Alphabets: A Miscellany of Letters - Tapa dura

"The new book from preeminent alphabet historian David Sacks combines eye candy, font fetishism, and sociological etymology in a lavishly illustrated love letter to the modern A-to-Z. (...) an engaging, encyclopedic romp through our collective visual history that celebrates human creativity and cultural expression not only in the use of the written word, but in its very invention." "Flavorpill" "[An] entertaining and visually exhilarating exploration of the language of letters." "Time Out" 'Not just collections of beautiful letters but beautiful collections of letters' World of Interiors 'Great fun and thought-provoking' Illustration Magazine 'The weird and wonderful ways in which the 26 letters of the alphabet can be rendered' The Guardian "Entertaining and visually exhilarating exploration of the language of letters.' Time Out

From a comprehensive introduction on the origins of the written word, through to theories such as "The Alphabet Effect," exploring the coding/decoding and abstraction of form to the more appetising concept of 'Alphabet Soup', "Alphabets" features illustrations, found objects, graphic design, art, conceptual typography, graffiti, and much more. Through the exploration of this grouping of 26 symbols, it becomes clear that each letter has its own persona and history, and the alphabets presented in this book show how artists, typographers, illustrators and educators have responded uniquely to each individual letter. By removing the letters from the context of words and spelling, each begins to stand alone as a character in its own right. Featuring letters of all shapes and sizes, and alphabets ranging from Victorian classroom aides and "Dr Seuss' ABC" through to Peter Blake, Michael Craig-Martin, Tauba Auerbach, and the Tangled Alphabets of Leon Ferrari and Mira Schendelto to ABC Blocks, phonetics, Braille, and Muji alphabet ice cube moulds, "Alphabets: A Miscellany of Letters" offers a cornucopia of imagery for artists, collectors and enthusiasts alike.