The Stroke

Theory of Writing

Paperback, 96 pages

English language

Published Jan. 1, 2006 by Hyphen.

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5 stars (1 review)

1 edition

The first book to read about letters

5 stars

Probably the best modern book about letters and writing. Noordzij's basic premise is that the letterform is not the shape's outline but the stroke itself — that letters are fundamentally written. In my reading, this liberates typography from being merely seen, and returns it to something that is experienced. Maybe that's grandiose? It's currently out of print, and though PDFs can be easily found the book itself is a delight to read and hold, and worth tracking down.

Subjects

  • Palaeography (history of writing)
  • Techniques - Calligraphy
  • Calligraphy
  • Art
  • Art & Art Instruction
  • Nonfiction - General
  • Typography
  • Architecture / General
  • Non-Classifiable