Typesetting books

A few weeks ago, I wanted to improve my typesetting skills, so I contacted my friend, Ric, a graphic artist specializing in print publications. Here are his recommendations:

1. Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students, by Ellen Lupton -- I can't say enough good things about this book. It combines sections on theory with practical sections on typesetting, proofreading, layout, etc. And she's funny, too! (She teaches at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.) BONUS: there is a companion website, if you want to get a taste of what the book is like ThinkingWithType.

2. Type Rules! The Designer's Guide to Professional Typography,
by Ilene Strizver -- this has just been revised by the author and re-issued in paperback. I have taken some classes with Ilene here in New York (a course at the Type Directors Club, although she also teaches at the School of Visual Arts here in NYC), and I can say that she is great. So I also recommend this book. (She worked for years at ITC, the International Typeface Corporation, too.)

3. Designing with Type: The Essential Guide to Typography,
by James Craig, Irene Korol Scala, and William Bevington. Ellen Lupton speaks highly of James Craig, who taught her when she was a student at Cooper Union, and she calls this book a "utilitarian classic". This is an updated-for-the-computer-age 5th edition, so you can't go wrong here, either.