This was my first book on typography - nothing I've read since has come even close! Very much recommended.

An excellent book; extremely densely written. Everything you wanted to know about typography: rules, opinions and explanations of good typesetting, spacing, design, structure of the book, creating the page (with mathematical structural references and histories). There is a chapter on analphabetical symbols. Appendices A through E cover extensively the working alphabet (international)- including the alphabets of many type faces; characters; terms; type designers; and typefoundries. His first rule: respect the text.

Get reference book, has everything to know about type. Very heavy in content , not exactly a light read. A must have for anyone serious about typography. Very very good.

I'm a type geek -- for which I make neither excuse nor apology. And while your garden variety Barnes and Noble or Borders will have plenty books on typography (and more on calligraphy), this is a must-have for the serious type nerds out there. Bringhurst's book is an elegant example of all he writes about typography -- it's a pleasure to read the text itself precisely because of its beautiful design (in a paperback!) and typography.

Be careful, though -- exposure to this is likely to significantly decrease your ability to tolerate the millions of poorly designed and typeset books out there. Bringhurst gets remarkably technical in areas (and I still don't understand his comparison between design proportions and musical scales), but this book is absolutely critical for any designer.

This book has tons of great information, but is massive, and very tough to hunt through for specific information.

I've been interested in typography for as long as I've been interested in design, but I struggled with some of the terminology, definitions, what to do where and how to do it. I've read countless books on it, hoping to glean some sort of insight into the magic of the typographic page. And then my lecturer recommended this book.

It's wonderful - easy and entertaining to read, Bringhurst offers suggestions rather than commandments. Each time he does so it is explained clearly and thoroughly.

I highly recommend this book to all typography students, to those who love type but just don't where to start, and to those who have years of experience with type: this book will be worth your while.

In this third edition of what must surely be the standard work on typography Robert Bringhurst keeps this work up to date with recent developments, such as the Open Type format. In keeping with its subject the book is excellently designed, printed and produced.

This Bringhurst book cam vacuum wrapped in perfect condition in a timely manner. I would buy from here again without hesitation. Highly recommended.

This book makes it sound like it's going to tell you how to make unique typography. However, it just tells you the history of type and typographical styles. In my opinion unless you are taking a class on the history of type this book is not useful for any other purpose.

As a designer, you can't argue the value of having this book as a resource. Reading through it can be heavy at times but the amount of great information far outweighs anything negative you could say. It's become an important part of my collection and has given me a great perspective when approaching any projects that need a typographic punch. Well worth a purchase and will be for some time.

This boks is considered a must buy book for any one in typography or graphic design. I do not enjoy it one bit. It is a hard read, and it loses my interest. It is not good for reference at all and because the paragraphs are so long winded that you could not find what you were looking for. This may be a book more for the advanced typographer or designer, definatly not for a beginner.

From A to Z, this book covers all aspects of typography. If you thought you knew a lot about fonts, their history, usage, manipulation and every aspect -this book will show you how much you really don't know. A definite must read for the serious type nut.

From A to Z, this book covers all aspects of typography. If you thought you knew a lot about fonts, their history, usage, manipulation and every aspect -this book will show you how much you really don't know. A definite must read for the serious type nut.

Great reference manual for years to come. I REALLY don't like the design of the cover, though; it was the weakest design out of everything else in the book. Far weaker than the perfect layout of every page inside - even the paper is top notch. GET THIS BOOK. I've yet to come across another so well put together, and such a joy to read.

Great reference manual for years to come. I REALLY don't like the design of the cover, though; it was the weakest design out of everything else in the book. Far weaker than the perfect layout of every page inside - even the paper is top notch. GET THIS BOOK. I've yet to come across another so well put together, and such a joy to read.

A really useful and interesting book for every person interested on typography and book editing. Really well writed and presented. Thanks!

Probably the most insightful piece of litterature on typography in the 21st century -- a classic. With this book, Bringhurst shares all of his sound advice, great tips and knowledge. If I had to take one book to a desert island, this would be the one -- even if there was nothing to write on there.

If there would be any cons to this book, it would probably have to be that the book may be a bit academic and dry to some. If you want an exciting tale of mystery and murder, go get yourself one of Jeffrey Deaver's books. If you want an equally fascinating tale of the battle for the slanted hyphen, however. This is the book for you.

A must read for anyone who wants to call him/herslef - a 'graphic designer'. It should be a required reading in graphic design education.

A great reference book to have for any designer, although a little tedious at times a solid read with a great historical overview of the subject. I would definitely recommend to any enthusiastic designer with a thirst for knowledge on things Typographical.

Since reading, I have become more critical of Typography in general and it works as a great guide when in doubt.

Beautifully written. Poetic. Technical. Authoritative. Everything I ever wanted to know about the art and science of professional typography.

You won't see many bad reviews on this book and the reason is simple. It is an extremely good book. I do alot of web design and this book brings you back to all that was great in book typography. Very inspiring read. If you love graphic design you will probably love this book as well.

As a beginning typographer in art school, this book is invaluable to me. Everytime I have a question about something typographic I can refer to the book for an answer and reasoning. Anyone from a beginner to an expert typographer should own a copy of this book. Bringhurst creates a lucid world of typography that makes it easy to read while having layers of information. A great buy.

My friends give me a hard time becuase they have found me on more than one occasion reading this book at weird times. I read it in the bathroom. I read it instead of working on papers for my elective classes. This book stimulates me to design and create. It ignited and continues to kindle the passion for design and typography that burns inside me. If you've read Strunk and White's Elements of Style (for grammar) and enjoyed it, and are a designer then this book is for you. One of the best references I have. The author's passion for typography is clear, and it has inspired my passion as well.

The only down side is the serious and heavy attitude. You really have to know about what you are reading. This certainly is for the serious and knowledgable designer.

My friends give me a hard time becuase they have found me on more than one occasion reading this book when intoxicated. I read it in the bathroom. I read it instead of working on papers for my elective classes. This book stimulates me to design and create. It ignited and continues to kindle the passion for design and typography that burns inside me. If you've read Strunk and White's Elements of Style and enjoyed it, and are a designer (or anyone who needs to understand typography) then this book is for you. I have yet to read the book entirely, but am already enamored with it's quality and clarity. The author's passion for typography is clear, and it has inspired my passion as well.

The Elements of Typographic Style (version 3.1) is certainly a very well written book that contains not only a great deal of useful information but also interesting insights of a more subjective nature. However, it is not as perfect as practically every other review posted here suggests, and I would like to point out a few aspects in which it could be improved. Hopefully these comments will also be useful to potential buyers of the book.

Little more than half of the 382-page book is filled with what I would call the actual "core" of the work. The other half is dedicated to analyses of the author's favourite typefaces (about 80 pages) and several appendices. There is nothing inherently bad about this distribution, but unfortunately some of the core parts were only given a cursory mention, when in my opinion they deserved more in-depth discussions.

So, for example:

(a) In chapter 8, Shaping the Page, the author lists countless page and textblock proportions and provides a large number of geometric figures representing page formats, but does little more than give each proportion a name ("Full Cross Octagon page", "Turned Hexagon" etc). He then gives a few examples, but not nearly enough, and leaves the reader wanting for more details on which proportions or formats would, in the author's analysis, be more appropriate for this or that type of text. And most of the numbers and diagrams merely take up space in the book, since merely knowing about their existence does not help much.

(b) Two diagrams on page 6 (just before the table of contents) are supposed to show the reader how the author came up with the proportions for the book's pages and textblocks. Unfortunately, the hexagons, circles and intersecting lines are not accompanied by any kind of explanation (and reading chapter 8 is not enough to decipher them), so instead of serving as a useful practical example they do little more than decorate the front matter.

(c) In chapter 10, Grooming the Font, Bringhurst advises readers to mend defective glyphs and make glyphs that are missing from a font, but does not suggest ways in which these tasks might be accomplished. One can more or less guess how he went about making the corrections to Photina shown as an example, but it would be useful to be given a little more detailed information. Someone who needs to be told to fix a font certainly needs to be told how to fix it.

(d) On pages 204 and 205, the author shows "part of a text file designed to test for missing or dislocated glyphs". Why not give the reader the full file, as an appendix perhaps? Why not save the reader the trouble of trying to reproduce the full test text (after googling in vain for it), which probably will not be nearly as good as the one Bringhurst, a master typographer, has produced over the years?

(e) The author's suggestions for further reading are not annotated in any way, and many, if not most, of the books mentioned are out of print. The reader will seldom find information about the contents of the out-of-print books (which are often not made clear by the title) on Amazon.com, so comments by the author would have been extremely useful.

Another slightly disappointing feature of a book that has a section on page design is the fact that, at least in my humble opinion, the textblock is a little too high on the page for good balance, and a bit too close to the spine for comfortable reading.

In the end, anyone serious about typography will probably want to get this book anyway: Bringhurst is obviously a master from whom a lot can be learned. But until the issues mentioned above are addressed (perhaps in a future edition?) this book will not be worthy of "bible status".

The Elements of Typographic Style is certainly a very well written book that contains not only a great deal of useful information but also interesting insights of a more subjective nature. However, lest Robert Bringhurst be deified - as seems to be the case with practically every other review posted here - I would like to point out a few aspects in which this book could be improved. Hopefully these comments will also be useful to potential buyers of the book.

Little more than half of the 382-page book is filled with what I would call the actual "core" of the work. The other half is dedicated to analyses of the author's favourite typefaces (about 80 pages) and several appendices. There is nothing inherently bad about this distribution, but unfortunately some of the core parts were only given a cursory mention, when in my opinion they deserved more in-depth discussions.

So, for example:

(a) In chapter 8, Shaping the Page, the author lists countless page and textblock proportions and provides a large number of geometric figures representing page formats, but does little more than give each proportion a name ("Full Cross Octagon page", "Turned Hexagon" etc). He then gives a few examples, but not nearly enough, and leaves the reader wanting for more details on which proportions or formats would, in the author's analysis, be more appropriate for this or that type of text. And most of the numbers and figures merely take up space in the book, since merely knowing about their existence does not help much.

(b) In chapter 10, Grooming the Font, Bringhurst advises readers to mend defective glyphs and make glyphs that are missing from a font, but does not suggest ways in which these tasks might be accomplished. One can more or less guess how he went about making the corrections to Photina shown as an example, but it would be useful to be given a little more detailed information. Someone who needs to be told to fix a font certainly needs to be told how to fix it.

(c) On pages 204 and 205, the author shows "part of a text file designed to test for missing or dislocated glyphs". Why not give the reader the full file, as an appendix perhaps? Why not save the reader the trouble of, after googling in vain for the full test file, trying to reproduce the test text, which probably will not be nearly as good as the one Bringhurst, a master typographer, has produced over the years?

(d) The author's suggestions for further reading are not annotated in any way, and many, if not most, of the books mentioned are out of print. The reader will seldom find information about the contents of the out-of-print books (which are often not made clear by the title) on Amazon.com, so comments by the author about each book mentioned would have been extremely useful.

In the end, anyone serious about typography will probably have to get this book anyway, because there does not seem to be a better or more comprehensive one out there. But to hail this book as a "bible" is a bit much.

This book is the Ferrari of typography books. Anyone seriously into typography should read it.

It is less useful, however, for beginners and self publishers, to whom it is often recommended. They will be less conscious that some of Bringhurst's advice is simply his opinion -- not an absolute rule or even standard practice.

Certainly read Bringhurst for advanced study. But if you're just learning about typography, there are better introductions. (My own favorite is James Felici's The Complete Manual of Typography).

After you read this book you will never use all those silly fonts again. If you work or ever want to work with type in a design, book, logo, etc... then this book is a must have to understand the principles beyond that of MWord and the like. Even though some parts are a bit dry, overall this book is a surprisingly enjoyable read.

Buy it up, no matter what the price. It is well worth having in your own possession, as I have many ticks and notes scribbled in its pages.

I had basic typo. training in my second year as a design major, but this was the book that made it all come together for me. The point of this book is -style- and not simply the history and terminology of type (though both are peppered throughout the book). What I have found especially useful were the sections regarding punctuation and the chapter entitled 'Shaping the Page'. It is not a dry read, as we are talking about a book written by a beloved poet as well as book designer.

To put it into perspective, if my appartment suddenly caught on fire, this is one of the first items I'd grab. This is coming from a 21yr old student and not a seasoned professional, but to push this fire buisness, this text has lit the 'spark' of typography within me.

On one level, The Elements of Typographic Style is a training manual. It teaches you how to work with type and understand the work of others. On another level, it's a profound mediation on aesthetics and culture. I have never read a more intelligent, beautifully written and witty book on any subject, in any genre. I recommend it to everybody who treasures books for what they are, as well as for what they do.

This book would seem to be the only book you'd ever need to fully understand all the inner workings of typography, or at least thats what your type teacher will say. One could easily make that case, but we must also remember that NO book should be able to attain that status. What makes me really happy to see however is the fact that Bringhurst does in fact endorse breaking all those stringent rules of type, only one must do so knowingly... aka after reading HIS version of the typographic word of god.

That said, at its core we have a beautifly written text about text, which isnt nearly as dry as you'd imagine. I would recomend this book for anyone who ever has touched a keyboard and used microsoft word, as well as for the most seasoned design professional who has yet to read it.

I had to purchase this book for my typography class. I am a student at Pratt Institute. Though the book is great in terms of learning the formal "rules" of design it can get a little dry at points. The book is a wonderful example of "good" formal design. But maybe its me...sometimes I think some of the great design isnt with how well you adhere to the rules but how well you can fail with them. Its beautiful to take all the wonderful formal characteristics that are listed here and throw them out the window and let intution play a rule let this book influence you but dont let it hinder you

This is what you need if you are anyone who will ever use type in any area of your life...period. Do not buy any other books on typography until you have this one and digested its wisdom. They don't refer to it as the 'Typographer's Bible' for no reason.

i had to buy this book for my typography class, this book is what it's all about. it explains in detail the origin and evolution of typography as its life is timelined to teach the deciple about what he needs. Bringhurst lets you know when to use type, how to use it, and where. as well as all the do's & dont's. I trust this man, you should too.

Good information but rather a long text for what I got out of it. Gives much positioning/spacing information that I do intuitively anyway. The industry seems to love this book but I think that it could be better with a rewrite to make it shorter and give clearer headings and divisions. For an industry person fascinated by typefaces it does include comments on many different typeface origins.

Bringhurst is individual genius who has synthesized the fragmentary knowledge about typography into a singular vision not seen since Tschichold's Die Neue Typographie. Bringhust's list of glyphs is indispensible; it has helped answer that qustion, "What is that puctuation mark called and is this how it should be used?" many times. His method of organizing type faces is historical, reflecting his romantic nature. Catherin Dixon's method of organizing and describing type faces is more practical, but does not offer the thrill that you have joined the ancient society of typographers.

Please note, this is not a reprint of the 2nd edition, but "version 2.5" i.e., a revised 2nd edition.

Along with the later book by James Felici, called "The Complete Manual of Typography" from Adobe Press, Bringhurst's book is a landmark work in English for any level of typgographic study.
Read it slowly and carefully for all the nuggets he leaves in a trail for us to follow. An amazing, brilliant effort no graphic design person should omit from his or her typographic education.

If you were allowed only one book on typography, it should be this one. Bringhurst is a poet. He loves language, written language, and all its parts. That love comes through in the text and the visual presentation of every page.

Bringhurst advocates a subdued typographic style. This makes good sense in the vast majority of cases, since typography is the servant of the text that it carries. Like any good servant, it should be unobtrusive, well dressed, and competent to handle every task it is given, quietly and promptly. Bringhurst demonstrates nearly everything he says, starting first with this book itself.

The book is a beautiful artifact, with an elegant and informative page layout. Body text, side- and foot-notes, references, running titles, and more - they all fit together well on the page. Each kind of information is set off only slightly, but clearly and predictably. The content is well organized: prose in the early chapters, reference material in the later chapters and appendices, and all the intermediates in the middle of the book. Diagrams and tables are minimalist and communicative.

The text spans centuries, from ancient Egyptian page layouts to the rationale behind Unicode. Bringhurst is passionate about typography's history, and insists that it inform every modern decision about print and printing. He embraces the new just as much, and is careful to note the strengths and weaknesses of each typographic technology.

Bringhurst discusses far too many topics to touch on here. In every case, though, he brings his poet's sense to all of the writing, using witty, descriptive language for even the most mundane of technical issues. The one weakness I saw was in the geometry of page layouts. I like his mathematical rigor and esthetic practicality. Still, I think that the number of different constructions was more a tribute to what can be done than to what serves a real need.

This is the best, most complete text I know on book design. As Bringhurst points out, there are lots of other uses for type than books, but he chose books as his subject - I have no problem with that limitation. The only problem I saw, and not really a problem with the book itself, is its subtlety. The nuances (well, most of the nuances) he discusses are important. Beginners, however, may not see the significance of small matters. Once a reader's eye it tuned to the fine detail, however, this book is the most helpful I know.

If you are into fonts in a big way you'll like this book. If you design fine books you'll enjoy it. Much on history. The section equating musical scales seemed insane to me. The derivations of the names of the fonts (obscure mythological or operatic characters) is interesting but useless. Most of the book is useless to me at this point in my design career. I'm looking for something more concrete. Something that compares the legibility and usability of various fonts or gives examples of why a designer would choose one font over another for which type of job. I was looking, perhaps, for a discussion on the relative merits of slab serifs vs. other types of serifs, or x-height and usability, or think and thin strokes on serif type. I just finished reading "The Elements of Graphic Design" by Alex W. White which, for me, was much more instructive, giving me concrete reasons for using various styles. Not to say I didn't learn something. The section on analphabetic characters was enlightening as was the comparison of different fonts that really aren't what they seem to be (two entirely different fonts named Garamond). I now know that when people speak about the relative excellence of Garamond they probably don't know what they are talking about. Two stars may seem low but I think people here generally overrate things. I didn't find it very readable either. Still I'd like to have it in my library, good reference on rare occasions. If you are a font fanatic, go for it.

I read the reviews here, so I decided to buy it. It is a GREAT investment. Not only it is instructive, a serious reference book, but it is also a pleasure to read. It has turn my typography passion all new again! Good for young/veteran designers, and whoever loves design.

I am a graphic design student and this book has been so inspiring to me. It has showed me a side of tipography that I had never seen. The author of the book talks about type as if it were a piece of art. All the metaphors and analogies are just amazing and helpful when trying to put light on such intricate subject. Among all things typography is now the aspect of design I love the most, and I can see myself reopening this book every day of my academic and professional career as a designer.

I was hoping for a guide that would help me get more creative using and combining different fonts, instead I got this long history of where certain types came from. I found this book dry and boring and not at all helpful to me.

This book has shaken my passion for type and design. It is inspiring, simple and educational. Either if you have a long life experience in design, or if you are just discovering the love for the written letters... You will keep it handy either way. It is really great and up to date!

I've been a designer from a long time, and lately, have been rather burned out, finding a design world full of too much ego, hype and style without substance. But after stumbling on this book in a college bookstore, I have become reacquainted with my love of design and type. Mr. Bringhurst has reminded me about the purpose and purity of design, and it's humble yet vital role in the world.

Imagine... a book on typography that provides clear-headed facts and lessons, yet still reads like poetry. The comparison of page sizes to musical scales is brilliant. A beautifully made and beautifully written book that is a pleasure to hold, to read, and to learn from. This book is an achievement.

This was the recommended book for my typography class and I must say it was well worth it. Leading by example, it's a beautiful piece, and it's truly invaluble as a guide to typography enthusiasts - beginners and experts alike.

If you are into typography and care about little details when laying out a design, this book is perfect for you. The author clearly explains, down to the finest details, the use of typographic elements. The tone of the author might sound somewhat strict and commanding, but the knowledge that Bringhurst has to share is with no doubt classic, and leads to great typographic solutions.

Nothing more to say. Simply, the best book on typography.

Bringhurst both demonstrates and describes typography with style and wit. This book is considered the most authoritative by those who know typography. But the man can write. He dismisses _The Chicago Manual of Style_ on the subject of the ellipsis as indulging in "...a Victorian eccentricity." Typographers and publishers should start with this book, and then consider lesser works.

John Culleton
Able Indexers and Typesetters

Others have said almost everything that needs saying. I just wanted to get my five stars in because few books deserve them more. This book isn't hands on practical and it isn't a work of art like Manuale Typographicum, but it's perfectly in between with the basics of good typography. If you own (and you do want to own this one) one book on typography, this should be it.