A working library is an exploration of—and advocate for—Recently
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3.18.13
Making decisions
On The Chairs Are Where the People Go
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3.18.13
The Chairs Are Where the People Go
Misha Glouberman, Sheila Heti
A unique collaboration between Misha Glouberman—a performer and artist—and his friend—the writer Sheila Heti—results in this charming and instructive collection of parables. Heti transcribed and…
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2.25.13
Which leads me to chimpanzees
On In the Blink of an Eye and The Shape of Design
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2.18.13
Cuts do work
On In the Blink of an Eye
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2.18.13
In the Blink of an Eye
Walter Murch
Murch’s brief collection of essays (they were originally lectures) was first published in 1995, and refreshed in 2001 with new attention to digital editing. The…
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2.11.13
Editorially
Introducing Editorially.
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1.29.13
Why?
On What Is Reading for?
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1.29.13
What Is Reading for?
Robert Bringhurst
Bringhurst’s small pamphlets (always lovingly designed and printed) are among my favorite things. This one is, unsurprisingly, a full-throated defense of the book. It veers…
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1.26.13
Drafts
On The Library at Night
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1.21.13
Original genius
On Writing Machines
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1.21.13
Writing Machines
N. Katherine Hayles
This short book, a collaboration between literary critic Katherine Hayles and designer Anne Burdick, has a lot not to like: Hayles’ insistence on manufacturing vocabulary…
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1.18.13
The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
Deb Perelman
I’ve been a fan of Smitten Kitchen for years, so it’s delightful to see her recipes and photography pulled together into such a lovely package.…
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1.13.13
Releases energy
On Max Perkins
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1.10.13
Call and response
On The Shape of Design
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1.7.13
Max Perkins
A. Scott Berg
Perkins was, as the title suggests, the editor of many geniuses—notably, Fitzgerald, Wolfe, and Hemingway. Berg’s biography delves into his personal life, but I think…
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1.4.13
The Shape of Design
Frank Chimero
Chimero’s meditation on design is thoughtful and lovely, a welcome refresher from the more logistical ethos that has been ascendent in recent years. His characterization…
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1.1.13
Angelmaker
Nick Harkaway
Perhaps my favorite novel in recent years. Part noir, part old-school Bond thriller, part apocalyptic science fiction tale, and completely magnificent. The only thing better…
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11.5.12
Content Strategy for Mobile
Karen McGrane
The eighth book in the now very successful A Book Apart series reflects back on previous titles while also looking ahead. Mobile best practices meets…
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6.1.12
Starts
Today marks my last day with Typekit.
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4.10.12
Design Is a Job
Mike Monteiro
Mike Monteiro’s writing is as ruthless as it is wise. A love letter to web designers everywhere, Design Is a Job catalogs the many and…
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4.8.12
Love, An Index
Rebecca Lindenberg
When a friend publishes a book, it is cause for celebration. When the topic is the loss of the man she loved, the celebration is…
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3.26.12
Robbed
On How to Fix Copyright
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3.18.12
The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion and Cooking Manual
Frank Castronovo, Frank Falcinelli, Peter Meehan
From one of my favorite local restaurants comes a lovely and instructive manual. An entire chapter is devoted to making Sunday sauce, complete with a…
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3.6.12
Making copies
On How to Fix Copyright
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3.6.12
How to Fix Copyright
William Patry
Patry is senior copyright counsel at Google, and despite the upfront disclaimer, this book defines a vision of copyright that clearly benefits the world’s biggest…
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2.27.12
Deploy
On publishing as the beginning, not the end; the third and final part in a series of articles that expand upon my essay in Issue No. 1 of Contents.
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12.19.11
Books as History
David Pearson
If you can get past the absolutely reprehensible cover design, Books as History is a smart study of books’ physical form, and a defense of…
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12.12.11
Markup
Why editors need to know HTML; part two in a series of articles that expand upon my essay in Issue No. 1 of Contents.
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12.5.11
Represent
The first in a series of articles that expand upon my essay in Issue No. 1 of Contents.
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12.1.11
The Lifecycle of Software Objects
Ted Chiang
As a novel, The Lifecycle of Software Objects suffers from expository writing, flat characters, and uninspired prose. But as a thought experiment, it’s surprisingly (if…
