Ever wondered what The Beach Boys have in common with easyJet, or WHY USING UPPER CASE GOT A NEW ZEALAND HEALTH WORKER SACKED? 'Just My Type: A Book About Fonts' has the answers. It also poses a series of intriguing questions – like ‘Can A Font Make Me Popular?’ and ‘Can A Font Be German, Or Jewish?’

As the title suggests, this is a book about the rich history of font and typeface design. But don’t be fooled into thinking we chose a stuffy piece of academia for our first foray into non-fiction. 'Just My Type' is funny, informative and entertaining. Brimming with anecdotes and pop-cultural references, it draws links between Benjamin Franklin and Lady Gaga, Microsoft and Batman, and Coldplay and the City of London.

Above all, it makes you realise just how centrally type features in all our lives.

Simon Garfield is the author of 12 works of non-fiction, including 'Mauve', 'The Error World' and 'The Nation’s Favourite', which is all about Radio 1. He won the Somerset Maugham Prize for The 'End Of Innocence'. Simon divides his time between London and St Ives, and professes a soft spot for Mrs Eaves and HT Gelateria.

If you want to have a taster of the book, you can download the introduction and first chapter here for free:

PDFDownload the introduction and first chapter of 'Just My Type'

For information on how to download Acrobat Reader for PDF files visit the BBC Webwise site.

Simon Garfield came into Drivetime on Monday 6 December to talk about his book.
>> Listen to Simon's interview on Drivetime

Those who were reading 'Just My Type' along with the Book Club chatted to other readers on this page during Simon's interview. Simon then answered questions LIVE on this page directly from listeners. To replay the live web chat with Simon click the "Play" button below.

For each book we invite a group of listener reviewers to put their personal reviews to the author. For 'Just My Type' our reviewers were: Linda from Castle Douglas, Jonathan from Rosscahill, Lorraine from Lowestoft, Robert from Lytham St Anne’s and Hazel from Long Eaton.

Why not apply to be a special reviewer for future editions of The Radio 2 Book Club?