Here are the hundred greatest printed books of the twentieth century. Given another pair of editors, you'd probably be offered a different list, but this one serves and serves well, for it concentrates not only on the recognized chestnuts, but also lesser-known, and often exceedingly recherche volumes that have left their mark. It is noteworthy that only two books in the survey were printed by offset; the rest are all letterpress.
This survey, while admittedly neither comprehensive nor definitive, provides an overview of fine printing over the past hundred years. Despite Morison's contention that typography is the most conservative of all the arts, the forms, designs, and techniques of book production continue to mutate, evolve, and advance. If we are to overcome the complexities of a digital age, we would do well to appreciate, if not embrace, the heritage so convincingly presented on these pages.