Selecting a font that has just the right feel for any particular use is among the most arcane and difficult "arts." Although it seems difficult to explain just exactly why - and many have tried:

        There are literally thousands of typefaces from which to choose.

        By the time you've looked at enough of them to make a selection, they all begin to look alike.

        The "feel" you get when a particular type is set in print depends on getting exactly the right spacing, leading, and in some cases orientation of the characters.

        Actually set in place on your page they never look quite like they did on that page where you saw them and thought they were just what you wanted.

With a visit to almost any good book store you will likely at least a few "typeface sample books." These are usually somewhere near the "art" and/or "graphic art" sections. You may also find some examples of similar stuff at almost any library.

You can look at approximately 2,200 sample typefaces at Adobe Type Library. Note that these are copyrighted, and they aren't cheap; but they may help you determine more specifically what particular characteristics you're looking for, so that you can look elsewhere for a "more economical substitute." Many of the Adobe typefaces also are PostScript (Type 2) and may require drivers not routinely available on personal computers (Adobe Type Manager), although there are "unofficial" rendering programs that can be dug up.

At the library or bookstore, for what I infer from your description of what you're looking for, I'd suggest avoiding the "advertising agency brag books" as they're mostly rather "extreme" typefaces used for "eye-grab" purposes. Look for a Thames and Hudson, Adobe, or one of the old-line book publishing oriented "houses," if possible.

John