Text is Not Our Type

Text is Not Our Type was a major exhibition at the National Library of Latvia in Riga, presented as part of the 500 Years of Latvian Books programme. Rather than focusing on literary content, the exhibition explored the physical form and materiality of the book, its typography, layout, readability, design, and production from the invention of printing in the fifteenth century to the digital age.

Historic works by Riga’s first printer, Nicolaus Mollyn, and his teacher Christophe Plantin were shown alongside contemporary examples, demonstrating how book design has evolved while retaining many of its fundamental principles. The exhibition used interactive installations, animation, video, and scenography inspired by 1980s computer games to engage visitors with the history and future of the printed book.

The exhibition catalogue was published by the National Library of Latvia (Latvijas Nacionālā bibliotēka). The project was curated by Ineta Vaivode, with design by Madara Lesīte-Volmane and contributions from specialists of the library’s collections and the Latvian printing and design community.

The exhibition catalogue examines the book as a designed object rather than merely a carrier of text. Bringing together rare early printed books, contemporary publications, and interactive displays, the exhibition traces five centuries of typography, page design, and printing technology, revealing how the material form of the book has shaped the reading experience from Gutenberg to the digital era.