Columns and fonts

The editor of the Times books supplement is obviously a reader of Petrona, because in the "hot type" industry column this week are two stories you read here first: the woman who was rude about bloggers as book reviewers while her publicist was asking them to review her latest book; and the Harry Potter bookshelf poetry competition. (I myself have the Grumpy Old Bookman to thank for the former, and Dave Lull for the latter.)

I mention this because another entry in the column, about which naturally I'd already read about on various blogs, is about writers' favourite fonts -- a question being asked of them at Hay. Apparently the inelegant (in my opinion) Courier is a hot favourite, said to be a reassuring reminder of the old typewriter. Nicholson Baker is quoted as stating: "You need the sentences to look their worst until the dress rehearsal of the galleys, when all the serifs come out dancing".

I rather like Garamond, myself, but you don't see it much these Minion days.

Comments

[Jasper Milvain]

Ah, but which Garamond? The rant at http://www.designobserver.com/archives/000205.html is something of a classic on the subject.

[Maxine]

Thanks, Jasper, I had no idea about all that history. Mind you, at the end of the piece, he says he has no "rational" reason for disliking it. I suppose I'm like that about Courier. On balance, though, I prefer serif to san serif fonts.