The books that shaped modern typography, from founding treatises to the textbooks most used in design schools, to learn how to set, choose and look at letters.
The Elements of Typographic Style
Author: Robert Bringhurst.
Date: 1992.
A complete treatise on the art of setting text: choice of typefaces, page proportions, spacing, punctuation, rhythm and hierarchy.
Often nicknamed the typographers' "bible", it combines technical rigour with reflection on the beauty of text. It remains the most cited book in design schools.
Die neue Typographie
Author: Jan Tschichold.
Date: 1928.
The manifesto of modern typography: asymmetry, sans serifs, functional composition and rejection of ornament.
This book laid the foundations of 20th-century typography. Tschichold himself later distanced himself from its ideas, which makes it a fascinating document on the evolution of a way of thinking.
Typography
Author: Emil Ruder.
Date: 1967.
A design manual published in German, English and French, which presents typography as a discipline in its own right, based on contrast, rhythm and form.
Written by one of the leading figures of the Basel school, it is one of the founding texts of the Swiss Style, still studied for the quality of its examples.
Grid Systems in Graphic Design
Author: Josef Müller-Brockmann.
Date: 1981.
A practical guide to building and using a layout grid, from posters to books and signage.
It is the reference book on the grid, written by the most famous representative of the Swiss Style. It still inspires digital design systems.
Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works
Authors: Erik Spiekermann and E. M. Ginger.
Date: 1993.
An accessible and humorous introduction to how typography works, illustrated with examples from everyday life.
It is one of the best books for beginners, showing that typography concerns everyone, not just specialists.
Thinking with Type
Author: Ellen Lupton.
Date: 2004.
A clear, richly illustrated guide organised in three parts: letter, text and grid.
It is one of the most widely used textbooks in graphic design education, valued for its clarity and many examples.
Detail in Typography
Author: Jost Hochuli.
Date: 1987, with a French edition published by Éditions B42.
A short book devoted to reading, to letters, and to the spacing between letters, words and lines.
In just a few pages, it explains with great precision everything that makes a well-set text. It is a classic, especially popular in France.
Lexique des règles typographiques en usage à l'Imprimerie nationale
Author: Imprimerie nationale.
Date: Published since the 1970s and regularly reissued.
The French reference collection of typesetting rules: capitals, abbreviations, punctuation, numbers, quotations and word breaks.
It is the reference work for French typographic conventions, used by publishers, proofreaders and graphic designers.
Just My Type
Author: Simon Garfield.
Date: 2010.
A book for the general public that tells the story of the most famous fonts, from Helvetica to Comic Sans, through anecdotes and portraits.
Accessible and lively, it introduced typography to a very wide audience, well beyond graphic designers.