Thinking Outside the Grid
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/outsidethegrid

Holzschlag, Molly E.
List Apart, A
2005

Abstract:

CSS has broken the manacles that kept us chained to grid-based designâ€≈so why do so few sites deviate from the grid? Molly E. Holzschlag can tell us that the answer has something to do with airplanes, urban planning, and British cab drivers.