London Review of Books

The particular article of which I am determining the typographical meaning is “Sorrows of a Polygamist” by Mark Ford—half-book review, half-criticism in its own right of Jonathan Bate’s Ted Hughes: The Unauthorised Life from the 17 March 2016 edition of the London Review of Books (LRB). To be clear, this is more a discussion of the typographical function of the LRB, since most of its content is presented in a similar manner.

Alongside The New Yorker, the LRB is one of my favorite journals, perhaps the main reason being its sober emphasis on the text. Each issue appears in a format reminiscent of the size and “stitching” (read: stapling) of a folio, containing lengthy articles on subjects such as politics, history, social anthropology, and literature. These articles are presented in what appears to be a 12-pt. serif font with four columns of text per page, narrow margins, and advertisements dedicated almost exclusively to publishing houses or other literary endeavors. The LRB encourages what McGann terms “radial reading”—I often look up at least three or four words I don’t know per article, in addition to researching the book that’s actually being reviewed (which tailspins into author bios and literary movements). Clearly its intended audience harbors an attention span long enough to peruse a critical book review or commentary piece. In a time when information seems to be solely transmitted through “listicles” and slideshows with a pop-up advertisement every other page, I find the formatting and typography of the LRB very refreshing.