Who cares whether a typeface has a binocular "g," ball terminals, a closed aperture on the "a" and "e," or ink traps?

I do, I do!

Who really thinks fonts can have a "clean, sensible demeanor," a "sweet, almost dainty nature," "a perfect balance of function and beauty," or "frilly lace"?

Me again!

Who delights in phrases like, "Minion is perhaps the most vanilla of serif typefaces"?

Oooh, pick me!

If you are interested in fonts (and their history and function and elements), browse this work of art. If you're not...definitely don't. ( )

CX 14

Not nearly enough detail in the narrative, and while the huge showings of sample words are great—and Coles correctly points out the unique design details—there's no other sample setting, no showing (and usually not even a mention) of other styles in the family, no examples in use.... I would have rather seen that level of detail (on more pages per face) and fewer faces in the book. Yes, there were quite a few new designs included (new to me, new overall—some I think even date from as recently as 2012), but all I really got is a list of faces to check out more thoroughly elsewhere. And if the point was to highlight great recent work, then why include the old stuff? One of the book's arguments is that type design happens in a particular context, but the book itself provides minimal information about that context (cultural, historical, functional, economic, and let's not forget visual).

I'm left thinking that this book will be most useful for type designers: as a catalog of tricks and quirks, with some discussion of why and how they work for the eye, and in what media. There are so many different ways to shape a serif or a terminal, so many variations of stress angle and stroke weight—there must be millions of combinations still untried. ( )