ABZ: More Alphabets and Other Signs

by Julian Rothenstein

Delightfully unpredictable, ABZ is a wonderbook of typography, graphics, and symbols. Julian Rothenstein (creator of our Gift divisions popular Redstone line of cards and calendars) turns his idiosyncratic eye towards eccentric alphabets, emblems, and logos discovered in avant-garde modernist publications and other curious sources. Hundreds of examples of graphic ephemera sit side-by-side in inimitable Redstone fashion, mixing peculiar charm with useful reference in one stunning package. Special features include an amazing alphabet, circa 1926, created from photographs of a dancing woman; original test-types for opticians charts; pages from sign artists manuals; and coolly elegant designs from fin de sicle French, German, Italian, and Czech journals. Nearly all of this rare and beautiful material is reproduced here for the first time since its original publication. An art book like no other, ABZ is a collection of typographic oddities taken to the next level of appreciation.

Genres: Art, Design

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 1993

About the author

Julian Rothenstein is the publisher, editor, and designer of Redstone Press. He lives in London, England.

Reviews

[Kristian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really pretty book, but is totally just typographic porn... and it is too new to use any of this stuff yet too. Good to grab and hold onto... one day baby, one day.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource for designers, but not in the style of Dover/Dan Solo type specimen books. Its show a wide away of typographic styles and is all around an attractive book. I do wish the book had more written content but I can get over that.

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mainly visual read, but a wonderful collection of typefaces and design.