Re:The Birth of Anchor Books
by hprotagonist on Friday May 13, 2022 @09:37PM
(#31374318)
I believed and still do that the democratic ideal is a permanent and inconclusive Socratic seminar in which we all learn from one another. The publisher’s job is to supply the necessary readings.
Re:The Birth of Anchor Books
by Arkadin on Saturday May 14, 2022 @11:56AM
(#31379214)
Penguin was in the UK and they didn’t publish for the US market and weren’t distributed in bookstores until much later.
The article talks about the other publishers in the US doing the same thing at the time. Anchor wasn’t the first to publish ‘quality’ paperbacks, they just had the largest impact on the US publishing industry due to combination of distribution in bookstores, cover design, and catalog curation.
Re:The Birth of Anchor Books
by cafard on Saturday May 14, 2022 @06:53AM
(#31376701)
One of the advantages of "quality paperbacks" is that they are handy. American publishers seem to produce their hardbacks for a library trade in which a volume will be handled roughly every week.
Re:The Birth of Anchor Books
by cafard on Saturday May 14, 2022 @06:48AM
(#31376666)
It is my impression that at one time European, or at least French, publishers were accustomed to print with soft covers, the expectation being that the purchaser would see to the binding.
Re:The Birth of Anchor Books
by parksy on Saturday May 14, 2022 @01:02AM
(#31375228)
Usually I'm not bothered by how a font looks but this one was unpleasant to me as well and I'm not one to usually notice. It seems they're using a font face designed for titles in the body text.
"“The Bodoni typestyle is not an all-purpose workhorse. It is, rather a high-strung thoroughbred,” says Allan Haley, Monotype’s director of words and letters. He is absolutely correct! Most currently available Bodoni designs are intended for, and best used for display sizes. Their extreme thin strokes won’t reproduce well at smaller sizes, which can degrade their appearance and lessen readability. Using a Bodoni outside of that version’s “sweet spot” size range can have unintended results: If you’re using one that is intended for display, but setting it at small point sizes, the thins might not hold up, spacing will most likely appear too tight, and overall readability will begin to be compromised. " - https://creativepro.com/typetalk-good-looking-bodoni-at-any-...
Re:The Birth of Anchor Books
by cafard on Saturday May 14, 2022 @06:50AM
(#31376687)
A friend once heard Herman Zapf say that he had not intended Melior--or perhaps Optima--as a text font but a display font. Some of the audience, which consisted largely of people working in book design and production, was shocked.
Re:The Birth of Anchor Books
by dang on Saturday May 14, 2022 @01:09AM
(#31375249)
"Please don't complain about tangential annoyances—things like article or website formats, name collisions, or back-button breakage. They're too common to be interesting."
Re:The Birth of Anchor Books
by Stratoscope on Saturday May 14, 2022 @03:48AM
(#31375911)
I agree with that general principle, of course. But I do enjoy tangential discussions when I can learn from them.
In this case, parksy posted an interesting commentary on Bodoni. For a typeface enthusiast like me, this may be more interesting than the original topic!
preach it.
The article talks about the other publishers in the US doing the same thing at the time. Anchor wasn’t the first to publish ‘quality’ paperbacks, they just had the largest impact on the US publishing industry due to combination of distribution in bookstores, cover design, and catalog curation.
Probably my best value-for-money purchase ever.
https://www.amazon.com/Goethes-Faust-Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe/...
"“The Bodoni typestyle is not an all-purpose workhorse. It is, rather a high-strung thoroughbred,” says Allan Haley, Monotype’s director of words and letters. He is absolutely correct! Most currently available Bodoni designs are intended for, and best used for display sizes. Their extreme thin strokes won’t reproduce well at smaller sizes, which can degrade their appearance and lessen readability. Using a Bodoni outside of that version’s “sweet spot” size range can have unintended results: If you’re using one that is intended for display, but setting it at small point sizes, the thins might not hold up, spacing will most likely appear too tight, and overall readability will begin to be compromised. " - https://creativepro.com/typetalk-good-looking-bodoni-at-any-...
Edit: Actually, he probably said Palatino.
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
In this case, parksy posted an interesting commentary on Bodoni. For a typeface enthusiast like me, this may be more interesting than the original topic!