Throughout history, the design and layout of the writing support, as well as the appearance of written characters have almost always been limited by various factors. For example, the scarcity and, consequently, the huge costs of parchment (and later paper for the first couple of centuries after its invention) made it economically nonsensical to use exclusively very large writing or typography. Production methods of the writing tools and the technological abilities at the disposal of the producers further limited the appearance of writing. The tool for writing on clay tablets, the triangular stylus, made it difficult to draw curves or round drawings in clay which resulted in wedge-like impressions in cuneiform writing. These limitations eventually led to standardization, just as the idea of using movable type for printing with Gutenberg’s press did. The appearance of writing was soon charged with semantic meaning that could for instance demarcate Latin from the vernacular or the prestigious text from the mass-market product. Nowadays, however, many e-reading devices or internet browsers enable the reader to choose a font. In my paper, I will summarize some of the historical developments, especially in the transitional phases of the book, and argue that with the almost unlimited abilities that the digital age has to offer, the representation of typography on e-reading devices might lose its authority because of the omnipresence of options for the reader. It remains to be seen whether this will be a vital loss for readers, writers and publishers or whether the authority of typography has been overstated and is no longer needed. In my paper, I will summarize some of the historical developments, especially in the transitional phases of the book, and argue that with the almost unlimited abilities that the digital age has to offer, the representation of typography on e-reading devices might lose its authority because of the omnipresence of options for the reader. It remains to be seen whether this will be a vital loss for readers, writers and publishers or whether the authority of typography has been overstated and is no longer needed.
