Alphabet

About this book

In Alphabet, noted author and typographer Allan Haley presents a lively overview of the history and graphic evolution of the Latin alphabet. Within the context of how ancient writing systems dramatically influenced the societies that conceived and adopted them, Haley examines the development of each character from a simple image representing a word or concept to an elegant graphic symbol signifying an individual sound. Haley then explores how the expressive wealth of contemporary type design reflects the complex history of each letterform. Fascinating accounts of the design development of the ampersand, the Arabic numerals, and punctuation are also included.