selected through the most important chapters:
Clay in a Potters Hand (1949)
The Form of the Book - Essays on the Morality of
Good Design
A collection of essays written between 1949 and 1974
by Jan Tschichold.
The Author
Jan Tschichold (1902-1974) worked for Penguin Books
as design director in the late 1940s, and established
their landmark typographic style. In 1966 he designed
the typeface Sabon with the aim to give the same re-
production on both Lynotype and Monotype systems.
In all his work he was guided by his own definition of a
book designer - someone who is the loyal and faithful
servant of the written word.
The Contents
This book is considered by many the Bible of Book
Design, as Tschichold states rules of morality of
book design along with the technical experience
gained in the course of his brilliant career.
Being the book a collection on Jan Tschicholds essays,
the disposition of the contents is as it follows, here
Perfect typography is more a science than an art and
depends on perfect harmony between all of its ele-
ments. A book designer should aim to good legibility,
which consists in combining a suitable script and an
appropriate typesetting method with objective criterion
of taste, rather than follow his feelings on personal
style.
Graphic Arts and Book Design (1958)
The work of a book designer is different from that of a
graphic artist because the first should avoid every kind
of self-expression through personal style. A book de-
signer should respect the sanctity of the written word
and learn the rythm of good taste.
On Typography (1952)
Typography is a result of long experience and we can-
not change the characteristics of a single letter without
at the same time rendering the entire typeface useless.
Typography should be invisible: the noblest virtue of
any script is not to be noticed as such.
The Importance of Tradition in Typography (1966)
All typography implies tradition and conventions, as
man accepts letters as common and given symbols of
communication. The form of todays letters underwent
a long process of selection and solidification, therefore
when designing a new typeface tradition should be
taken into consideration.
Symmetrical or Asymmetrical Typography? (1965)
Strictly symmetrical things are rarely beautiful, indeed
disturbance of perfect symmetry is one of the requi-
sites for beauty. In the same way, an almost symmetri-
cal book title is perceived by the reader as beautiful,
graceful, and interesting.
Consistent Correlation Between Book Page and Type
Area (1962)
Golden ratio and many other rational proportions are
frequently used to define both the book page and the
type area. In this essay the author lists many of the
well-known geometrical rules at the base of the con-
struction of a book page (e.g. golden ratio, Villards
Diagram, Rosarivos construction, ect.)
Typography and the Traditional Title Page (1958)
The title must not, as happens so frequently, be placed
in the center of the paper width (figure 2). This would
cause it to step outside the whole of the book. Many
book titles lack this convincing affinity with the fol-
lowing book pages, therefore more attention should be
paid to the book as a whole entity, instead of consider-
ing it a multitude of elements.
Why the Beginnings of Paragraphs Must be Indent-
ed (1950)
The beginnings of paragraphs should be indented be-
cause this fortuitous convention is the most practical
and economical solution to improve readibility.
Italics, Small Capitals and Quotation Marks in Books
and in Scientific Publications (1964)
In this chapter the author sets the rules for good usage
of typographic differentiations in a text. Italics, small
capitals and quotation marks should follow precise
rules on when to be used.
 On Leading (1940)
Leading is the spacing between lines of type. Especially
in larger works like books and magazines, the calcula-
tion of this blank space is of great importance for the
legibility, beauty and economy of the composition.
Planning the Typographical Layout of Books with Il-
lustrations (1946)
If the book has very broad margins, then the height of
the picture can follow the width of the type area and the
caption can be placed in the margin. As a rule, though,
the caption should sit inside the type area and the pic-
ture should be reduced in size. Horizontal pictures are
always annoying and should be avoided. If it so hap-
pens that the majority of pictures for a book are hori-
zontal, then it is better to choose a landscape format
and set the text in two columns.
Jacket and Wrapper (1946)
Book jackets, according to Tschichold, are a mere carrier
of advertising and their only practical function bonding
it with the book is to protect the cover from the bleach-
ing effect of the sunlight.
On Books that are Too Wide, Too Large or Square
(1975)
The proportion of the book should be functional to the
target audience, to its contents, and also to the average
depth of a bookshelf. Those who want their books to
last and who want them to be found again will neither
make them excessively wide nor forget to put the title
on the spine.
Printing Paper: White or Tinted? (1951)
Paper should never be snow-white but rather a fair
shade of ivory to please the readers eye.