Since I’ve been asked several times what my favourite ebook typefaces are, I figured I should provide a more comprehensive answer instead of just replying to folks individually in the comments or on social media.
Context: where I read my ebooks
Like most people, I started reading ebooks on a Kindle ereader, though I have since moved on to a Kobo ereader.
Over time I have also compiled a fairly large collection of DRM-free ebooks.
Screenshot of a folder on a computer showing 29 subfolders of books and book series by author Cory Doctorow.
I read these downloaded ebooks in one of three ways:
Transfer them to my Kobo ereader.
Read them on my Linux computers using Foliate.
Read them on my Android devices using ReadEra.
ReadEra is great, by the way, and I even purchased ReadEra Premium (for one-time fee of $24) since that supports the developer financially and, relevant to today’s topic, also lets you add your own fonts to the app.
First-choice typefaces
The typefaces I use to read almost all my ebooks are Bookerly (download) and Literata (download basic, download full family)
Graphic showing the opening paragraph from Naomi Novak’s book A Deadly Education set in the Bookerly and Literata typefaces.
Graphic showing the opening paragraph from Naomi Novak’s book A Deadly Education set in the Caecilia and Bitter typefaces.
Graphic showing the opening paragraph from Naomi Novak’s book A Deadly Education set in the Vollkorn and Merriweather typefaces.
Classic books
Those are all great typefaces for reading books in my favourite genres of science fiction, fantasy, crime, mystery, and thriller. However, it just doesn’t feel right to read ebook versions of classic books or older books using a slab serif or otherwise modern typeface.
In an earlier post, I’d listed the four Latin-script typefaces that come to mind when you think of what older books, magazines, and other text-heavy material used to be printed in:
Bembo (released in 1496),
Garamond (1549),
Caslon (1725), and
Baskerville (1752).
When I want to read the classics, poetry, or just generally older books, these are the typefaces I turn to.
Of those typefaces, the ones I like to read ebooks in are Bembo and Caslon. The specific digital versions I use are ETbb (download) for Bembo and Willy Caslon (purchase) for Caslon.
Graphic showing the opening paragraph from Margaret Mitchell’s book Gone with the Wind set in the ETbb and Willy Caslon typefaces.
Another good Bembo version/alternative that I like is Spectral (download), though I don’t use this very often.
Much as I like Garamond and Baskerville, for reading ebooks they just don’t do it for me.
Graphic showing the opening paragraph from Margaret Mitchell’s book Gone with the Wind set in the Stempel Garamond and Libre Baskerville typefaces.
If Garamond and Baskerville do float your boat though, my recommended free(ish) versions of those typefaces are:
Garamond: Crimson Pro (download), which is a little on the small size, and Novela (pay what you like), which is a little on the large side
Baskerville: Libre Baskerville (download), Baskervville (download), and Begum (download)
The Conversation website is a great example of Libre Baskerville in action, fyi.
Children’s books
While I rarely read children’s books these days, I did go back and read some of the Enid Blyton books I first read when I was as a child. The typefaces I use when reading those ebooks were Besley* (download) and Century Schoolbook (download).
Graphic showing the opening paragraph from Enid Blyton’s book Circus of Adventure set in the Besley* and Century Schoolbook typefaces.
Typefaces I don’t use
I know this is a post about the typefaces I do use, but I should also mention a couple of default and popular ereader typefaces that I actively don’t use.
For example, I almost never use a sans serif typeface unless the book – usually a textbook or non-fiction book – specifically calls for it.
And I don’t use any of the other serif typefaces available on most ereader devices and ebook reading software – typefaces like Palatino, Rakuten Serif, Noto Serif, Georgia, and Malabar (which you used to get on older Kobo ereaders).
Graphic showing the opening paragraph from Naomi Novak’s book A Deadly Education set in the Palatino and Rakuten Serif typefaces.
Rakuten Serif is the default serif typeface on Kobo ereaders, by the way. I did read a couple of books using this typeface when I first got my Kobo, but I never got comfortable with how the text looked. This typeface is too much like Baskerville for my liking (at least when it comes to reading ebooks).
Graphic showing the name “Quetzalcoatl” set in the Libre Baskerville, Rakuten Serif, and Novela typefaces.
The one ereader typeface I haven’t used, but would like to at some point, is Amasis, which is a typeface available on Nook ereaders.
Final thoughts
It makes sense that the typefaces I’ve settled on were designed for reading on screens, and specifically for reading ebooks on ereader devices and through ereader apps. And I love that most of the typefaces I’ve mentioned above are easy to download and free to use.
What typefaces do you use for reading ebooks? I know from chatting with folks online that there’s a wide range of opinions out there. I’d love to hear about which typefaces you’ve tried and which ones you find yourself using more than others.