Baskerville by Simon Garfield is an astonishing look at the man behind the visually appealing and practical Baskerville font. Invented by John Baskerville after countless hours of meticulous thought and perfecting form, shapes, thicks and thins, proportion and weight in 1757, this font was not without controversy. As a perfectionist, he was also a japanner and master printer who was accustomed to painstaking work.

So much punch is packed into this slim illustrated book including the beauty of letters (also italics), history of printing, paper, craftsmanship, typeface and its importance to instilling confidence. On the human interest side, the author details Baskerville's personality, his skill and intensity, his death and exhumations, and preservation of his original steel punches by his wife Sarah, also in the printing business.

If you, too, are a logophile who is utterly captivated by the thought of letters strung together to form words and sentences, this book has your name on it. As stated in Baskerville, the book also weighs the value of words. This vibrant passion, plethora of light bulb moments and conversational tone could not be more captivating. Everything I have read by Simon Garfield is fantastic. He has a special way of making each word count and his topic choices are always compelling.

My sincere thank you to W. W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this eye-opening and riveting book.