Typographic Commandments

While researching to help me define the typographic style of our main webpage, I came across a section in a book which seemed relevant to weddings.

3.4.1 To the marriage of type and text, both parties bring their cultural presumptions, dreams and family obligations. Accept them.

Each text, each manuscript (and naturally, each language and each alphabet) has its own requirements and expectations. Some types are more adaptable than others in meeting these demands. But typefaces too have their individual habits and presumptions. Many of them, for instance, are rich with historical and regional connections… For the moment, consider just the sociology and alliances of typefaces. What kinds of families and alliances do they form?

This passage is from Bringhurst’s definitive The Elements of Typographic Style, of course. It got me to wondering: What typefaces are we? Which are our families? Does this metaphor actually hold any water, or am I just up way too late? I’ll give it some thought in the morning.