Ulubiony Anglik o czcionkach, czyli "Just My Type" Simona Garfielda

The last book I read was about fonts. Boring sounding, perhaps, but “Just My Type” by Simon Garfield was anything but dull! A fascinating and entertaining guide to the world of typography, the author is also clearly passionate about the subject and you cannot help but be taken in by his enthusiasm.

Beginning with the earliest printed fonts from the days of the Gutenberg press, right up to the dreadfully designed official London Olympics 2012 font, we are given a crash course in the anatomy of a letter, font creators, and the perils of being a typography expert (Trying to enjoy a film set in world war 2? Most people would manage this, but if you recognise a type being used as one created in the 60s, it can apparently really spoil your enjoyment!).

Special chapters are dedicated to notable fonts such as Helvetica, Gill Sans and the much hated Comic Sans - which gets a very large chapter detailing it's interesting creation. It's really enjoyable to read how this typeset was originally created to make computers seem friendly and non-threatening ended up being what is arguable the most widely detested font in the world (I've tried to convince Dabarai she shouldn't be using it on this blog, but my advice has fallen on ignorant ears. I'll try harder to get her to read the chapter in question). Even more fascinating and vastly more disturbing is the life of Eric Gill, creator of the internationally popular font Gill Sans amongst others. Apparently Gill was a colossal pervert, and kept needlessly detailed diaries of his sexual dalliances with his wife, daughter, sisters and.... ugh... his dog. Try not to think of that when you read anything in his fonts, which thanks to his ubiquity is bound to be used in many of the books, magazines and newspapers you've read recently.

Even if you don't know your points from your serifs or your Helveticas from your Arials, I highly recommend this book. It's funny, interesting, entertaining, and - something important to me in particular - looks gorgeous. Chapters on fonts are written in their respective typeset, there are illustrations galore, and the cover is pretty great too. So, yeah, read it, and never want to opt for boring old Arial ever again.



Specjalny wpis Walentynkowy, czyli Ulubiony Anglik na występach gościnnych

Hello, it's me again – Favourite Englishman. I've been tasked with writing a Valentine's Day special edition blog post!

While she was showering earlier today, Dabarai hollered at me “Who are your favourite couples from literature?”

“Literature?” I thought, “I've never read any literature! I've read a few books, sure, but not literature!”

Romeo and Juliet immediately sprung to mind, but that's because they spring to mind whenever I think of couples from literature. But they're not my favourite – studying it for GCSE English sucked any enjoyment I may have got out of Shakespeare.

So my actual answer? Arthur Dent and Trillian from "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. I know it's not real 'literature', but gosh darn it it's one of the best book series ever written, and definitely the best radio play turned book turned TV show turned film turned trilogy (in six and a bit sort of parts). And Dabarai asked me to write a bit for her blog about why I like it so much.

Firstly, I chose Arthur Dent and Trillian as my favourite book-based couple as vast distances, time, two-headed aliens and the end of the world cannot come between them. And secondly, I chose them because "The Hitchhiker's Guide" is my absolutely most massively favourite book ever.

The book has had a massive influence on who I am today, especially my sense of humour and what I find funny. Any attempts at story writing I made through high school and college had a distinctly Adams-esque feeling to them. And I still find the books (and radio show and tv series and film and computer game....) incredibly quotable.

I don't know how well it translates into Polish, but “The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't” is one of my all time favourite descriptions from fiction. All the books are full of fantastic lines, asides and paragraphs, but it's also a great story. And, I suppose you could call it a love story – a love of a man and a woman, a man and his best friend, and a man and his dressing gown.

I won't go into much more detail, as I want to fill the post with spoilers, quotes and descriptions, but I shan't. You must read it for yourself – you won't be disappointed.

Just remember: there is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.

There is another theory which states that this has already happened.

Caitlin Moran 'How To Be A Woman', czyli Ulubiony Anglik na gościnnych występach

I am a man, but I suppose you could also call me a feminist. And anyone who doesn't call for women to remain repressed and kitchen-bound is a feminist too.

I feel even more of a feminist having read Caitlin Moran's 'How To Be A Woman'.

It's part biography, part feminist manifesto sort-of-thing. And, most importantly to me, very very funny. Those of you living in the UK may be familiar with Moran's previous work – she got a job at the much missed Melody Maker while still a teenager, and presented a few dreadful TV shows on Channel 4 in the 90s. She occasionally writes for The Times and is married to that newspaper's music critic Peter Paphides.

But anyway, back to the book. As I'm sure you are all well aware, I don't read many books (much to Kasia's endless disappointment). And when I do read a book, it takes aaaaaaaaaages. This book, however, I finished in 4 days. I haven't done that since I used to practically eat the Target Doctor Who novelisations back when I was a kid.

If you are a woman, know a woman, or are related to or live with any women, you should read this book (that covers everyone, right?) - I loved it. Incredibly funny, really far far far too honest (her kids are really going to appreciate growing up knowing that a book containing details of their mum's first dalliances with onanism are available from The British Library), and a genuinely interesting read – the author's views on strip clubs (where she is mistaken for a russian prostitute), Lady Gaga (who she visited a german sex club with) and the fashion industry are both truthful and interesting.

And of course it being an autobiography you get plenty of life story too, and Caitlin Moran's is far from ordinary. Her childhood with five younger siblings and her job in a national music magazine aged 16 are not your typical British upbringing. And as with any life story, there are times of great emotion, and Caitlin writes about some truly moving moments in an honest and understandable manner.

In short, buy this book – because when you've read it you'll immediately want to lend it to someone for them to read.

Lots of love, Favourite Englishman.