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by Philip B. Meggs (Editor), Roy McKelvey (Editor) Wonderful gifts come in small packages. I was completely knocked out when I opened this package from John DeMao, Chair, Communication Arts and Design and Director of the Center for Design Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. His gift was a copy of the freshly printed "Revival of the Fittest" edited by Phillip Meggs and Roy McKelvey -- researched, written and designed by a team of graduate students in the Communication Arts & Design department at VCU. Perhaps he knew, or perhaps he didn't, that some thirty years ago I was one of Phillip Meggs' design students at VCU. And, that I am currently enthralled with an earlier work of Phil's: "Texts On Type: Critical Writings on Typography." I cannot begin to relate to you the enormous importance of what Revival can mean to those who participate in the craft of digital typography. Over the past nine or so years I've continued to evangelize typography 'classics' and the ideals of good, fundamental typographical design. But through the movement of grunge, giving way to the 'anti-typography' philosophies of today's web and wired designers, a lover of classics might find themselves seemingly alone -- like presenting to an empty conference hall of nonexistent attendees. This book however rekindles the love of classics, and celebrates the resurgence of the classics into today's digital world. The only downside is that people who really need to read and learn from Revival -- won't. See a huge version of this spread in a new browser window Revival is a true celebration of classic typestyles, deeply rooted in the history, yet exercising powerful influence on today's world of visual communications. At the same time, it's a stunning visual milestone of layout and design. The Revival team presents an exciting look at comtemporary versions of the great, classic typefaces, explaining the surge of interest in these revivals. Within these covers you'll find all the names you've heard, but may not be well acquainted with: Bodoni, Caslon, Garamond, Bembo, Didot, Clarendon, Cheltenham, Galliard, Jenson, and on and on. Each face is thoughtfully annotated with the history of its origins, visual examples of its use through history, and displayed in superbly designed pages. Each spread is truly a visual treat -- you have no idea. Click for blow-up When the book arrived, I dropped everything and began gobbling up its visuals -- it was as if I've been deprived of design nourishment. I showed spreads of the book around the office -- and to everyone who has stopped in since. I'd really like to show you all the spreads, and share the experience with you. But I can't do that. Here are just a few examples -- I did my best to scan in these samples with a compromise between readability and small download size -- when you click to view large versions they may take up to 30 seconds to load. Hopefully they'll be enough to get your creative curiosity percolating. Revival of the Fittest clearly demonstrates that classic is, and will be, cutting edge in the digital age. Each spread is a lesson in good design, and the text of the book is a complete course in typography. Colleges and Universities should adopt it as the text for "Introduction to Typography." Spend a little time with this book and, like me, you'll be looking around for clients and projects where you can exercise this new shot-in-the-arm of design energy. If you design, or work with type and typography in any form, you should not hesitate even a second before ordering this book. If you read the pages of DT&G, or the Design Center, then you absolutely must have this book. When I refer to Centaur or Egyptian, Humanist or Frutiger, you'll share the understanding and great appreciation for the masters and the type faces they have bestowed upon the world of visual communications. Typography is the craft of endowing human language with a durable visual form, and thus with an independent existence. Robert Bringhurst It just doesn't get any better than this. Revival of the Fittest : Digital Versions of Classic Typefaces by Philip B. Meggs (Editor), Roy McKelvey (Editor) List Price: $35.00 Our Price: $24.50 You Save: $10.50 (30%) Hardcover - 192 pages North Light Books; Dimensions (in inches): 0.83 x 11.33 x 8.91 * The Designer's Guide to Web Type: Best Fonts Online - by Kathleen Ziegler (Editor), Nick Greco (Editor) Paperback - 287 pages (June 2001) Writers Digest Books, Dimensions(in inches): 1.43 x 9.68 x 7.27 * From the Typography Department. Keywords for this item are: Typography: type, fonts, faces, how-to use type, selecting type, using fonts -- You can find many other titles from this department here!