# Typography books > A reading list on typography: Bringhurst, Kinross, Spiekermann, Baines, Weingart, Smeijers on punchcutting, and more, my 2003 typography shelf. - Page: https://www.elasticspace.com/2003/01/typography/ - Author: Timo Arnall (https://www.elasticspace.com/) - Section: Notes (https://www.elasticspace.com/notes/) - Published: 2003-01-17 - Updated: 2026-07-04 - Tags: Books, Graphic Design, Information Design - Site map for agents: https://www.elasticspace.com/llms.txt --- This is one of a series of reading lists I put together between 2002 and 2004 when I was starting out in interaction and experience design, building out a personal canon from books I was buying, borrowing from libraries, or lending to students. The lists are grouped by topic. This one is on typography, the deepest and oldest of the design disciplines, and still the one most interaction designers would benefit from reading into properly. Bringhurst’s The Elements of Typographic Style is the canonical reference. Robin Kinross’s Unjustified Text and his book on Karel Martens are the most useful English-language writing on typography as a critical practice. Spiekermann’s Stop Stealing Sheep is where to start if you’ve never thought about typefaces. Fred Smeijers’s Counterpunch is the book on punchcutting, the craft under the craft. The Amazon links below are what I had at the time, most will be dead now, but the ISBNs will find you a copy. ### Type and Typography Phil Baines. [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856692442/elasticspace-21) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856692442/elasticspace-20) ### Signs: Lettering in the Environment Phil Baines, Catherine Dixon. [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856693376/elasticspace-21) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856693376/elasticspace-20) ### A View of Early Typography Harry Carter. [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0907259219/elasticspace-21) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0907259219/elasticspace-20) ### Unjustified Text: Perspectives on Typography Robin Kinross. [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0907259170/elasticspace-21) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0907259170/elasticspace-20) ### Karel Martens: Printed Matter / Drukwerk Robin Kinross, Karel Martens, Jaap van Triest. [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0907259200/elasticspace-21) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0907259200/elasticspace-20) ### Counterpunch Fred Smeijers. [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0907259065/elasticspace-21) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0907259065/elasticspace-20) ### Stop Stealing Sheep Erik Spiekermann, E.M. Ginger. [amazon.co.uk](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0672485435/) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0672485435/elasticspace-20) ### Basic Typography James Craig. [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0823004511/elasticspace-21) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0823004511/elasticspace-20) ### Typo – When, Who, How F Friedl. [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/3895084735/elasticspace-21) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/3895084735/elasticspace-20) ### Typographic Design Rob Carter, Philip B Meggs, Ben Day. [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471383414/elasticspace-21) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471383414/elasticspace-20) ### The Elements of Typographic Style Robert Bringhurst. [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0881791326/elasticspace-21) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0881791326/elasticspace-20) ### Typographica Rick Poynor. [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856692434/elasticspace-21) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856692434/elasticspace-20) ### Dimensional Typography: Words in Space J. Abbott Miller. [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1568980892/elasticspace-21) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1568980892/elasticspace-20) ### Fuck Off Typography Gerard Saint. [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1903391210/elasticspace-21) / [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1903391210/elasticspace-20) ### Typography Wolfgang Weingart. [Magma Books](http://www.magmabooks.com) / [Niggli](https://web.archive.org/web/20030605144002/http://www.niggli.ch:80/eng/01.html) / [UK booksearch](https://web.archive.org/web/20030612115941/http://beaverbooksearch.co.uk:80/) ### Typography Friedl, Ott, Stein. [Magma Books](http://www.magmabooks.com) / [Niggli](https://web.archive.org/web/20030605144002/http://www.niggli.ch:80/eng/01.html) / [UK booksearch](https://web.archive.org/web/20030612115941/http://beaverbooksearch.co.uk:80/) ### Basic Typography: Design With Letters Ruedi Ruegg. [Magma Books](http://www.magmabooks.com) / [Niggli](https://web.archive.org/web/20030605144002/http://www.niggli.ch:80/eng/01.html) / [UK booksearch](https://web.archive.org/web/20030612115941/http://beaverbooksearch.co.uk:80/) ### Typography: Macro + Micro Aesthetics Willi Kunz. [Magma Books](http://www.magmabooks.com) / [Niggli](https://web.archive.org/web/20030605144002/http://www.niggli.ch:80/eng/01.html) / [UK booksearch](https://web.archive.org/web/20030612115941/http://beaverbooksearch.co.uk:80/)