Hall of Best Knowledge

Claiming to be “complete and boundless,” Fenwik's Hall of Best Knowledge contains a fountain of information on subjects from babies to God and even fencing. The problem that dooms the book from the get-go is the lack of clarity on how this information is supposed to be taken and the identity of the mysterious author, who both examines the musculature of ancient man and addresses Santa. Toward the end of this largely tiring collection of talk is a letter that seems to solve the mystery of the this seeming diary and its origins. The individual pages are beautifully designed, each with an eccentric and sometimes agitated typeface that appears to be custom designed, leading to the birth of “typographical comics.” The end result is like being stuck at a dinner party with a know-it-all blowhard armed with a croquille pen and a bottle of india ink. While an attractive object for lettering fans, the end result is more clever in its concept than the execution: Fenwik is a talented designer, but his writing is much less sparkling. (May)