Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works

An image of the cover of the book "Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works"

I can’t recommend this book. It’s a little ironic that the biggest problem with a book on type is its format.

The book is divided into chapters, but each one is essentially a collection of mini-essays. In each two-page spread, the left page is an image of some kind, meant to illustrate what the right page is discussing. A couple problems:

In the end, I got little out of the book, beyond some general points about type and some understanding of the scope of decision when it comes to selecting a font.

Specifically, I was missing some practical discussion on the “meat” of type – ascenders, descenders, etc. Halfway through, I began to feel out of place, like the book assumed I had a base of practical knowledge which I didn’t actually have. As such, I think this book is more for graphic artists, and not for type novices looking to understand the core precepts of the discipline.

Book Info

Author
Erik Spiekermann
Year
Pages
208
Acquired
  • I have read this book. According to my records, I completed it on .
  • A softcover copy of this book is currently in my home library.