What type books would you take with you to a desert island?
My list might include:
- My TANY Typeface Specimens Directory — 1965 showing of foundry and hot metal fonts from the Typographers Association of New York
- A.T.A. Type Comparison Book by Frank Merriman — A gorgeous hardcover book published by the Advertising Typographers Association in 1965. All the major foundry and hot metal faces are grouped into 69 categories for easy reference. I had hoped that my office mate, designer Robert Schwartz, might give me his copy when he retired, but he wouldn’t give it up. I don’t blame him. I later bought a copy through Bookfinder.
- Rockledge’s International Type Finder — similar to the ATA book but for cold type.
- Robert Bringhurst’s The Elements of Typographic Style — a beautiful book about type faces and their use.
