National Book Lover's Day at Two Twelve

In a world where every day seems to mark a celebration - of tacos, lipstick, siblings - we are not ones to absent ourselves from the festivities. It gets even better when one of these days falls on a Summer Friday such as tomorrow, which celebrates National Book Lover’s Day. So, while our emails will read "out of office," we will be enjoying even more hours in the day to delve into a good book.

To recognize the occasion, I’m giving you a brief glimpse into the Two Twelve offices, wherein a large bookshelf houses a small library of fascinating books. From explorations on font types to trips around the globe, our shelves are filled with pages of discovery.

Here is a look at just a few of the titles we’ve collected over our nearly 40 years in business: 

Signs of Our Time by John Margolies and Emily Gwathmey

This fun little book looks at the signs and sights of the U.S. interstate. It presents a unique fascination with roadside graphics and the American road trip, and it is a great choice for a dose of nostalgia.

Urban Code by Anne Milkoleit and Moritz Pürckhauer

An excerpt from the book jacket proclaims: “Cities speak, and this little book helps us understand their language. Considering the urban environment not from the abstract perspective of an urban planner but from the viewpoint of an engaged pedestrian, Urban Code offers 100 “lessons” - maxims, observations, and bite-size truths, followed by short essays that teach us how to read the city. This is a user’s guide to the city, a primer of urban literacy, a key for anyone who is in love with urban life at the street and sidewalk level.”

How to Lie with Maps (Second Edition) by Mark Monmonier

A testimonial to the book from Christopher Lehmann-Haupt of the New York Times reads: “[How to Lie with Maps] combats cartographic illiteracy. It fights cartophobia. It may even teach you to find your way.”

The Evolution Of Useful Things: How Everyday Artifacts-From Forks And Pins To Paper Clips And Zippers-Came To Be As They Are by Henry Petroski

“In this wonderful mixture of history, biography, and design theory, Henry Petroski brings us to an understanding of an essential question: By what mechanism do the shapes and forms of our made world come to be?” 

And, last but certainly #1 in our book, is…

The Wayfinding Handbook by our very own David Gibson. 

“Wayfinding is an intuitive process we use all the time, one that helps us navigate the places and spaces we encounter every day. A decade ago the professional practice of wayfinding design simply involved devising sign systems. Today the field is much broader, informed by technological advances and the demand for sustainable solutions and shaped by a cross-disciplinary relationship with graphic, architectural, landscape, interior, industrial, and information design.” 

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Join a book club! Visit or donate to your library! Support a local bookstore!
However you recognize National Book Lover’s Day, we hope it transports you to another world.