Must be one of those “artsy” things where Ellery wants us to contemplate the meanings of “87” and perhaps it’s metaphysical ramifications on our lives.

I don’t think your missing anything Stephen...this book appears to be exactly what you said. A gallery of numbers from different typefaces.

Look for the exciting sequel to Johnathan Ellery’s “87” entitled “69” due out this summer.

I haven’t seen the book. I did visit the link.

Perhaps there is some meaning in the choice and sequencing of type? (If the choice of type used for a book communicates something, cannot multiple such choices say something?) Perhaps this ties in with the arrangement and choice of numbers?

In crude terms, there is about 10-20 bits of information content per font choice and a similar amount for the layout and choice of numbers. Not a huge amount of explicit information content for a book, but perhaps it’s simply well-compressed with a wealth of implicit information lying in wait for those who choose to seek it out.

Be that as it may, it still looks great to me ;-)

A nice antidote to over-designed type specimens.