Acknowledgments

My passion for the glorious things that are letterforms was first ignited by my calligraphy teacher at Cooper Union, Donald Kunz, who had studied under Lloyd Reynolds at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. A few years later, as president of the Society of Scribes, I had the privilege of inviting and hosting Lloyd, who was a gurulike spiritual leader to our lettering community as much as a scribe, to visit and teach in New York City. Other calligraphers taught and inspired me in the years that followed: Donald Jackson, Hermann Zapf, Alice Koeth, Lili Wronker, Paul Standard, Jeanyee Wong, Sheila Waters, Ewan Clayton, Peter Thornton, and many others. I engaged in lengthy (and beautifully written) correspondences with calligraphers in far-flung corners of the globe and enjoyed the artistic company of a large and generous extended family of fellow scribes. To this very day, calligraphy and my comradeship with all calligraphers occupy a deep place in my heart and soul.

A love of words and letterforms led me, without a doubt, to a rewarding career as an editorial design director. My first job in publishing was at Cue magazine, which was still being set in hot metal on linotype machines, with headlines set by hand on composing sticks. There I experienced the tail end of hot type in the mainstream of mass media. A whirlwind of short-lived technologies followed, and now we are firmly ensconced in the age of digital typography, with 90,000 or so typefaces available for our delectation.

I am indebted to many authors who have written eloquently about typography, none more so than Robert Bringhurst, in his magnificent work, The Elements of Typographic Style. His erudition, sensitive phraseology, and abiding respect for letterforms and their use may never be surpassed.

Many colleagues in the design world have given generously of their time and talent to contribute to this book. I thank Donald Partyka and Mirko Ilic, who, for many years, have provided me with purpose, guidance, and wise counsel. I thank my editor, Emily Potts, for inviting me to write this book and for her encouragement along the way. I thank Wenjun Zhao, who assisted me calmly and precisely with the book’s onerous organizational tasks.

Finally, I thank my wonderful husband, Steven Beispel, whose humor, understanding, patience, and love have sustained me throughout this and all of my endeavors.