Robert Brown Butler

Seven typeface guidebooks, © 2004

TITLES OF BOOKS

5. BuEuclid Typeface User's Guide: A Greek Letter/Math Symbol Typeface, © 2004, 88 pages. 6. Bu2H/HB Typeface User's Guide for Bu2H & BuHB, two architectural hand-lettering typefaces, © 2004, 88 pages.

During my earliest architectural days, whether in college drafting rooms or commercial offices, every plan I drew was blanketed with notes in which every alphanumeric sign and symbol was drawn by hand —my hand. Drafting these elements communication roused in me a fascination with how their rows of bare thin lines and arcs could evoke the subtlest cerebrations of anyone who would read them. This allure quickly extended far beyond the perimeter of any plan I hovered over to the most distant realms of script I could find —from medieval manuscripts scribed by monks in monasteries to modern wedding invitations penned in erudite script in modern studios. Whether upon parchment or vellum, these pennings composed by tiny nibs engendered in my mind an enduring interest in typography.

Then came computers, which supplanted lettering by hand with lettering by keys. Then nibs went by the way of the buggy whip. How often as I fingered those keys did I dream of authoring perfect specimens of each letter —that instead of repeatedly and meticulously laboring over the lines and curves and corners of each as in the days of yore, with one concentrated burst of effort I could compose an exemplar of each; then I could create lines of lovely letters one by one with the slightest tap of a finger till the end of time.

Hence I came to design a number of typefaces that would express my subtlest cerebrations as I chaired my hands before the keys. To easily recall my crafted ciphers' strokes and uses, I authored seven thin guidebooks. Little did I care if no one else noticed: this was a quest between me and my maker.

A SAMPLE OF EACH TYPEFACE

Selected Works

Fiction

In this tantalizing tale of ruthless exploitation that could easily be titled The Wolf and The Rabbits, Conan Cain, a real estate mogul from New York, will stop at nothing —including betraying his country to its most menacing global enemy— to use the office of the Presidency to stuff his pockets with billions of dollars while Democracy totters as an innocent bystander. Due to the sleuthing of a retired journalist who limps on a cane whose shaft contains a digital antenna that can detect the President’s conversations from outside the White House, our principled but perishable democracy is saved from being ruled by a greedy tyrant and his aquisitive cronies.

Nonfiction

Exceptionally 'user friendly' from beginning to end, Disaster Handbook is comprehensive, profusely illustrated, practical, exceptionally well organized and presented, and is enhanced with the inclusion of an Addenda that covers surviving a plane crash, a train wreck, a sinking ship, and even a shooting. Disaster Handbook should be a part of every personal, family, and community library reference collection. - Midwest Book Reviews

Architecture Laid Bare is more than just a great book for demystifying the entire architecture process for the layman. Butler writes in a convivial, conversational style that makes even the most technical passages easy to digest. He also peppers the text with anecdotes and stories of his colorful and exciting life. These stories help illustrate the concepts and techniques Butler discusses, but also make for entertaining reading all on their own. Also filled with detailed illustrations and fascinating photographs, this is as complete a book on architecture as you could ever want, whether you own a home or not! AVB_NY

These seven thin books describe more than a dozen typefaces designed for computers. Some of these typefaces include every letter and diacritic mark used in more than seventy American-variant languages spoken around the world, and some typefaces are novelty faces. The guidebooks describe their attributes and list the keystrokes to type their characters.

Excellent resource for professionals who need ready access to common architectural design issues. Provides excellent empirical techniques not available in academic texts. Real time saver. … Johnny Elliott, Amazon Reviewer

… I found [The Ecological House] to be way ahead of its time as to its ideas on building environmentally sound houses and its analysis of the differing activities of each room. This brilliant rethinking of the purpose of the various rooms was notable. I was most impressed that his thinking enabled him to divide the multipurpose "living room" into smaller "formal, passive, and active" centers that were much more efficient. The numerous drawings it contained were most helpful in illustrating the author's very important ideas on designing for the most efficient and money saving ways to build homes, including locating the house to deal with differing climates, constructions that modified extremes of weather, and original ideas on size and layout of contents of individual rooms. This book should be in the libraries of every serious "green" enthusiast. Like I said, it was WAY ahead of its time. Beth Caldwell, Amazon Reviewer

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