Typography annotated bibliography

I began this assignment with a general search on Wikipedia. I found the Typography article and looked at its sources to find some books that might be found at the HBLL. I looked up these books at lib.byu.edu and wrote down the first few characters of their call numbers.  I just recorded the general area of the call numbers so I could browse the proper section of the library.

Browsing

I found {1} and {3} browsing the library stacks.

I noticed a couple of interesting things while browsing. First, there is only a very small area dedicated to typography in the library—only about three cabinets. Additionally, I found that the topics covered in this area were broad. They included connections between typography and the following fields: graphic design, web design, print design, history, and international typeface references.

I used the bibliography in {1} to find {2}.

Finding a reference work

I found an encyclopedia {4} through the HBLL website. I found {5} in the references section of {4}.

Finding a periodical

I found a typography periodical {6} by searching “typography” at lib.byu.edu, and then selecting “Journals” under “Resource Type” in the navigation bar to the left of the search results. I found {7} via {6}. It is important to note that {6}, my periodical print reference contained no actual bibliography, footnotes, or endnotes (!). But Milton Glaser, the author of {7}, was listed as a contributor. I searched for him on the library website and found a work he authored.

The annotated bibliography

{1}  Loxley, Simon, Type: The Secret History of Letters, I.B. Tauris, 2004.

Addresses issues and stories surrounding mysterious or lesser-known figures in typographic history. 

[Found browsing library stacks.]

{2}  Eason, Ron, and Sarah Rookledge, Rookledge’s International Handbook of Type Designers, Carshalton Beeches, 1991.

Eason and Rookledge write short biographic entries about important figures in typographic history, including their birth and death dates (where applicable), as well as fonts they designed, and short explanations about those fonts. This resource would be more valuable if organized chronologically rather than alphabetically by last name.

[Found in {1}’s bibliography.]

{3}  Rabinowitz, Tova, Exploring Typography, Thomson-Delmar Learning, 2006.

Doesn't it look like a textbook? Photo by me.

Textbook-like guide to typography. Details the history of typography, structural and aesthetic elements of type, and type classification methods. Very bright, with full-color illustrations, vocabulary marginalia, and review sections.

[Found browsing library stacks.]

{4}  Jaspert, W. Pincus, W. Tuner Berry, and A.F. Johnson, The Encyclopaedia of Type Faces, Barnes & Noble, 1970.

Lists about 1,000 fonts, brief descriptions, creation date, designer, and all letters and numbers in the typeface.

[Found online.]

{5}  Updike, D.B., Printing Types: Their History, Forms & Use, Vol. I and II, Belknap Press, 1962.

Photo by me.

Important to the study of fonts because it discusses the development of the Latin alphabet (volume 1) and font development chronologically and geographically (volumes 1 and 2). Volume 2 also includes a useful chart comparing Roman and Italic fonts in France between 1640 and 1825.

[Found via reference work {4}.]

{6}  Pedersen, Martin, Ed., Graphis Typography 1: The International Compilation of the Best Typographic Design, B. Martin Pedersen, 1994.

Begins with a short timeline of important figures in typographic history, followed by a brief discussion of the use of software in modern typography. Most of the work is dedicated to examples of “great” typography from the 1990s. Other useful aspects are an illustrated glossary near the beginning, a traditional glossary at the end, and a list of contributors whose works are featured, which are accompanied by short biographies. Most striking is the beauty of the periodical, which has large, glossy, and full-color pages. Unique because only two volumes published.

[Found via lib.byu.edu.]

{7}  Glaser, Milton, Art is Work, Thames & Hudson, 2000.

This work was my very favorite! Photo by me.

Ever seen this? Did you know Milton Glaser was commissioned to popularize New York through the slogan "I love New York," and this is the design he created? Isn't that amazing? Iconic!
Photo by me.

While this work showcases Glaser’s work in the areas of print (posters, portraits, animals, motifs in his work, illustration, collaborative work, interiors, objects, exhibitions, typography, branding, grocery store work, and magazines and newspapers). It is important to note that while typography has its own section in the book, many of Glaser’s work in other areas required him to create new fonts, which are showcased in the other sections.

[Found via periodical {6}.]

Follow up

In one of my previous blog posts, I documented some questions I had about fonts and typography:

[1]  Why were different fonts and typefaces created?

[2]  What's the difference between fonts and typefaces?

[3]  How were different fonts and typefaces used?

[4]  Who designed fonts and typefaces? Were they artists? Printers? Both?

[5]  How did various fonts and typefaces get used in religious texts?

[6]  Did any scientific research go into fonts and typefaces? Researching readability, perhaps?

Many of these questions were answered in today’s lecture by Royal Skousen in the HBLL Special Collections. For example, in answer to question [1], italic fonts were created to save space. In answer to question [4], those who designed fonts were of course artists, and sometimes printers.

But I’ve also found that many of the sources I found doing the annotated bibliography also answer these questions. For example, source {2} would be especially useful for question [4].

Relationship to music (of course!)

I found a strange relationship between writing this annotated bibliography and choosing music to play for an upcoming harp competition. In choosing music, I check out the scores and CDs from the library. I listen to the pieces while following along in the score. I’ve never heard many of the pieces, so it’s sometimes hard to choose. To help, sometimes I listen more than once. Sometimes I listen to multiple recordings. But I never play through them on my instrument (unless no recordings are available. We’re spoiled, I know). Eventually, I get a feel for the pieces, and I can make a decision about what I want to play.

This is like researching and writing an annotated bibliography. The topic was new to me, and so were the specific sources, just like the recordings and scores are new to me. But I have resources, like the internet, the HBLL website, the stacks, and helpful librarians to help me, just like the scores and CDs help me. Just as I eventually get a feel for the music without actually playing it myself, reading through the books quickly give me a great feel for their content.