· Repponen
Came across this gem on the Internet Archive: The Way Things Work, Volume 2 published in 1971. An illustrated…
Came across this gem on the Internet Archive: The Way Things Work, Volume 2 published in 1971. An illustrated technical encyclopedia that explains everything from how screws are cut and planes fly to how propulsion engines work, how ships are stabilized, and even how electronic music works.
One thing I notice more and more is how tightly text used to be set. In most books today and especially on digital screens, we are used to much more generous line spacing, often 1.5x or even more. Being exposed to this everywhere, we now associate that extra space with good readability. Looking back at older books, the much tighter setting can suddenly feel dense and harder to focus on, even though it was completely normal at the time.
One thing I notice more and more is how tightly text used to be set. In most books today and especially on digital screens, we are used to much more generous line spacing, often 1.5x or even more. Being exposed to this everywhere, we now associate that extra space with good readability. Looking back at older books, the much tighter setting can suddenly feel dense and harder to focus on, even though it was completely normal at the time.