Close reading
Close reading
Analysing a book's design is not a verdict or a review. It is a way to slow down and notice the decisions made by the designer, the typesetter and the print technologist. Any book you have to hand right now will do.
Every design detail answers a question the reader rarely asks aloud: is this comfortable for me?
How to analyse the design of an edition
Start with the outside
Describe the cover or binding: material, colour, lettering on the spine. Think about what the designer wanted to say before the book is even opened.
Hypothetical example: a dark cloth case with a narrow blocked title on the spine promises a serious, unhurried book.
See how the book lies open
Does the volume stay open on its own, or do you have to hold it? This depends on how the block is bound and on the grain direction of the paper.
Examine the endpapers and title page
Note whether they continue the style of the cover, how the lettering is arranged on the title page, and whether it carries an image.
Hypothetical example: pale plain endpapers and a title page with a single large word create a sense of quiet before the text begins.
Read a whole page
Pay attention to the typeface, line length, line spacing and margin width. Notice whether your eyes tire by the bottom of the page.
Find the running heads and page numbers
See where they are placed and what they tell you: the chapter title, the author's name or just the page number.
Study the illustrations
Work out whether the images sit within the text or on separate leaves, and consider what technique might have been used to make them.
Design elements
| Element | What it is | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Cover | The soft outer covering of the book block, or a paper dust jacket over the binding | How image and lettering work together, and whether the title can be read from a distance |
| Binding | The hard case attached to the block, and the way the sections are held together | Material, strength of the spine, whether the book opens without effort |
| Endpapers | A folded double leaf between the case and the book block | Whether they are plain or patterned, and whether they support the style of the cover |
| Title page | The page carrying the main information about the book | Order and size of the lettering, the title typeface, the space around it |
| Running head | A reference line above or below the text on the page | What it shows and whether it helps you find your way through the book |
| Typeface | The design of the letters in which the text is set | Readability, size, contrast with the paper, harmony between headings and body text |
| Margins | The empty space around the text on the page | Whether there is room for your fingers, and whether lines disappear into the spine |
| Illustrations | Images within the text or on separate leaves | Connection with the content, technique, quality of reproduction |
Read next
- Book people
The professions without which no book appears, and ways to find out who worked on a particular edition.
- Collections
Routes through the guide: by craft, by history, and a short path for a first introduction.
- Events
The kinds of book fairs, exhibitions and printing museums there are, and how to prepare for a visit.
Sources
- Reference works on the history of the book and of printing
- International standard ISO 2108 (ISBN)
Historical information is based on reference literature on the history of the book and of printing. Details of exhibitions, museums and fairs change, so please confirm them with the organisers.