Today, I would like to introduce “Scripts: Elegant Lettering from Design’s Golden Age,” written by Steven Heller and Louise Fili.
It is a visual book of a collection of scripts drawn in Europe and America in the 19th and 20th century, the golden age of the Latin cursive script. From lettering on signboards, packages, etc., to typeface specimens, you can enjoy beautiful scripts of various forms in full color in this impressive book.
As cursive script allows one to draw expressively according to the writing tool and writing style used, I personally think it is a storehouse of inspiration for typeface design. In addition to this book, it can be stimulating to compare various cursive scripts when designing typeface for a script system as well as typeface in other styles. It helps generate new ideas.
When developing Hama Mincho Italic released last year, I was looking at this book.
Book information:
“Scripts: Elegant Lettering from Design’s Golden Age”
Author: Steven Heller, Louise Fili
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Purchase information:
You can purchase a used version on Amazon, but it is regrettably out of stock at the official website.
https://thamesandhudson.com/scripts-elegant-lettering-from-design-s-golden-age-9780500290392
https://www.amazon.co.jp/Scripts-Elegant-Lettering-Designs-Golden/dp/0500290393
(XYZ)
Series archive Recommended Book / Book of the Month
- Book of the Month (2024 April): “Mincho Type: Its Origin and Formation”
- Book of the Month (February 2024): “Stroll with Typography: Observation of Characters on the Road”
- Book of the Month (September 2023): “Shintaro Ajioka’s Typeface Course”
- Book of the Month (July 2023): “Men Who are Possessed by the Type”
- Book of the Month (February 2023) : “The Visual History of Type”
- Book of the Month (December 2022) : “Reading Letters”
- Book of the Month (October 2022): “SANS SERIF”
- Book of the Month (June 2022): “’Typeface’ is Created”
- Book of the Month (March 2022): “Size-specific adjustments to type designs”
- Book of the Month (December 2021): “The Field Guide to Typography: Typefaces in the Urban Landscape”
- Book of the Month (November 2021): “Designing Type”
- Book of the Month (October 2021): “Writing Vertically Creates the Scenery of Words – Why Do We Need Two Japanese Writings in Vertical and Horizontal?”
- Book of the Month (September 2021): “Kanji, Katakana, and Hiragana – History of Japanese Notation”
- Book of the Month (August 2021): “Scripts: Elegant Lettering from Design’s Golden Age”