; he takes us on a journey from Gutenberg to the present. He writes about specific fonts that have influenced our world, various font designers, the way certain companies have branded their advertisements with a special font and the history of typography. Garfield moves easily from a chapter on the history of fonts to a chapter on the newest designs to a profile of a font designer to what he calls ‘Fontbreaks,’ in which he writes about a specific font. This makes for a lively read. I loved reading about font experts; those people who can identify any font or can tell you that a movie set in a specific time period has perfect period detail except for the use of a font that wasn’t invented until years later.
And there’s so much more. Years ago, an average person (like me) didn’t know a whole lot about fonts. With the emergence of Apple, Microsoft and the personal computer with a drop-down font menu, fonts have become something that everyone has an opinion about. I have my favorites and I bet you have yours. Garfield will help you understand why a font may be your favorite and why some fonts are ubiquitous and others fall by the wayside. Fonts can be a passionate subject for some; according to Garfield, there was quite an uproar when IKEA changed their font from Futura to Verdana. Imagine the credits in a Woody Allen movie in anything other than the Windsor typeface he has always used. Impossible.
Garfield writes about his subject matter with clarity and humor. I read the chapters in order, but you could just as well pick up the book and read a chapter at random. Just My Type is entertaining and informative. I highly recommend it.
If you’d like to win a free copy of Just My Type, leave a comment on this blog post and I will draw the name of the winner on Thursday evening.
About the Author: Simon Garfield is the author of twelve acclaimed books of nonfiction. He lives in London and St. Ives, Cornwall, and currently has a soft spot for Requiem Fine Roman and HT Gelateria.
This book sounds fascinating and I would love to win a copy!
University Roman has always been a favorite. My old computer had lovely fonts. My new computer – blah! Tried to download some fun ones but can’t install. Fonts can be artsy, passionate, business like, quirky – so interesting. Book sounds like a fun read.
I get some of my fonts at myfonts dot com and they put out a newsletter from time to time with info about certain font designers and also show some of the newest fonts for that particular month… Love reading them!
I love comic sans, but I love just about every font available, too. I have over 500 fonts in my font file with about 20 being my top favorites. I don’t play with them nearly as much as I’d like to, but they are there waiting for me like an old friend.
Have a lovely day,
Meri
This sounds like a great read and a resource too. I have always been fascinated by fonts and some of my favorites are from the credits and titles on movies from the 30’s and 40’s.
Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
HI CLAUDIA,
YOUR BOOK SOUNDS VERY INTERESTING. WHO EVER WINS IT IS A LUCKY PERSON.
HOPE YOU ARE DOING ALL RIGHT, AND FEELING GOOD. TAKE CARE, RIZZI
I love typography. A certain font can elicit different feelings and emotions. I love playing around with them. Thanks so much for this review.
Thanks for this review…. not your typical type of book; after all, how can a book about fonts be interesting? But it certainly sounds like this one is a “must read.” I would especially welcome the chance to find out why I’m attracted to certain fonts, and “turned off” by others… :)
p.s. that Garfield certainly has some piercing blue eyes, doesn’t he? lol
I’m geeky for fonts too! Sounds like a great book.
I recently bought a font deck of cards. Each card shows a different font, A through Z. The history of the font is included. Fascinating stuff.
Hi Claudia,
As an avid reader, I always enjoy your book reviews…thank you for sharing this one with us. The perfect book for a blogger…a book about fonts!
Cheryl
I just love the fact that there are so many to choose from! So glad you told us about this :)
Seriously? I’d love to win a copy of this book. I’m pretty much a font freak!
Nancy
I think this book would be very interesting. I am fascinated with fonts. I am from the old school and I do write journals and send actual letters which I try to make interesting with different fonts. Please enter me for the book draw Claudia, and I hope you have a quick recovery.
Sue
Hi Claudia,
I love Comic Sans and use that font a lot. I do agree that a font can convey a lot of feeling. Sounds like a great book and would love to be entered along with the other readers. I hope you continue to feel stronger everyday! Have a beautiful day today, Claudia! xoxo Kim
I’ve been fascinated by fonts and script for years too…. SPENCERIAN! Woohooo! :-)
Would love to have a copy of this great book…
Please throw me into the hat.
Huggies,
Spencer
Hi Claudia. I don’t read much these days because of allergies which affect my eyes. So, don’t count me in for the draw. However, I would like you to know that I really like the font and background you use on your blog. It is so easy on the eye. There are some blogs which I cannot read because their font and background are too hard on my eyes. It does look like an interesting book, however.
I like knowing that I can pick this up and read a random chapter and not necessarily have to go in order.
Glad to see you enjoyed it – I’m a font fan myself so I’ll definitely be reading this one!
Thanks for being on the tour.
OMG – I’m furious that I’ve missed the chance to get this book!! I’ve been in love with type since I started working in commercial art/advertising in the ’70’s…….and now am always so frustrated when I can’t use some of my favorite fonts on my blog – I have to learn where to get them.
My UK home is not far from St. Ives, Cornwall – such a quaint fishing village and home of this author – I visited there 2 years ago. I will definitely put Garfield’s book on my wish list.
Mary