Albertus

The Biography of a Typeface (The ABC of Fonts)

Simon Garfield

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Hardback

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English

Weidenfeld & Nicolson
06 February 2024

Art & Architecture; History of Art & Design Styles; Graphic design; Typography & lettering

Series: The ABC of Fonts

One of the most beautiful handcrafted typefaces in the world, Albertus is also one of the most enduring.

The face of thousands of book jackets, and the chosen look for David Bowie, Coldplay, Star Wars and London street signs, Albertus is as as warmly enticing on film posters as it is on memorial plaques.

The story of the font is one displacement (its designer Berthold Wolpe was a German Jewish refugee who went on to design the masthead for The Times), but also one of permanence, for it has proved a fresh, vibrant and indestructible face for almost a century. In this unique celebration, the designer's children reveal the history of its creation and the erratic brilliance of their father, while the book grapples with one of the fundamental artistic questions: what makes great art not only survive but flourish in each new age and medium?

By: Simon Garfield
Imprint: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 200mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 24mm
Weight: 220g
ISBN: 9781399609241
ISBN 10: 1399609246
Series: The ABC of Fonts
Pages: 144
Publication Date: 06 February 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Simon Garfield is the author of the international bestsellers Just My Type, On the Map and Mauve, while To the Letter was one of the inspirations for the theatre shows Letters Live with Benedict Cumberbatch. His study of AIDS in Britain, The End of Innocence, won the Somerset Maugham prize.