“The Design of Books”: An Insider’s Guide for Authors and Editors

If you want to learn how to design books, don’t read The Design of Books by veteran book designer Debbie Berne. This is not a how-to book.

If instead you want to learn more about book design, this is the book for you. As the subtitle declares, it’s “an explainer for authors, editors, agents, and other curious readers.” Perhaps unique in its topic, it’s a gem of a book for those of us who work adjacent to book designers.

When I worked with the University of Chicago Press on my book, it was ...