Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Most typographic rules evolved when the printing trade held a monopoly on all things 'graphic'. These rules were established to speed up the composition of text and image at a time when printing was a labour-intensive craft. Also, typographic rules ensured standards were maintained, and that a design was technically and commercially feasible. With the rise of the graphic design industry in the 1940s and '50s, creative thinking was given a much higher priority. Accepted rules were, for the first time, called into question. However, they continued to influence graphic designers because many related to print technology, while others remained key factors in effective graphic communication.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction
• 1 Classification (p. 8)
• Blackletter
• Old style
• Transitional
• Modern
• Sans serif
• 2 Function (p. 30)
• Text type
• Display type
• 3 Standard Fonts (p. 38)
• Roman uppercase and lowercase
• Numerals (lining and non-lining)
• Italics
• Punctuation
• Weight options
• 4 Extended Fonts (p. 50)
• Small caps
• Swash caps
• Terminal characters
• Ligatures
• Fractions
• More about non-lining numerals
• Diacritics
• Pi-sorts
• 5 Legibility (p. 56)
• Character recognition
• Colour and contrast
• Vision impairment
• 6 Readability (p. 64)
• The nature of readability
• Words per line
• Uppercase and lowercase
• Italics
• Bold faces
• Numerals
• Punctuation
• Other factors
• 7 Measurement (p. 76)
• Type measurement
• Horizontal measurement
• Vertical measurement
• 8 Manipulating Space (p. 82)
• Space within words
• Space between words
• Space between lines
• Space around text
• 9 Manipulating Type (p. 100)
• Grid structure
• Textual layout
• Tabular and tabled layout
• Paragraphs
• Alignment
• Word breaks and hyphens
• Proofreading
• 10 Paper and Print (p. 118)
• Paper and boards
• Print
• Print finishing
• Binding
• 11 Electronic Writing Systems (p. 128)
• Hypertext and hypermedia
• 12 Language (p. 132)
• Language
• Writing
• Communication
• Information
• 13 Rhetoric (p. 142)
• Creativity
• Typographer and technology
• Commercial values
• References (p. 154)
• Acknowledgement (p. 157)
• Index (p. 158)