Back to Font: Behind the Typefaces You Thought You Knew
By (Author) Anitra Nottingham
By (author) Jason Phillips
Quercus Publishing
Laurence King Publishing
28th October 2025
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
Typography and lettering
Book design and Bookbinding
History of design
Paperback
176
Width 168mm, Height 214mm
Warning: this book may cause you to rethink your default typeface settings.
Back to Font uncovers the secrets and lives behind 16 of the most famous typefaces. It answers all sorts of questions you might never have thought to ask before. Like: who were their 'parents' and where were they 'born' What's pretty and interesting about them, and what isn't How are the typefaces used (and abused), and where can you find them 'in the wild' Most importantly, these chatty and opinionated insights will help you decide whether to kiss, marry or kill each typeface.Who knew type could provoke such controversy (We did.)Featuring:Times New Roman / Gill Sans / Futura / Bodoni / Goudy / Baskerville / Akzidenz Grotesk /Mrs Eaves / Trajan / Novarese / Bell Centennial / Foundry Sterling / Transport /Zapf Dingbats / Univers / PapyrusAnitra Nottingham worked as a book designer for Oxford University Press, and Penguin Books, Australia. She was Online Director for the School of Graphic Design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco for 13 years, where she taught typography and graphic design history. Anitra is now Lead Learning Designer at the University of Melbourne Online, where, among other things, she ensures that the learning design team uses en-dashes correctly.
Jason Phillips began his career designing banknotes, before moving into book design for Oxford University Press, Hardie Grant Books, and a number of other Australian and international publishers. He spent a decade teaching tertiary-level typography and editorial design. Jason currently works in curriculum development in the vocational training sector, where his role includes educating stakeholders that Arial is not their friend.