I read quite a bit, and one of the small pleasures associated with this activity is the Notes on the Type appearing in the back (or occasionally briefly noted in the front) of some books. For example, the book I finished yesterday “was set in a typeface called Bell.” The “Note” proceeds to relate a brief history of when the typeface was created, by whom, what styles of type influenced it, and what makes it unique. I find these notes very amusing. Whenever I come across a new one, I make a copy of the Note, the title page, and the first page. What cracks me up is that, while each note proclaims the unique qualities of each type, the majority of them are essentially interchangeable to my untrained eye.
It seems as though Janson and Galliard are the most common in books I have read since I have begun keeping track. I love the varieties on the note on Janson, discussing the intrigue concerning the original attribution of the typeface to Anton Janson, although it was actually designed by Miklos Kris. Great stuff!
So, I was hoping some of you in the business or otherwise in the know could fill me in a bit on how the various types differ, how and why a specific type is chosen for a particular work, why do some books have these notes and others don’t, and any other minutuae you can provide me on the wonderful world of Janson, Photina, Granjon, Melior, and the rest.
I’m not in the business, but in my experience, it’s the publisher that determines whether the book will have a note about the typeface – I know Borzoi does this a lot. Most new books do seem to have virtually identical typefaces; it’s when you compare new books with old books that there’s an appreciable difference.
I believe the “Note” is what’s called a “colophon”. It gives details about the publication of the book. In the graphics and type books I’ve seen, it also gives the information you describe-- the typeface used, the foundry that designed/distributes the typeface, what software was used in the book’s layout, etc.
Typefaces are like perfumes in many ways. To someone who has no interest in or never thought about the differences between them before, they’re all the same. But each is distinct, whether it be in name, design, or both. It’s not something I can really describe in words; I’d have to have my typography books around to show you samples of typefaces side-by-side.
Janson and Janson Text are often used for school textbooks, and for good reason. They are what’s called serif typefaces. Serif faces are easier to read, so I’ve read, because the little lines and strokes on the letters ease the letter-to-letter transition your eye makes when reading printed material.
Times and Times New Roman are other examples of serif faces.
I’ve got a webpage that’s sort of an intro to fonts and typography. Hope it answers most of your font and typography questions. Let me read it through (I took it down intending to make revisions), and I’ll post the link to it in a sec.
Whether a book has Note or colophon is probably left to the author or publisher. Depending on what the book’s about, readers may not care about what font the text was set in.
An excellent book on fonts and typography: The Macintosh Font Book, by Erfert Fenton. It’s a Mac-oriented book, but the sections covering typeface basics are clear and free of any platform bias. It also has many, many typeface samples. Printed as they are, side-by-side, you’ll see for yourself exactly how these typefaces differ.
If you ever get your hands on ‘The Mystery Science Theatre 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide,’ check out the colophon. I almost fell out of my chair laughing.
As an April Fool joke, the Guardian newspaper in Britain once ran an article extolling the virtues of the wonderful holiday island of Sans Serif. They may have regrettted it when they were inundated by requests for more information on this delightful spot.
