TEX in Practice : Volume II: Paragraphs

You might well wonder why TFPC in Practice is a part of the Monographs in Visualization series. However, if you really think about typesetting, especially fine typesetting, you soon realize that in large part it is a visual art as well as a science. lEXs algorithms produce in almost all cases aesthetic results of the highest quality. On the other hand, occasionally one may want to insert some additional space before a subscript or superscript, or one may want to adjust the vertical spacing in a fraction. Fortunately Donald Knuth, the author of lEX, allows one to program such corrections easily where needed. The four volumes of Stephan von Bechtolsheims long awaited TFPC in Prac- tice present a comprehensive view of lEX. His thorough discussion of each aspect of lEX is liberally laced with cogent illustrative examples. Many of these exam- ples represent complete, ready to use macros that enhance the capabilities of lEX. These examples are of particular interest to both the typesetter and the lEX programmer. The typesetter can often solve an immediate problem by ei- ther using one of the examples directly or by making minor changes to adapt it to the problem at hand. The lEX programmer can use the examples, along with Stephans detailed discussion, to increase both the depth and breadth of his or her knowledge of lEX. The value of the text is further enhanced by Stephans concerted effort to explain the reasoning behind each topic or example.