A True Reader for the Addicted to the Printed Words
When I first saw this book's title in a bookstore, I was a bit taken aback by its playful title, but the authors are truly zealous typography enthusiasts. I was a junior in college, completely clueless, and was drawn to the book by its explanation of the authenticity of the Shindae script. However, regardless of this, its exploration of the origins of East Asian typography shaped the direction of my subsequent research. Through this book, I learned for the first time that modern typography had been introduced through China and Japan, and that Westerners had begun developing modern Hanja typography before Easterners. And then there was the emergence of the political typeface Ming Dynasty... It was a shocking new world for me at the time.
The book unfolds in a relaxed and chatty manner. It feels like eavesdropping on a new world through the chatter of addicts... It also includes information on the use of Chinese characters in China and Taiwan, revealing the philosophies behind regional Chinese character fonts. Anyone interested in typography will find this book fascinating.