Pentagram Design, London, 2014 | First Edition | Softcover, 76pp | 15 × 21 cm
In 2012, filmmaker and author Errol Morrispublished an online quiz for The New York Times asking, “Are You an Optimist or a Pessimist?” - a ruse to test whether typefaces affect believability. Over 45,000 readers took part; the result: Baskerville emerged as the most trustworthy font.
Pentagram Papers 44 republishes Morris’s two-part essay and expands it with infographics, historical context and a visual deep dive into John Baskerville’s obsessive pursuit of typographic perfection. The book is set, of course, entirely in Baskerville, turning Morris’s experiment into a typographic artefact in itself.
Issued as part of Pentagram’s long-running Papers series, privately distributed to clients and collaborators since 1975, this edition exemplifies the studio’s blend of design wit and intellectual curiosity.
A smart and beautifully executed piece of typographic psychology.
Fine condition: Unread copy. Clean, crisp and tightly bound.
