This substantially revised edition of Lewis Blackwell's classic study provides an up-to-date, decade-by-decade analysis of the issues that have shaped the history and development of typographic design. The book provides an informed and accessible guide to the typography of the twentieth century and the key questions that are shaping contemporary graphic practice.

Subjects include the arrival of mass production, the development of the grid, the arrival of new media forms, and the role the launch of the Macintosh played in fostering a new generation of designers enfranchised by digital technology. Beyond the twentieth century, the digital sphere has grown exponentially, placing typographic decisions in the hands of ever more users of computers, smartphones, e-readers, and tablets. Blackwell discusses the strains this has placed on type, the fresh questions it has asked, and the way the forms of letters are evolving in response.