« Let the Regulators Work It Out: AT&T's New Deal Policy? | Main | Dallas on the Great Recession »
March 28, 2011
Buy this book!
A few weeks ago, I noted a new book: Typography for Lawyers, by Matthew Butterick. I have now had an opportunity to read it and I urge everyone who cares about their written (or published) work to run out and buy it immediately.
Butterick is both a lawyer and a professional typographer, and he deals with all aspects of the typography of legal documents—everything from a detailed analysis of font selection to more complicated page-layout issues. He provides convincing illustrations of his points and the book also has its own web site that provides additional examples. The book also explains how to set up most of the formatting choices he recommends in both Word and WordPerfect.
As several former law review editors will attest, I am very particular about my writing and how it appears on the printed page. Since reading Butterick’s book, I have changed my default font, my margins, and several other default document settings in Word. (None of that is visible here, since the blog has its own style requirements.) He even convinced me to change from two spaces to one at the end of sentences, something I have always been particularly stubborn about. I have also completely revised my vita (not that I’m going anywhere) and reformatted my exams. As stubborn as I am, I can give no stronger endorsement to the book.
The book’s web site is here. It’s on Amazon here.
-Steve Bradford
March 28, 2011 | Permalink
Comments
YES! He also convinced me to drop the second space at the end of sentences!
Posted by: Kimberly | Mar 28, 2011 6:40:18 PM
I think I might actually be more open to removing all regulatory restrictions on corporations than I am to dropping the second space after sentences. Is nothing sacred anymore?
Posted by: Stefan Padfield | Mar 29, 2011 6:18:28 AM
Stefan, read what he has to say. I always thought the extra space was necessary to distinguish sentences, but he makes a convincing argument that it isn't necessary with today's proportional fonts. Publishers apparently quit doing it ages ago. Of course, after years of practice, I still find myself hitting the space bar twice.
But I am glad to see you have come around to my libertarian view on regulatory restrictions on corporations. :)
Posted by: Steve Bradford | Mar 29, 2011 11:01:28 AM
LOL! Actually, somebody made a convincing "save the trees" argument today -- those spaces add up after all. At the very least, I guess I can stop inserting the extra space when I edit the work of someone else.
Posted by: Stefan Padfield | Mar 29, 2011 3:44:04 PM
