The New Typography by Jan Tschichold, Ruari McLean, Robin Kinross

Synopsis

Since its initial publication in Berlin in 1928, Jan Tschichold's The New Typography has been recognized as the definitive treatise on book and graphic design in the machine age. At once a key theoretical document of Central European modernism between the world wars and an invaluable source of working principles for the practicing designer, this classic work enjoys the reputation among book artists that Le Corbusier's Toward a New Architecture has long held among architects.
The book's legendary renown is certain to increase with the long-overdue appearance of this first English translation, published in a form that reflects Tschichold's original typography and design. Ranging from theoretical discussions of typography in the age of photography and mechanical standardization to practical considerations in the design of business forms, The New Typography remains essential reading for designers, art historians, and all those concerned with the evolution of visual communication in the twentieth century.

Library Journal

The publication in English of this seminal work on 20th-century typography is long overdue. First published in 1928 in Germany and out of print for many years, this text has been recognized as one of the most important statements of modern typographical design. This curious and fascinating work ranges through theories of social criticism, art history, architecture, and the emerging importance of photography as it sets forth very definite guidelines regarding the design of printed materials. The final sections are indeed practical guidelines, down to sheet sizes and appropriate mixes of type, for the day-to-day use of working designers and printers. In addition to presenting a clear and faithful translation from the German, the new edition takes special care with design and appearance, closely duplicating the type and layout used in the original. A clear introduction places the work in the context of such movements as the Bauhaus, Constructivism in Art, Marxism in political and economic thought, and National Socialism. Essential for libraries with any special interest in the graphic arts and worthwhile for all libraries collecting in the area of design, it should also have a place in all larger art history collections.-Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., N.Y.

Biography

Jan Tschichold (1902-1974) worked as a typographer and teacher in Germany, Switzerland, and England. He became internationally known in 1925 with the publication of Elementary Typography, the first statement of constructivist graphic design principles. From 1946 to 1949 he lived in London and oversaw the typographic reform of Penguin Books. Ruari McLean, a Scottish typographer and scholar, is the author of Jan Tschichold: Typographer (1975). Robin Kinross is a London typographer and scholar and the author of Modern Typography: An Introduction (1993), Modern Typography: An Essay in Critical History and coauthor of Designing Books: Practice and Theory.