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If you loved
Books like Shady characters
A delightful, nerdy romp through the hidden histories of the symbols we type every day. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Shady characters.
- intellectually stimulating
- cozy
- curious
- 01
Designing type
Karen Cheng
A masterclass in the invisible architecture of the alphabet, turning the act of reading into a study of microscopic visual harmony.
- 02
Index, A History of the
Dennis Duncan
A witty, surprisingly thrilling treasure hunt through the back pages of history that transforms a mundane reference tool into a marvel of human ingenuity.
- 03
Library
Matthew Battles
A sweeping, novelistic journey through the triumphs and tragedies of human knowledge, celebrating the institutions that preserve our history while mourning those we have lost.
- 04
Just my type
Simon Garfield
A witty, eye-opening tour through the hidden personalities of the letters we read every day.
- 05
Thinking with Type
Ellen Lupton · 2004
A visually arresting, deeply practical masterclass that permanently changes the way you look at the printed word.
- 06
The Elements of Typographic Style
Robert Bringhurst · 2005
A poetic and authoritative masterclass in the invisible architecture of the written word.
- 07
Type matters!
Jim Williams
A precise and focused exploration of the structural beauty and foundational rules of typography.
- 08
Paperbacks from Hell
Grady Hendrix
A gleeful, blood-spattered love letter to the gloriously unhinged era of vintage mass-market horror.
- 09
Letters of note
Shaun Usher
An intimate, voyeuristic stroll through centuries of human connection, captured in the private correspondence of the famous and the forgotten.
- 10
Writing & illuminating, & lettering
Edward Johnston · 1906
A quiet, meticulous masterclass that invites you to slow down and find beauty in the deliberate stroke of a pen.
- 11
Fountain Pens of the World
Andreas Lambrou · 1995
A quiet, reverent exploration of the history and intimacy of our most personal writing instruments.
- 12
Making and breaking the grid
Rockport Publishers
A masterclass in the architecture of visual space that teaches you the rules just so you can beautifully destroy them.
