A Guided Tour by Dirk van Weelden

The Palace of Typographic Masonry, an institute dedicated to the wealth and diversity of graphic languages from Arabic to Zapotec, is the brainchild of Dutch graphic designer Richard Niessen (born 1972).

An imaginary institution, the Palace brings together Niessen's graphic design experiments and his research to create an interdisciplinary cultural history and new theory of typography.

This book offers the reader a tour of an imaginary institution through 195 "exhibits" in Niessen's Palace of Typographic Masonry, organized as a progression through nine stages: the departments of Sign, Symbol, Ornament, Construction, Play, Poetics, Dialogue, Craft, and Order. Philosopher and writer Dirk van Weelden serves as a guide, offering his reflections on the items on display and introducing people in each room.

Contributors include uan Luis Blanco, Matthijs van Boxtel, Tony Côme, Hansje van Halem, Fanette Mellier, Els Kuijpers, Moniker, Hans Oldewarris, Julius Vermeulen, and Dirk van Weelden.

Designed by Esther de Vries
Edited with text by Richard Niessen

Published by Spector Books, 2018

Softcover, 348 pages, 240 color and b&w images, 8.75 × 11.75 inches

ISBN: 978-3-95-905203-0