Every April 23rd, Saint George’s Day (Sant Jordi in Catalan), Barcelona transforms. The streets fill with roses, books, and curious people wandering slowly between stalls and bookshops.
The origins of the legend date back to the 9th century. A dragon, thirsty for blood; a princess in distress; and a knight looking for adventures, Sant Jordi, who brings a rather definitive end to the beast (at least, according to his hagiography). From its blood, a rose is said to grow. Sant Jordi offers the rose to the princess, marking the origin of the tradition.
What’s more interesting is how the story has evolved. Today, alongside roses, we give books, vessels of language, ideas, and stories, carefully crafted into words printed on paper.
So this Sant Jordi, at Bauer Types, we celebrate both: the fleeting beauty of a rose, and the lasting presence of well-crafted words on paper. To mark the occasion, we’ve gathered a curated selection, to gift to loved ones or keep for yourself.
10 books to gift (or keep)
A curated selection with a bit of everything: fiction, design, photography, typography, type specimens or art including a limited edition collectible gem.
01. An exploration of the symbolic and visual origins of the alphabet
El libro de las letras written by Rosa Lladó and published by Cauac.
It reveals how written forms carry a deeper, almost universal language that connects knowledge, history, and human consciousness.
📚 Buy it here
02. A design must
Sobrevivir al diseño written by Marta Cerdá and published by Anagrama.
Sharp reflections on the practice of design, its realities, contradictions, and ways to endure.
📚 Buy it here
03. For young readers
Un llibre ple de lletres published by Cocobooks.
A playful introduction to letters, turning reading into discovery.
📚 Buy it here
04. A contemporary hit
Mi nombre es Emilia del Valle published by Plaza Janés x Penguin.
Engaging, emotional, and widely appealing, an easy and thoughtful gift.
📚 Buy it here
05. Typographic anecdotes and curiosities
Es mi tipo published by Taurus x Penguin Books.
Stories and insights from the world of typefaces for type like curious minds.
📚 Buy it here in ES
📚 Buy it here in EN
06. Visual systems & design
The Flexible Visual Systems Atlas written and designed by Two Points, published by Victionary.
A rich visual archive of contemporary graphic systems, pure reference and inspiration.
📚 Buy it here
07. Local photography with a global eye
Sunday Morning published by Txema Salvans.
Precise, ironic, and deeply human observations of everyday urban landscapes.
📚 Buy it here
08. Wonderful edition of vintage type specimens
Type by Aldo Novarese: Collected Specimen Booklets is published by Letterform Archive.
Sixteen finely reproduced facsimiles from the 1930s, ’50s, and ’60s by the italian designer.
📚 Buy it here
09. A local limited-edition gem
House of Chappaz 2024 — 2025 published by House of Chappaz and lovingly designed by Toormix.
A collectible piece compiling all the artist exhibited in the gallery 24 — 25. Limited to 200 copies.
📚 Only available in person at Terranova.
10. A delicious magazine
Apartamento Magazine Issue 36, published by Apartmento.
Warm, thoughtful, and beautifully designed magazine plenty of livable interiors, design and architecture.
📚 Buy it here
