A compact and charming history of the beloved handcrafted font by the New York Times best-selling author of Just My Type. Albertus, first carved on a bronze tablet in the 1930s by German Jewish refugee Berthold Wolpe, has proved to be one of the most enduring handcrafted typefaces in the world. It is at once modern and timeless, authoritative and whimsical—renowned as the typeface of London Street signs, David Bowie albums, and Star Wars movie posters. In this unique celebration, best-selling author Simon Garfield charts the story of the creation of Albertus, its innumerable and vibrant uses, and the erratic brilliance of its designer, as recounted by Wolpe’s children. Through his exploration of this singular font, Garfield grapples with one of the most fundamental artistic questions: what makes great art not only survive but flourish in each new age and medium?

A compact and charming history about how Comic Sans emerged from speech bubbles on educational software to become one of the most recognized―and reviled―typefaces on earth Since its improvised creation at Microsoft in the mid-1990s, Comic Sans has become one of the digital age's most used and discussed typefaces. The subject of April Fools pranks and endless internet discourse, it has spawned a movement to ban it, inspired revivals and spinoffs, and continues to be widely promoted by educators. Simon Garfield considers how the computer transformed type into something anyone could use and have an opinion on, explores how new fonts emerge with changing times and technology, and meets die-hard Comic Sans adherents and haters. He concludes the book by asking the unimaginable: Could Comic Sans now be the coolest typeface ever made?