Iliad

Trim size: 25p6 x 42p

text block: 19p x 40 lines

Top margin: 4p6

Bottom margin:5p6

Spine margin: 2p6

Outside margin: 3p6

Baseline to baseline: 10 pts

Type size: 10 pts

This is a copy of Homer's Iliad translated in French by Paul Mazon, published by Gallimard in 1937.

The typeface is Baskerville Old Face, a classical seriffed font. The Folio collection by Gallimard is a series of pocketbooks meant as a mid-range collection of major works in literature and philosophy. Although not luxurious by any means, these books' beauty is in their minimalism and their practicality.  Their uniformity makes them very collectible. They are all the same trim size, and their covers are all white.

The work itself, the Iliad, is one of the greatest works of storytelling in history. It was originally transmitted in Ancient Greek through oral tradition. Although this literary version lacks the rhythm of the song, it keeps the lyricism and the poetry of it.

Compared to other versions of the Iliad that are presented like a poem, this one is formatted like a novel, with continuous text instead of verses separated in stanzas. In my opinion, a less fragmented text is more readable because it doesn’t force the eyes to pause as often. I think the choice of the seriffed typeface makes the text easier to read, because it makes the characters more distinguishable from each other, especially in the small text of a novel. I feel like the transition between letters is easier too, as they melt into each other, sometimes touching. The small spacing between lines also reinforces the quick-paced rhythm of the text. The eye has only a short distance to travel between lines and is drawn from line to line.

I think this book shows how the choice of typeface and format enhances the reader’s experience. A crystal goblet typeface encourages the eye to continue moving down the page and from one page to the next without much effort.