Feature The Book
Shady Characters, an illuminating investigation into the genesis and eccentricities of punctuation marks, acts as a precursor of sorts. Its focus is unapologetically niche and its wit (evidenced in the punning title) runs through the author’s erudite prose. The tiny marks that punctu- ate and structure text are part of a wider tpographical perimeter. It’s a field in which atention to detail, metic- ulousness and a gradual, near-imperceptible accruing of tpeseting skill conveys a sense of order and elegance to the reader. W W Norton & Co book designer Judith Abbate was responsible for The Book’s distinctive red and black “traditional” design. The designer previously worked on Shady Characters and “was happy to be able to carry on the brand”, Houston says. “I think there was always a feeling that The Book had to have a ‘classic’ design, but Judith turned that into a very pleasing realit,” he adds. She did so by utilising age-old book design tech- niques—ornaments, drop-capitals, alternate leter- ing within a tpeface that has more elaborate, ornate swashes and flourishes—in a modern context. The Book is printed on solid paper stock, with a thick, debossed cover on uncoated board, with red binding tape. Paterned endbands complete the look. Nodding to its subject mater, The Book is perme-
T
ated with a sort of skeleton approach that makes the unseen seen. The underlying structure of the book is revealed in a series of notes that indicate the name
Committing to print
As a writer of medical imaging soſtware by day, author Keith Houston is abreast enough of
digital advances to ably analyse the future for content transmission. Ahead of a talk he will deliver next week at the St Bride
Foundation, he explains to Danny Arter why he chose to explore its considerable past in The Book
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of each technique deployed. As Houston notes, “Norton, I think, wanted to flex its production muscle, especially given that The Book is a book about the very things that [the company] deals with every day.
“That said, I and many others involved with the produc- tion had a hand both in the overall look and in some of the finer points of the design. It was very much a team effort—everyone wanted it to look good. The captions on the various different design elements, for exam- ple, was something I wanted to see. I was happy when Judith incorporated them... then dismayed when they disappeared from the tpeset manuscript! The composi- tor had thought that they were just the designer’s notes, and ignored them.” He adds, “luckily, they went back in again aſter a couple of frantic emails.” The text itself is an odyssey—topically and geographi- cally—of the book’s genesis, spanning continents and
Keith Houston will talk about The Book and what he discovered in researching the tome and its topic at central London printing mecca St Bride Foundation next Thursday (23rd March) at 7pm. Tickets from £8
HE MOST POWERFUL object of our time: that’s the proclamation of the subtitle of Keith Houston’s The Book, referring to its titular subject. His earlier
16th March 2017
Photography: Sam Otis
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