Simon Garfield

The pen is our oldest tangible connection between an individual mind and the world at large, enabling the grandest proclamations and our most intimate confessions. But the pen's own story is just as eventful as anything it has described. This is the illuminating story of how the simplest tool has shaped our lives. Simon Garfield takes us from a reed on the Nile to the home of Montblanc and Bic, and from the wartime trenches to the desks of Jane Austen, Sigmund Freud and Margaret Atwood. He explains why fountain pens make such good gadgets for spies and tells the story of the bestselling pen that wouldn't actually write. He introduces us to the very highest echelons of pen artistry costing small fortunes - but also to generations of schoolchildren with ink stains on their hands. This is a lively, kaleidoscopic compendium connecting us to the object that has defined communication for thousands of years - one which offers a respite to our relentlessly digital world. The pen is ingrained within us, and this book will show far its ink reaches.

Albertus, first carved on a bronze tablet in the 1930s by German Jewish refugee Berthold Wolpe, has proved to be one of the most enduring handcrafted typefaces in the world. It is at once modern and timeless, authoritative and whimsical--renowned as the typeface of London Street signs, David Bowie albums, and Star Wars movie posters. In this unique celebration, best-selling author Simon Garfield charts the story of the creation of Albertus, its innumerable and vibrant uses, and the erratic brilliance of its designer, as recounted by Wolpe's children. Through his exploration of this singular font, Garfield grapples with one of the most fundamental artistic questions: what makes great art not only survive but flourish in each new age and medium?

Since its improvised creation at Microsoft in the mid-1990s, Comic Sans has become one of the most used and talked-about typefaces of the digital age. The subject of April Fools pranks and endless internet discourse, it has spawned a movement to ban it, inspired revivals and spinoffs, and continues to be widely promoted by educators. In this delightful history, best-selling author Simon Garfield tells the story of how Comic Sans emerged from speech bubbles on educational software to become one of the most recognized--and reviled--typefaces on earth. He considers how the computer transformed type into something that anyone could use and have an opinion on, explores how new fonts emerge with changing times and technology, and meets die-hard Comic Sans adherents and haters. He concludes the book by asking the unimaginable: Could Comic Sans now be the coolest typeface ever made?

When Baskerville was first created in 1757, there was concern that it would damage readers' eyes with its combination of thin and thick strokes and tapering serifs. Yet 250 years later, it remains one of the most commonly used typefaces in books of all kinds. As best-selling author Simon Garfield tells it, the tale of this elegant typeface is one of painstaking dedication. The font's creator, John Baskerville, was a maverick lacquer maker and master printer who made it his life's mission to achieve the font's perfection. His efforts culminated in his magnificent Bible, acclaimed as the finest ever made. Garfield explores why Baskerville's own body was dug up and buried many times before finally being allowed to rest in peace, and examines his legacy through the work of his wife, Sarah Baskerville--one of the first powerful women in the printing world--and the archivists and enthusiasts working to preserve the font's original steel punches today.

From the "deliriously clever" (Boston Globe) Simon Garfield, New York Times bestselling author of Just My Type, comes the wild and fascinating story of the encyclopedia, from Ancient Greece to the present day. New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice"A brilliant book about knowledge itself." --Deirdre Mask, author of The Address Book"Garfield's witty history captures the obsessive, quixotic and sometimes error-filled quests of those--from Pliny the Elder in the first century A. D. to Wikipedians in this one--who have attempted to corral all the world's information into a single source."--New York TimesThe encyclopedia once shaped our understanding of the world. Created by thousands of scholars and the most obsessive of editors, a good set conveyed a sense of absolute wisdom on its reader. Contributions from Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Orville Wright, Alfred Hitchcock, Marie Curie and Indira Gandhi helped millions of children with their homework. Adults cleared their shelves in the belief that everything that was explainable was now effortlessly accessible in their living rooms. Now these huge books gather dust and sell for almost nothing on eBay. Instead, we get our information from our phones and computers, apparently for free. What have we lost in this transition? And how did we tell the progress of our lives in the past? All the Knowledge in the World is a history and celebration of those who created the most ground-breaking and remarkable publishing phenomenon of any age. Simon Garfield, who "has a genius for being sparked to life by esoteric enthusiasm and charming readers with his delight" (The Times), guides us on an utterly delightful journey, from Ancient Greece to Wikipedia, from modest single-volumes to the 11,000-volume Chinese manuscript that was too big to print. He looks at how Encyclopedia Britannica came to dominate the industry, how it spawned hundreds of competitors, and how an army of ingenious door-to-door salesmen sold their wares to guilt-ridden parents. He reveals how encyclopedias have reflected our changing attitudes towards sexuality, race, and technology, and exposes how these ultimate bastions of trust were often riddled with errors and prejudice. With his characteristic ability to tackle the broadest of subjects in an illuminating and highly entertaining way, Simon Garfield uncovers a fascinating and important part of our shared past and wonders whether the promise of complete knowledge--that most human of ambitions--will forever be beyond our grasp.

More than a decade on from the publication of the Sunday Times bestselling JUST MY TYPE, Simon Garfield presents a new series of beautifully designed pocket biographies of iconic typefaces

More than a decade on from the publication of the Sunday Times bestselling JUST MY TYPE, Simon Garfield presents a new series of beautifully designed pocket biographies of iconic typefaces

More than a decade on from the publication of the Sunday Times bestselling JUST MY TYPE, Simon Garfield presents a new series of beautifully designed pocket biographies of iconic typefaces

A gloriously illuminating history of the encyclopaedia (and how and why we have captured knowledge over the years) by the bestselling author of JUST MY TYPE and ON THE MAP

From the "deliriously clever" (Boston Globe) Simon Garfield, New York Times bestselling author of Just My Type, comes the wild and fascinating story of the encyclopedia, from Ancient Greece to the present day. New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice"A brilliant book about knowledge itself." --Deirdre Mask, author of The Address Book"Garfield's witty history captures the obsessive, quixotic and sometimes error-filled quests of those--from Pliny the Elder in the first century A. D. to Wikipedians in this one--who have attempted to corral all the world's information into a single source."--New York TimesThe encyclopedia once shaped our understanding of the world. Created by thousands of scholars and the most obsessive of editors, a good set conveyed a sense of absolute wisdom on its reader. Contributions from Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Orville Wright, Alfred Hitchcock, Marie Curie and Indira Gandhi helped millions of children with their homework. Adults cleared their shelves in the belief that everything that was explainable was now effortlessly accessible in their living rooms. Now these huge books gather dust and sell for almost nothing on eBay. Instead, we get our information from our phones and computers, apparently for free. What have we lost in this transition? And how did we tell the progress of our lives in the past? All the Knowledge in the World is a history and celebration of those who created the most ground-breaking and remarkable publishing phenomenon of any age. Simon Garfield, who "has a genius for being sparked to life by esoteric enthusiasm and charming readers with his delight" (The Times), guides us on an utterly delightful journey, from Ancient Greece to Wikipedia, from modest single-volumes to the 11,000-volume Chinese manuscript that was too big to print. He looks at how Encyclopedia Britannica came to dominate the industry, how it spawned hundreds of competitors, and how an army of ingenious door-to-door salesmen sold their wares to guilt-ridden parents. He reveals how encyclopedias have reflected our changing attitudes towards sexuality, race, and technology, and exposes how these ultimate bastions of trust were often riddled with errors and prejudice. With his characteristic ability to tackle the broadest of subjects in an illuminating and highly entertaining way, Simon Garfield uncovers a fascinating and important part of our shared past and wonders whether the promise of complete knowledge--that most human of ambitions--will forever be beyond our grasp.

A gloriously illuminating history of the encyclopaedia (and how and why we have captured knowledge over the years) by the bestselling author of JUST MY TYPE and ON THE MAP

** With a new introduction by Russell T Davies **A new edition of the award-winning, ground-breaking account of the early AIDS crisis in Britain.'Masterful.' Jonathan Dean, Sunday Times 'A remarkable journalistic achievement.' Time Out'Powerful . . . Indispensable.' Observer'Superb.' London Review of BooksWinner of the Somerset Maugham PrizeHow does a country control a virus that is killing increasing numbers of people? How does a government contain an epidemic spread by sex, drug use and blood products? And how does a population react when told that everyone is at risk from infection? By 1986, when the British Government woke up to the problem of AIDS, it estimated that 30,000 people had already been infected with HIV. Why was it so slow to act? Would the situation have been different if most of those affected had not been gay men? Award-winning journalist Simon Garfield presents a story of political intrigue, of panic and hysteria, of wasted opportunities and of a medical battle conducted against seemingly impossible odds. Including interviews with key figures in the fight against the virus as well as those facing personal devastation and prejudice, The End of Innocence is an important and powerful story, compellingly told. Features a new afterword by the author.

'This love letter to our four-legged friends is a delight . . . there is a good joke, an intriguing tale or a fascinating statistic on every page' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday'A fact-packed history of a 15,000-year relationship' Sunday TimesHow did we arrive at the moment when a dog goes to the cinema? How did we realise that dogs could assist humans not only in hunting, but also in bomb disposal and cancer detection? When did pawsecco and naps on a luxury bed replace the scavenging of their wolf ancestors? From the first glimpses of our early bond on ancient rock art to the latest scientific and psychological insights, from the Corgis at the Palace to the true story of the Labradoodle, Dog's Best Friend is the story of a relationship built over 15,000 years that tells us much about dogs and even more about their owners.

"A fascinating, informative and highly entertaining expedition through the highways and byways of dogdom." --John Bradshaw, New York Times bestselling author of Dog SenseA charming meditation on the relationship between humans and dogs, drawing upon history, science, art, and personal experience to illuminate a magical bond that has endured millennia--from the New York Times bestselling author of Just My Type. "Ludo is now an elderly gentleman, and we would do almost anything to ensure his continued happiness. We schedule our days around his needs--his mealtimes, his walks, the delivery of his life-saving medication (he has epilepsy, poor love). We spend a bizarrely large amount of our disposable income on him, and he never sends a card of thanks. When he's not with us for a few days, the house feels extraordinarily empty. I feel so fortunate to know him." Ludo is a dog--Simon Garfield's beloved black Labrador retriever, one of millions of canines who have become integral parts of our lives. But how did the dog become top dog? How did these faithful animals come to assist us not only in hunting, but in bomb disposal and cancer detection--and ultimately become our closest companions? Dog's Best Friend examines how this bond developed over the centuries, and how it has transformed countless lives, both human and canine. Garfield begins with the earliest visual representations--dogs depicted in ancient rock art--and ends at the laboratory that first sequenced the canine genome. Along the way, we meet the legendary Corgis of Buckingham Palace, the dogs of the Soviet space program, the world's first labradoodle, and a border collie that can identify more than a thousand different plush toys. Garfield reveals the secrets of the world's best dog trainers, takes us inside the wild world of dog breeding and dog shows, and unearths the deep psychological roots of the human-dog link. And Ludo pops his snout in from time to time as well. A celebration of this deep interspecies connection, delivered with Simon Garfield's inimitable wit, Dog's Best Friend offers delights and insights for anyone who has ever loved a dog.

In Miniature is a delightful, entertaining and illuminating investigation into our peculiar fascination with making things small, and what small things tell us about the world at large. Here you will find the secret histories of tiny Eiffel Towers, the truth about the flea circus, a doll's house made for a queen, eerie tableaux of crime scenes, miniature food, model villages and railways, and more. Simon Garfield brings together history, psychology, art and obsession, to explore what fuels the strong appeal of miniature objects among collectors, modellers and fans, and teaches us that there is greatness in the diminutive.

Bestselling, award-winning writer Simon Garfield returns with an enthralling investigation of humans' peculiar fascination with small things--and what small things tell us about our larger world. " Simon Garfield is] an exuberant truffle-hound of the recondite and delightful factoid." --Sunday Times (London) Simon Garfield writes books that shine a light on aspects of the everyday world in order to reveal the charms and eccentricities hiding in plain sight around us. After beguiling fans with books about everything from typography to time, from historic maps to the color mauve, he's found his most delightful topic yet: miniatures. Tiny Eiffel Towers. Platoons of brave toy soldiers. A doll's house created for a Queen. Diminutive crime scenes crafted to catch a killer. Model villages and miniscule railways. These are just a few of the objects you will discover in the pages of In Miniature. Bringing together history, psychology, art, and obsession, Garfield explores what fuels the strong appeal of miniature objects among collectors, modelers, and fans. The toys we enjoy as children invest us with a rare power at a young age, conferring on us a taste of adult-sized authority. For some, the desire to play with small things becomes a desire to make small things. We live in a vast and uncertain world, and controlling just a tiny, scaled-down part of it restores our sense of order and worth. As it explores flea circuses, microscopic food, ancient tombs, and the Vegas Strip, In Miniature changes the way we perceive our surroundings, encouraging all of us to find greatness in the smallest of things.

1856. Eighteen-year-old chemistry student William Perkin's experiment has gone horribly wrong. But the deep brown sludge his botched project has produced has an unexpected power: the power to dye everything it touches a brilliant purple. Perkin has discovered mauve, the world's first synthetic dye, bridging a gap between pure chemistry and industry which will change the world forever. From the fetching ribbons tying back the hair of every fashionable head in London to the laboratories in which scientists developed modern vaccines against cancer and malaria, Simon Garfield tells the story of how the colour purple became a sensation.