"Just My Type" by Simon Garfield

“Just My Type” by Simon Garfield   

Three different fonts here just in the title and this first sentence!  Wow!

Typefaces/Fonts can bee soooo much FUN!  Another font, did you catch this?  This one is Lucinda Sans.  Now going back to one of my favorites, of which happens to be Arial.  I happen to like the nice clean, easy-to-read crispness of Arial, yet according to this book, Arial is number ten on the worst fonts to use list!  Yet, on the next list which happens to be the top “Highly Visible” fonts to use, Arial is number five!  Me, oh my!  Do I use Arial?  In the next list of top ten ‘Least Favourite” (spelled the British way), Arial is number four on it!  I just don’t know what font to use!

So now I am switching to Comic Sans, however, Comic Sans is number eleven in the least favorite fonts to use.  At least I am not in the top ten anymore!

Now I just switched over to Futura.  I figure it is number three on the Top Ten list of fonts to use, but I don’t like it.  See how much fun fonts can be?

Switching over one more time to:  Futura.  This is good.

This book is SO much fun to read!  From the moment you open the front cover of this book, there is the “Periodic Table of Typefaces”.  It contains every font imaginable, so you think.  I happen to know there are even more fonts than this available.  Typefaces/fonts are OVER 560 years old.  There are so many different fonts available these days, especially as our times, hobbies, periodicals and more, change.  As time goes on, so does our fonts.

As you turn the pages more and more, there is a page that looks like an old newspaper page.  Turn the page and there is a comic and a page with a different font.  The next page has the cover of a book with another font type on it.  Turn the page again, and there are advertisements of all kinds of older TV shows and the different font types they have all used.  I have to add one more page.  A newspaper page!  I could go on and on about ALL the different fonts on all the different pages.  The author is showing us how much fun, how neat the different fonts are and how well they work for the different types of needs that arise.  I have to say this IS one of the most enjoyable, fun yet VERY informative books I have read in a long time!  Stock pages, email, love letters!  Wow!

Think of New York and Times Square.  Think of how we are inundated with all of the different fonts on ALL of the different flashing signs for advertising.  They are numerous.  They can be overwhelming!  Advertisers will use anything to get your attention, which is really, truly neat.

This book covers many, many different types of fonts, what they were and are used for, when they were used, and the most important uses of them.  He talks about what was used in the past and now in current times.  He even discussed how the Bible’s font was chosen.  A lot of thought goes into the process of choosing which font to use for anything you are going to choose to print.  There are formal fonts, casual fonts, even jazzy fonts. 

Now see, I just switched over to the default of Microsoft Word, which happens to be Times New Roman.  As you can see by how much fun I am having writing this review that IS how much fun this book is to read.  The enjoyment of this book never ends.  It continues all throughout the book to the very last page.  I was sorry this book did end.  To read this book is very informative while very enjoyable to read, if I haven’t said that already.  You ask how can a book about ‘fonts’ be enjoyable to read?  You have to see this book!  It is filled with photos of what I just described and so much more.  There are photos, examples of the different fonts that have been used for different things, what fonts have been chosen to use and why.  Signs, for stores, for businesses, as I just mentioned above, and there is even a chart full of a small sampling array of Zapf’s dingbats.  The history of fonts used is quite full and enjoyable with photos of old and newer printing presses.  He describes how they used to print and how they still print newspapers and books in the past and into the future.  Fonts are so much fun.

If you have to read a book on fonts and you are dreading it, don’t.  Not with this book.  This is one of the most entertaining books I have read so far.  It has honestly made something I never would have thought of as fun and entertaining, unless I was in the printing business.  This book makes fonts enjoyable for everyone to read about.  If you want a truly fun, enjoyable informative book to read, I highly suggest this book!  If I were in the bookstore and happened upon this book, I would snatch it up in a second just from flipping through it.  It is very helpful in deciding what fonts to use for different projects, papers, signs, advertisements, books, Scrapbooking, Journaling, Crafts, and more!  Fonts ARE fun, fun, fun!

This book is a definite MUST-HAVE for everyone’s library.  I could not see my library without this book.  I will use this book now and in the future to help me decide what font I want to use for whatever project I am using it for.  Perhaps I want to Jazz up my Blog?  This font would be perfect!  This font is Jester. 

Have you ever wondered what font you should use for whatever reason?  This book will definitely help you to decide, while entertaining you as well.  I LOVE this book!  It is a 5-star rating in my book!  I “HIGHLY” suggest EVERYONE have this book in their own library!

Now what you need to do is go to your local Independent Bookstore, online, or wherever books are sold and pick up your copy today!  I had a lot of fun reading this book, and a lot of fun writing this review!  I’m sure you can tell!

I received this book for “FREE” from Gotham Books (Microsoft Word did not have a font I could find to match the Publisher’s Print, or else I would have used it!) and through http://www.crazybooktours.blogspot.com, through their Book Reviewer’s Program in exchange to read and write a review about this book.  It is NOT required for my review I write to be either positive or negative, but, “of my own opinion.”  I was NOT provided with “ANY” monies to accept this book, “NOR” to read it, NOR were “ANY” monies given to me to write the review for this book.  All that was ‘expected’ of me was to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it.  Again, the opinions expressed for and about this book are ‘of my own opinion’.  I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

This book IS available through Amazon.com.  You can click on the Icon below and to the left.  It will take you directly to the page where you can purchase it!  You have GOT to get this book!  You will LOVE it!  I am sorry it ended.  I will have this book though, in my library to refer back to over and over again.  You've GOT to get this book!