In reply to Best way to become acquainted with Typefaces:
Here are four different and valid ways to study typefaces.
One is, if they are popular, to look at them in many different uses, and see when you think them well and badly used, and try to analyze why they work and don't in the different settings.
A second is to set them, side by side, in the same setting. And then vary them to see which looks best in what setting.
Third, open them up in a font editor, and paste the outlines of one over the other, to see the differences that are responsible for the different looks en masse. Also look at the way the spacing is handled differently.
Fourth, read books on type. Letters of Credit, by Walter Tracy, is a "must read". Another favorite of mine is Fonts and Logos by Doyald Young. There are many others.
If you do these, often, you a certified typomaniac. Welcome to the crowd!