Conundrums: Typographic ConundrumsDom

By Harry Pearce
$It Books, $14.99, 176 pages

As if the world we live in isn’t puzzling enough, here comes a strange little book that will leave you even more puzzled than ever—Harry Pearce’s Typographic Conundrums. What is this book about? It’s a set of 171 typographic puzzles in which common words and turns of phrases have been “animated” to challenge readers in drawing out their meaning with “the perfect combination of difficulty and irreverence.” One must stare at the stark word or words designed out of a single type, wrack one’s brains to come up with certain seemingly logical associations, and then attempt to tease out their familiar meaning. Just don’t get tempted to cheat by peeking at the solutions to all the conundrums which are plainly revealed at the back of the book.

Pearce’s Conundrums will most certainly appeal to fans of crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and all manners of mind games, and also probably including those who are inclined to figuring symbolisms out of Dan Brown novels. But that’s not to say that they are the only ones who’ll get a thrill out of this book; because for those who are enamored with graphic design and typography, this is a fun little resource.

Reviewed by Dominique James