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Alphabet in Motion: How Letters Get Their Shape

Alphabet in Motion: How Letters Get Their Shape - Main image
Alphabet in Motion: How Letters Get Their ShapeAlphabet in Motion: How Letters Get Their ShapeAlphabet in Motion: How Letters Get Their ShapeAlphabet in Motion: How Letters Get Their ShapeAlphabet in Motion: How Letters Get Their Shape
$62.9 $85 In stock

Category: Art of Play

Ever wonder how we ended up with so many different styles of letters? Open any text editor, email client, or design app and you will immediately be bombarded with a buffet of typographic choices. Serif or sans serif? Display or text? Classical or contemporary? Formal or casual? Featuring seventeen stunning interactive pop-ups, this ABC book explains—and demonstrates—the technologies and philosophies that have shaped letterforms through the ages. A reader and a looker, this one is a remarkable contribution to our history—and to the printing and engineering of books. It’s bonkers. Kelli Anderson has made something special. 

Customer Reviews (4.7 / 5 · 19 reviews)

Chloe R. ★★★★★

I’m a designer and I still found myself underlining passages about the history of serif and sans-serif forms—it’s that accessible. The way it connects everyday font menus to centuries of letter-making is genuinely eye-opening.

Edward ★★★★★

I wasn't expecting a book about typography to be this gripping, but the way it traces letters back to their physical origins makes every page feel like a small revelation. The chapter on how stroke direction came from chisel and brush movements completely changed how I look at my own handwriting and

Hazel ★★★★★

The chapter on serif versus sans-serif alone is worth the price—it finally explains why some letters feel formal and others modern. I’ve been flipping through it every night and catching details I missed the first time.

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