1. THE REAL reason for the number of de ciencies in books and other printed matter is the lack of - or the deliberate dispensation with — tradition, and the arrogant disdain for all convention.
2. THE TYPOGRAPHY of books must not advertise. If
it takes on elements of advertising graphics, it abuses the sanctity of the written word by coercing it to serve the vanity of a graphic artist incapable of discharging his duty as a mere lieutenant.
3. ONLY WHEN a book presents itself so pleasantly, when the object book is so perfect that we would spontaneously like to buy it and take it home, only then might it be a genuine example of the art of making books.
2. THE TYPOGRAPHY of books must not advertise. If
it takes on elements of advertising graphics, it abuses the sanctity of the written word by coercing it to serve the vanity of a graphic artist incapable of discharging his duty as a mere lieutenant.
3. ONLY WHEN a book presents itself so pleasantly, when the object book is so perfect that we would spontaneously like to buy it and take it home, only then might it be a genuine example of the art of making books.
4. Deviant formats: Books that are needlessly large, need- lessly wide and needlessly heavy. Books have to be handy. Books wider than the ratio 3:4 (quarto), especially square ones, are ugly and impractical; the most important good proportions for books were and are 2:3, Golden Section and 3:4. The hybrid format A5 is particularly bad, while the hybrid format A4
is at times not entirely unsuitable. The inner book, or book block, of books that are too wide - square books in particular - will drop at the face. It is not easy to shelve or otherwise store books that are wider than 25 cm; 97/8 in.
5. Inarticulate and shapeless typesetting as a consequence of suppressing indents. Unfortunately, this bad habit is encouraged by business schools, who teach, quite erroneously, that writing letters without indents is < modern >. One should not believe that this is merely < a matter of taste >. Here readers and nonreaders separate.
6. Opening pages without any initial, pages that begin bluntly in the upper left-hand corner and look like any other random page of text. One thinks he is seeing some- thing other than a beginning. The opening of a chapter must be marked by a wide blank space above the initial line, by an initial letter or by something distinctive.
7. Lack of form, a consequence of the stillness of using only one size of type. It is di cult for any reader
to nd his way around in a book where chapter openings are not accentuated and where title and imprint have been set in lowercase only in the size of the basic font.
8. White, and even stark white, paper. Highly unpleasant for the eyes and an o ense against
the health of the popula- tion. Slight toning (ivory and darker, but never crème), never obtrusive,
is usually best.
is usually best.
9. White book covers. Equally confounding. They’re about as delicate as a white suit.
10. Flat spines on bound books. The spines of bound books must be gently rounded; if they’re not, the book will be cockeyed after reading, and the middle signatures will protrude.
11. Gigantic vertical lettering on spines that are wide enough to carry a horizontal inscription. Titles on the spine need not be legible from far away.
12. No lettering on the spine at all. Inexcusable for books more than 3 mm thick. How does one relocate such a booklet? The author’s name must not be missing. It of- ten determines the position of a book on the shelf.
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