Drucker documents the ideas of Plato, the Pythagoreans, the Romans, the early Christians, and the significance of letters in alchemy and the Kabbalah. The book is gorgeous, profusely illustrated, and sure to delight artists, historians, modern font creators, and even cryptographers interested in bizarre symbols and their meaning. Even if the book did not contain a single line of text, the images of ancient alphabets and strange geometrical diagrams would pursued me to buy this book.

In addition to serving as the means to record speech or ideas in writing, the letters of the alphabet also constitute a set of visual symbols. These shapes have played a part in the decipherment of their history and transmission and have inspired imaginative interpretation of their apparent or hidden meanings.

The Alphabetic Labyrinth covers the complete history of the alphabet from its religious origins to the present day use of computer typography. Buy this book and feed both your eye and mind.