Number A Title Author Designer Publisher Submitted by Year
385 Catalogo della XXXI Biennale Internazionale d’Arte Venezia Massimo Vignelli Stamperia di Venezia 1962

This early Vignelli catalogue for the 1962 Biennale di Venezia has lost nothing of its fresh spirit. I really enjoy its weird font mixture, probably due to limited availability of lead type in the desired sizes. Even the advertisements look great from a distance of 54 years.

384 Flaga 1972-2000 Simon Starling Philipp Arnold Galleria Franco Noero 2002

In 2002 Simon Starling drove from Turin, Italy to Cieszyn, Poland in a red Fiat 126 manufactured in Turin in 1974. In Poland Starling substituted the boot, bonnet and doors for white parts produced at the Fiat Auto Poland factory in the neighbouring town of Bielsko-Biała. This lovely little red booklet is the accompanying catalogue.

383 Brüder Rasch – Material Konstruktion Form 1926-1930 Egidio Marzona Egidio Marzona Edition Marzona 1981

Art collector Egidio Marzona founded an own publishing house in order to document his research in various fields – art, architecture, photography and design. This self-designed volume on the architects and designers Heinz and Bodo Rasch is far from perfect, but its refreshing sensuality and the free and spacious layout has a somewhat hidden beauty.

382 Das Kind und sein Vater Hanns Reich Hanns Reich Verlag 1960

I remember coming across this photo anthology in the window of a closed antiquarian bookstore and fell instantly in love with its title. A few weeks later I was given exactly this book as birthday present. Several weeks thereafter I received the greatest gift in my life. Ever since my admiration and affection for the exceptional beauty of the photographs and the sequencing of this book has been growing. 

381 Kinder 1 Orient Zeichnen Wolfgang Weingart Wolfgang Weingart Presse Arabische Monde Fjodor Gejko 1964

A fascinating picture book, designed and realised by Wolfgang Weingart in 1964 with a small print run. It contains drawings by children from the Middle East, spaciously presented in numerous fold-out pages, that allow the reader to rearrange the volume and create new double page combinations. The typography is modest as well as unobtrusive and lets the images speak for themselves.

Submitted by Fjodor Gejko

380 Der Pyramidenrock Hans Arp Eugen Rentsch Michaël Snitker 1924

This cover looks still fresh after 92 years! The poetry book by Hans Arp was high on my wish list for years. Recently I acquired this rare copy from the private library of Carl Laszlo who died at the age of 90 in 2013. Der Pyramidenrock is Arp’s fourth book with a collection of 41 Dada poems. The portrait frontispiece appears to have been done by Modigliani in 1914 in Paris when Arp became acquainted with Picasso, Apollinaire and other leaders of Modernism.

Submitted by Michaël Snitker

379 Solitude Atlas Jean-Baptiste Joly Phil Baber Edition Solitude 2015

This is a solid book as well as it is unexspectedly lightweight. It appears to have fallen out of time with its archetypal-universal form and construction. It claims to be an Atlas – in so far as it brings together places, transformed into texts and occasionally images by former Solitude stipendiaries. The editorial achievement is just as impressive as its typography: contributions in no less than 20 languages and most diverse forms had to be translated, layouted and typeset. The designer, Phil Baber, has delightfully succeeded in his task. I can’t put this wonderfully unagitated volume down again.

378 B is for Bauhaus Deyan Sudjic Matthew Young Penguin 2014

By far the most exciting design related book I read for a long time. Intelligent, inspiring, broadening – simply brilliant. The nice cover design helps me to ignore the corny typographical endeavours inside.

377 Grafisk design: Henrik Nygren Hedvig Hedqvist, Sara Teleman, Lars Forsberg, Daniel Birnbaum Henrik Nygren Orosdi-Back 2014

So many great designers failed in doing their own monograph. This is certainly not true for Henrik Nygren. His presentation is poetic and modest, the consistency of quality in his designs is second to none. The quiet and straight portfolio is interrupted by what he calls “Minnesbilder” (Memories) – inspirations, points of reference, benchmarks for his work. Printing and material selection is first-rate. Only the bookbinding would have benefited from cold glue. I’ve asked Henrik to send me his 5 favourite spreads. Here they are.

376 Eskimo Cook Book The students of Shishmaref Day School The Easter Seal Society Annahita Kamali and Florian Böhm 1977

This rare hand-made book, first published in 1952 began as a school project in Alaska, when a teacher asked her class to bring in a recipe or story of how mother cooked at home. The book is a great example of simplicity in any aspect. To prepare a herring for example, you apparently don’t need to to know more than: „Sprinkle the herring with salt. Fry them in the oven. Not too long.“

Submitted by Annahita Kamali and Florian Böhm

375 16 books with white type on black cover Aslak Gurholt, Martin Asbjørnsen Aslak Gurholt, Martin Asbjørnsen Aki Books 2015

Aslak Gurholt from Yokoland made a great cover version of my 61 books book together with Martin Asbjørnsen. That’s the kind of “response” one loves to see but had never dared to hope for. Thrilling. Thank you.

374 Eintritt frei – Tanz Jean-Pierre Moulin, Yvan Dalain Jacques Plancherel Editions Recontre Mirsad Ademaj 1963

I was intrigued by this book’s confidence of not trying to be something special. It almost disappears between other books on the shelf. But once you take it out, it allures with strong image sequences and peculiar design choices.

Submitted by Mirsad Ademaj

373 Anonymes Bauen Roland Rainer Böhlau Verlag Europa Frohwein 1995

Gathering fine detail, tectonic relation, truth, humanity and intimacy of historical rural buildings in northern Austria, the book appeals also with great photographs and graphic illustration. The simplified beauty of the title seems to be a bit anachronistic for its year of reprint, but I appreciate the time its referring to and it speaks for the quality of the original.

Submitted by Europa Frohwein

372 Fernand Léger Pontus Hulten (Ed.) Hubert Johansson Moderna Museet 1964

Another exciting catalogue from Pontus Hulten’s early days at Moderna Museet. Especially its strong cover design and the sturdy typography appeal to me most. All colour images are tipped-in. Some time ago I found a little film of the catalogue in duet with a barcode reader.

371 Auto Universum 1967 Arthur Logoz International Automobile Parade 1966

1967 – back then when cars had souls, refused to start on cold winter days, were much more beautiful and supposed to weigh more than two tons. “Auto-Universum 1967” is a superb book – not only for car lovers.

370 The Production Line of Happiness Christopher Williams Petra Hollenbach Yale University Press 2014

“The Production Line of Happiness” is an unusual volume in content and form. Sampled out of press releases, visual and textual material, essays and talks on the social functions of photography it’s something in between an artist’s book and an exhibition catalogue. It feels sympathetic that Christopher Williams’ self-conception resembles more the one of a factory worker than the one of an heroic artist. You don’t take a photograph. You make it.

369 Album prohibido No.7 Editorial Astri 1993

Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind. And not only beautiful books can be an inspiration. We may not know why certain objects touch and energize us. However, interesting typographical solutions can be found anywhere.

368 Do it – The Compendium Hans Ulrich Obrist Scott Ponik Independent Curators International 2013

Don’t know exactly where my fascination for this book comes from. Is it it’s bright orange colour that is slowly fading in the sun? The Helvetica Outline font on the cover? The relaxed and casual typography and layout? It’s well-proportioned physical form? Or simply the fact, that it brings together so many of my favourite artists?

367 Daan van Golden – Photo Book(s) Daan van Golden Thomas Desmet König 2013

Some time ago I saw this book in a bookshop, but didn’t buy it. To be honest, it felt a little expensive. Unfortunately Thomas Desmet’s strong and precise typography stuck with me like an earmworm. I’m glad that I finally bought it – it’s a good book in many aspects.

366 150,000.000 Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky Václav Mašek Vaclav Petr (Edice Atom) Fabian Diem 1925

The Czech first edition of Mayakovsky’s famous poem 150,000.000 was illustrated by Václav Mašek. It was issued with two differently tinted soft-covers; red ink on beige paper and blue ink on pink paper along with a numbered and signed special edition. The cover art with its strong notion of the diagonal in the manner of the avant-garde, the abstracted wood-cut illustration and the simple, yet spectacular printing technique make this book such a unique piece. The typesetting follows basic rules of poetism, a sub-movement of the Czech avant-garde according to which type may become imagery and thus a part or even the poem itself.

Submitted by Fabian Diem

365 Carlo Mollino – Polaroids Fulvio Ferrari, Napoleone Ferrari Elsa Kendall Arena Editions 2002

I feel totally attracted to this book – not only because it’s full of female nudes, but also because Carlo Mollino’s photos are sensitive and intriguing songs without words. The book isn’t particularly well designed but nevertheless incredibly charming. 

364 France Tour Detour Deux Enfants Anne-Marie Miévielle, Jean-Luc Godard Franz Greno Zweitausendeins 1982

Godard’s astonishing twelve-part project for and about television examinates childhood within the contexts of family, home, work, and the shared idea of life and time within contemporary culture. It is based on the 19th century French children’s classic “La Tour de la France avec deux enfants”. Radical content found a radical form: A book like a briquette that reads like a score for an inner movie.

363 11+11 Tableaux Edward Kienholz Gösta Svensson, Pontus Hultén Moderna Museet 1970

Pontus Hultén was one of the leading museum directors and what’s more, he established the role of the curator as we know it today. From early on he praised the role of the catalogue as “the part of the exhibition, that can travel around the world (...) and the only significant part that will remain after the exhibition is over.” During his time at Moderna Museet, Stockholm he was often involved in the catalogue design. Together with John Melin and Gösta Svensson he realized a stunning series of books with exciting typography and tactile, object-like qualities.

362 Wie es uns gefällt: Happy Chaos Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen Fujio Akai, Cécile Bauer et al. Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen 1981

Spontaneous rough-and-ready books have a certain erotic appeal. This one from 1981 has the pre-digital warmth of a scissors-and-copy-machine layout. Although I don’t know any of the featured artists, it’s a great and surprisingly contemporary book.

361 Das Karl Valentin Buch Karl Valentin, Lisl Karlstadt unknown Knorr & Hirth 1932

I’m no collector, I’m a hunter. I fell in love with this book some time ago and was hunting for it since I saw it in a second hand store – unfortunately far too highly priced (fig. 1). Last week I shot a rare copy with horizontal instead of vertical stripes (fig. 2), signed by Karl Valentin and Lisl Karlstadt, at a bargain price. If you speak German, you should definitely read Valentin’s nice introduction (fig. 3). Some books can make you happy!

360 Richard Venlet – 00 Richard Venlet Mevis & Van Deursen MuHKA Antwerpen 2002

The duty of a dustcover to convey information is driven to extremes in this book. Disproportionately filling in all the space, the designers Armand Mevis and Linda van Deursen list all the publishing information in typewriter characters. Inside, information likewise becomes the motor of the design.

359 Hans Hillmann – Fliegenpapier Hans Hillmann Franz Greno Zweitausendeins 1982

Two masters performing a great book: Franz Greno, book design and typography; Hans Hillmann, images. With Old Masterly obsession Hillmann is transcending Dashiell Hammett’s mediocre ‘Flypaper’ story. A film noir graphic novel avant la lettre in powerful movie-like shots.

358 Andrea Büttner Susanne Gaensheimer, Anthony Spira (Eds) Quentin Walesch, Stefano Faoro Koenig Books 2013

A simple strong idea organizes the layout – the rest is typographic and tactile sensibility. This catalogue, printed on one side coated affiche paper, stands apart from the usual art book production. Delightful! 

357 Savor Stockholm Various Gabriel Kotowski Savor Media J. Adams 2014

I travel to Stockholm, Sweden a couple of times every year. I always find this book at my room. This year, under a copper foiled wrap there was a beautiful cloth cover with debossed details and nice complementary colors. Took the book with me back home.

Submitted by J. Adams

356 Bücherreise zu Bodoni Gustav Stresow Walter Wilkes Technische Hochschule Darmstadt 1990

A quiet book, amazingly unexcited, reduced, and fresh – if not to say cool – displaying a cross-section through Bodoni’s excting layout work. Great cold-glue binding!

355 Bedeutende Objekte und persönliche Besitzstücke Leanne Shapton Leanne Shapton Berlin Verlag Christian Lange 2010

A declaration of love: a novel in form of a fictitious auction catalogue, the American artist Leanne Shapton tells the love story between two people illustrated with 332 objects, photographs, letters and books.

Submitted by Christian Lange

354 John Heartfield – Leben und Werk Wieland Herzfelde VEB Verlag der Kunst 1962

John Heartfield’s early works (book covers, posters and other printed matter) were and still are a revelation for me. The definite monograph on his oeuvre is this one, edited by his brother Wieland Herzfelde and published in the former GDR in the 1960’s. A treat for the eyes in design as well as production.

353 Die gute Form, Teigwaren aller Art Matthias Götz, Bruno Haldner, Karolin Linker Marcel Schmid, Thomas Gfeller Schwabe & Co. AG Michael Dyer 1991

I came across this book on pasta in a dusty Zurich shop; I could tell by the spine alone that it was special (as is often the case). The entire book is printed in a single red ink, on a buff colored stock. The type is set discreetly but with personality. The real pleasure of the book is the pasta imagery (photos and silhouettes) shown in elevation, and sometimes in section as well. Totally unexpected presentation of material makes a lasting impression.

Submitted by Michael Dyer

352 Trilvensters en onderkasttypografie Michaël Snitker (Ed.) Michaël Snitker Michaël Snitker 2011

This book documents a love affair: Michaël Snitker has collected almost everything on Bert Schierbeek’s experimental novel ‘De andere namen’ from 1952 – letters, reviews, publication statements, royalty calculations, interviews, references – and turned them into a wonderful book. Its tactile quality is magnificent, the refined Gill typography is a delight. Could hardly decide which pages to show, they’re all so beautiful.

351 The Works of Posada Hannes Jähn (Ed.) Hannes Jähn Zweitausendeins Victor Malsy 1976

Hannes Jähn is presenting the largest collection of works by Posada. José Guadalupe Posada, born in 1854 in Aguascalientes, Mexico, began his artistic career as an illustrator of religious images. At the age of 12 he was introduced to lithography. In Mexico City he worked for the publishing house of Antonio Vanegas Arroyo and opened his own studio. After the Mexican Revolution Posada put himself in service of the people. Throughout his life he was an artist of the people without becoming overly ‘folksy’. Thanks to Hannes Jähn he was rediscovered.

Submitted by Victor Malsy

350 Gerhard Richter – Eis Gerhard Richter Silke Fahnert, Uwe Koch König 2011

A good book can help to bring the room temperature down: Narcissus on ice – reflection, inversion and variation.

349 Psycho Robert Bloch Akis Katsivelas Lithi Publications Dimitris Borsis 1990

This is a Greek edition of the book ‘Psycho’, the novel made famous by Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptation on his legendary same titled masterpiece. There must be countless editions of this book but what I like on this one, apart from Bloch’s ingenious writing of course, is the minimalism and the artistic orientation of the cover design for such a commercial title. Νο references to Alfred Hitchcock’s film usually seen on other editions with bold quotes and etc., not even a summary on the back, just a handwritten title on the cover to sell the book.

Submitted by Dimitris Borsis

348 Islamic Art Pratapaditya Pal (Ed.) Rosalie Carlson Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art Harsh Patel 1973

This survey view of a LACMA acquisition beautifully juxtaposes matter-of-fact typography and the collection’s abundance of ornate, natural motif. The production holds the same, quiet, inward gaze: essays on brown kraft paper, plates on a spartan satin.

Submitted by Harsh Patel

347 Most Beautiful Swiss Books 1964 Die schönsten Schweizer Bücher unknown Die schönsten Schweizer Bücher 1965

Where did I find it? Most Beautiful Swiss Books 1964 – these catalogues are fruitful territory for book hunters.

346 So kocht die Schweiz Knorr Kochstudio (Eds) Theo Frey Walter Verlag 1964

Cooking Swiss Typography: modernist style in everyday use, designed by Theo Frey, published by Walter Verlag, Olten.

345 Cardinal Pölätüo Stefan Themerson unknown Gaberbocchus 1965

Great book cover design is easy – you can even do it with a vintage typewriter: Stefan Themerson, Cardinal Pölätüo, Gaberbocchus Press, 1965.

344 Yves Klein Centre Pompidou Laurent Fetis Centre Pompidou 2006

One of my all-time-favourites – probably the best book on Yves Klein’s work (at least the one with the best cover): ‘Yves Klein. Corps, couleur, immatériel’. Designed with sensitivity and love by Laurent Fetis. The book is a tactile delight, full of exciting surprises.

343 Concrete William Hall William Hall Phaidon 2012

William Hall designed this simple but interesting book on concrete and its contribution to architecture: Concrete, edited by William Hall, Phaidon, 2012.

342 The Master Juergen Teller Peter Miles Steidl 2005

Designs by Peter Miles for Juergen Teller – forming a harmonious triad.

341 BMW Art Guide Independent Collectors (Eds) Guido Negenborn, Bianca Wegner Hatje Cantz 2012

Despite the baroque presence of its sponsor on the title page, this art guide is quite nice. I enjoyed the courageous combination of fonts: Arial, Akzidenz, Le Monde livre. The book has some interesting typographical details.

340 Neue Grafik 2 Richard Paul Lohse, et al. (Eds) Hans Neuburg Walter Verlag 1959

For me, issue 2 of Neue Grafik is particularly impressive. Not only because of the parts printed with spot colours, but because of an essay by Max Bill, where he captures and slightly modifies the Neue Grafik layout rules.

339 Sol LeWitt – Sculptures and Wall-Drawings Sol LeWitt unknown Museum Haus Lange 1969

This Sol LeWitt catalogue from 1969 has an appealing binding and cover.

338 Staat Sex Amen Beat Gloor Alberto Vieceli Kontrast 1999

Manual text breaks can be fun: Beat Gloor, Staat Sex Amen, Kontrast Verlag, 1999

337 Floating Images André Tavares, Pedro Bandeira Sarah Pia, Lars Müller Lars Müller 2012

There is something about personal mood-boards – this book features Souto de Moura’s “Wall Atlas”, published just recently by Lars Müller Publishers.

336 My Way to Photography Hans Finsler Bernhard Moosbrugger Pendo 1971

Hans Finsler’s book “My Way to Photography” is a classic, published by Pendo-Verlag in 1971.

335 Belichtete Schweiz NZZ Folio Benno Maggi, Ernst Jaeger NZZ Folio 2012

What do Swiss people look like? (NZZ Folio Nr. 254, ‘Belichtete Schweiz’)

334 Drawings on a Bus Ellsworth Kelly Ellsworth Kelly Steidl 2007

While riding in a bus, Ellsworth Kelly made these drawings, recording shapes, finely resonating with this great Moholy-Nagy cover. Kelly used this production dummy as a sketchbook.

333 Stille Marianne Betz Günter Karl Bose Institut für Buchkunst 2000

There is an exciting publication series published by the Institut für Buchkunst, HGB Leipzig. I particularly enjoyed volume 7, featuring a lecture by Marianne Betz on silence (unfortunately only in German).

332 Fly Me to the Moon Susanne M. I. Kaufmann Ibrahim Öztaş Kunstarkaden München 2012

Design is about creating value that transcends information – which my friend Ibrahim perfectly examplified with this bookish invitation.

331 Sammlung 1968 Karl Ströher Thordis Möller (Ed.) Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin/Kunsthalle Düsseldorf 1968

The white and silver typo-cover of this simple art catalogue from the late 1960’s feels totally sympathetic. It’s page layout is, at first sight, unspectacular but nevertheless characterised by a subtle spaciousness and exciting confrontations of art works.

330 COS Magazine Autumn/Winter 2012 COS Jenny Eneqvist, Jop van Bennekom COS 2012

Sometimes the best things are free: ‘COS Magazine, Autumn/Winter 2012’, designed by Jenny Eneqvist and Jop van Bennekom.

329 Medium #2 – Sculpture Shirana Shahbazi, Tirdad Zolghadr, Manuel Krebs (Eds) Norm Nieves 2012

‘Medium #2 – Sculpture’, published by Nieves, 2012: a small but awesome magazine by Norm. Must admit that I don’t quite get what it’s about, but well…

328 Klaus Born – Malerei Guido Magnaguagno, Sibylle Omlin Julia Born Scheidegger & Spiess 2006

A nicely done catalogue by Julia Born with a silkscreen cover and admirable paintings (Scheidegger & Spiess, 2006).

327 Beispiel Japan – Bau und Gerät Werner Blaser Werner Blaser Kunstgewerbemuseum Zürich 1965

After Bregenz, Zurich. As always, I found some nice books. Werner Blaser and Japan – a seductive liaison – ‘Beispiel Japan: Bau und Gerät’, 1965, a Kunstgewerbemuseum catalogue in two volumes.

326 Reading Ed Ruscha

Meanwhile, I went to Bregenz and saw a fabulous exhibition concentrating on Ed Ruscha’s book works: ‘Reading Ed Ruscha’, Kunsthaus Bregenz, until 14 October 2012.

325 Hello World – A Life in Ham Radio Danny Gregory, Paul Sahre Paul Sahre Princeton Architectural Press 2003

A delightful book on amateur radio and amateur typography: ‘Hello World, A Life in Ham Radio’, Princeton Architectural Press, 2003, designed by Paul Sahre.

324 Promises to Keep Robert Frost Greiner & Reichel Langewiesche-Brandt 2002

“Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” Robert Frost

323 Einbahnstraße Detlev Schöttker (Ed.) Friedrich Forssman Suhrkamp 2009

Re-reading Walter Benjamin’s ‘Einbahnstraße’ is pure joy in the new complete works edition from Suhrkamp. Appetisingly prepared and presented by Friedrich Forssman.

322 TM – Februar 1972 Rudolf Hostettler (Ed.) Karl Gerstner Schweizerischer Typographenverbund 1972

Some covers become even more intense with traces of ageing and personal marks: a personal resumé of Karl Gerstner’s typographical work until 1972.

321 桂離宮 岩崎書店刊 (Ed.) unknown 1959

‘桂離宮’ – a truly ravishing book on the Katsura Palace with an elegant slipcase, realised in the most beautiful gravure printing I have ever seen.

320 The Architecture of Ludwig Wittgenstein Bernhard Leitner unknown Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design 1995

‘The Architecture of Ludwig Wittgenstein’, Bernhard Leitner, Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, 1973 – “The good craftsman avoids perfectionism that can degrade into a self-conscious demonstration.” Richard Sennett

319 Wine Making for the Amateur R. Selden Rose Carl Purington Rollins The Bacchus Club 1930

‘Wine Making for the Amateur’, The Bacchus Club, 1931, designed by Carl Purington Rollins, nicely set in Caslon Old Face, with illustrations by W.A. Dwiggins.

318 A Wedding Invitation Wolfgang Weingart 1984

Another Weingart – well, not exactly a book – but rare printed matter: Weingart’s wedding invitation, printed in lead type.

317 Die Lochkameras von Peter Olpe Peter Olpe Wolfgang Weingart self-published 1992

Wolfgang Weingart designed this little book on Peter Olpe’s pinhole cameras in 1992. A spacious contents page with Weingart’s typical idiosyncrasies.

316 The Green of This Notebook John Divola John Divola Nazraeli Press 2008

This photo-book with glued-in pages from Sartre’s ‘Being and Nothingness’ is an appetizer to read the whole – John Divola: ‘The Green of This Notebook’, Nazraeli Press, 2008.

315 Beauty in Photography Robert Adams Charles Mikolaycak Aperture 1981

Sunday reading – yes, some traditional values are worth defending.

314 Baldessari sings LeWitt Toom Tragel Toom Tragel Rollo Press 2011

Because it’s Sunday: Baldessari sings LeWitt, Rollo Press, 2009.

313 Book Design of Graphic Designers in Japan Mikado Koyanagi Pie Books 2006

Another Japanese find: gorgeous cover designs for SAC journal, found in ‘Book Design of Graphic Designers in Japan’.

312 阿部薫 1949-1978 中上 健次, 村上 龍, et al. (Eds) unknown 文遊社 1994

阿部薫, 1949-1978, 単行本, 2001 – a book I love even though I can’t read it. On one of my favourite saxophonists Kaoru Abe. Listen to his album ‘Winter 1972’!

311 Totale Photographie Karl Pawek Theo Frey Walter Verlag 1960

Karl Pawek: ‘Totale Photographie’, Walter Verlag, 1960. This classic was printed in awesome rotogravure and officially recognised as one of the most beautiful Swiss books.

310 Drawings 1969-1990 Richard Serra unknown Benteli 1991

I love the blackness of Serra’s drawings – Richard Serra: ‘Drawings 1969-1990’, Benteli.

309 I Ging Peter H. Offermann (Ed.) unknown Walter Verlag 1976

Chance operations can help your design process, the I Ching too. I prefer this Swiss edition published by Walter Verlag, Olten – found by chance in an antiquarian bookshop.

308 56 Tree Poems Michael Snow Michael Snow Imschoot 1999

Nature speaks a universal language: Michael Snow: ‘56 Tree Poems’, Imschoot, 1999.

307 Der Film Georg Schmidt, Werner Schmalenbach, Peter Bächlin (Eds) Hermann Eidenbenz Holbein 1947

A book with timeless elegance in layout and typography: ‘Der Film’, designed by Hermann Eidenbenz, Holbein Verlag, 1947. Even the photo credits are marvellously laid out.

306 Barock Albrecht Schöne (Ed.) unknown C. H. Beck 1963

I own just a few books set in gothic type – this is by far the most beautiful one – Albrecht Schöne: ‘Barock’, 1963.

305 Arcadia Henk Badings unknown Schott 1951

Early typographic education: my first music book (1976).

304 Das Berkeley-Orakel Jochen Gerz Holger Jost Richter Verlag 1999

Jochen Gerz: ‘Das Berkeley-Orakel’, Richter Verlag, 1999. It’s a pleasure to leaf through this book.

303 2000 Schallplatten 1979-1999 Diedrich Diederichsen Diedrich Diederichsen Hannibal 2000

A cover I like a lot for its almost-no-design quality. The book was laid out by the author with facsimile cutouts from his early Spex magazine music reviews.

302 Form/Formalismus, Funktion/Funktionalismus Claude Schnaidt unknown Schriftenreihe HfGZ 1984

Re-reading ‘Form/Formalismus, Funktion/Funktionalismus’ by Claude Schnaidt, 1984.

301 Die Aufgabe unserer Zeit José Ortega Y Gasset Walter Cyliax Girsberger 1928

Timeless cover design by Walter Cyliax, 1928, Girsberger.

300 Raccolta R. H. Robert Hess Armin Hofmann Birkhäuser 1963

This small but excellently made catalogue was designed by Armin Hofmann. It’s from 1963 and feels as fresh as on the day it was made – a gem.

299 Architekturführer Schweiz Hans Girsberger, Florian Adler (Eds) unknown Artemis 1969

I still use this out of date architectural guide from 1969. Maybe because its cover flirts shamelessly with me.

298 Drei Mädchen Francis Jammes Jakob Hegner Jakob Hegner 1932

Francis Jammes: ‘Drei Mädchen’, Jakob Hegner, 1932 – a sensual feast! Printed in alluring letterpress Janson, an invitation for reading.

297 Über Schizophrenie Leo Navratil unknown dtv 1974

“The same creative mechanisms that produce culture can be found in schizophrenia.” A fascinating book with wonderful drawings by a schizophrenic patient called O.T.

296 Nutzen, was nützlich ist Michael Dreyer Carsten Horn self-published 1993

A small booklet that Carsten Horn, a fellow student, made and gave me as a birthday present 20 years ago. It’s still precious to me in form and content.

295 Zeitungsphotos Hans-Peter Feldmann Hans-Peter Feldmann König 2006

Hans-Peter Feldmann: ‘Zeitungsphotos’, Walther König, 2006 – amazingly enough this fairly dumb concept works.

294 Vanessa Beecroft – Drawings and Paintings Vanessa Beecroft Experimental Jetset Electa 2007

VBDP, Electa 2007 – a publication documenting Vanessa Beecroft’s collaboration with Experimental Jetset. Well guys, your unjustified setting could be far better. Apart from the overly formalistic use of the grid this is a pretty and nicely produced book.

293 Never Odd or Even Barbara Bloom Barbara Bloom, Peter Langemann Silke Schreiber 1992

Barbara Bloom: ‘Never Odd or Even’, Verlag Silke Schreiber, 1992 – you guessed it, the title is a palindrome. The book is presented in the form of leaves that the reader must cut apart with a knife, exploring both the beauty and horror of the ordering principles of symmetry.

292 Mazowsze Aleksander Jackowski Józef Wilkoń Interpress 1974

I can’t remember exactly where and when I found this book about a Polish folk-dance ensemble ‘Mazowsze’ representing the central Polish region of Mazovia – invitingly designed by Józef Wilkoń. The printing (deep, matte gravure on coated paper) is absolutely adorable. Well, not only the printing…

291 The Pill Book Harold M. Silverman (Ed.) unknown Bantam Books 1990

A badly produced American paperback that excites my sense for useless but somehow intriguing stuff: ‘The Pill Book’.

290 La Jetée Chris Marker Bruce Mau Zone Books 1992

Thinking of Chris Marker. I admire his films and this book, one of Bruce Mau’s best designs, unreproducible in its dark, mystic beauty – at least for an iPhone.

289 José Loureiro 14/1/1991 – 2/3/1991 José Loureiro Carvalho Bernau Culturgest 2012

Dear @at_cb, thanks so much for your constant high-quality work, and even more for sending me physical proof – like this delicious book with drawings by Portuguese artist José Loureiro – he has a great sense of humour.

288 I Need Some Truth and Aspirin Fernando Pessoa Clemens-Tobias Lange CTL Presse 1997

Fernando Pessoa: ‘I Need Some Truth and Aspirin’ – so do I.

287 Architekturmodelle Rolf Janke unknown Hatje 1962

Rolf Janke: ‘Architekturmodelle’, Hatje 1962 – still prefer stubborn international style to contemporary lack of style.

286 Typographie und Bibliophilie Richard von Sichowsky, Hermann Tiemann (Eds) Richard von Sichowsky Maximilian-Gesellschaft 1971

Richard von Sichowsky, the designer of this book with texts on type from two centuries, was an exciting typographer. His timeless work is in a class of its own (letterpress printing with 7 different typefaces for 7 sections) – excellent choice of materials. 

285 Amerika Erich Mendelsohn Erich Mendelsohn Rudolf Mosse 1928

Mendelsohn’s ‘Amerika’ is one of my favourite books from the 1920’s. Mendelsohn went to America with his Leica, and revolutionized architectural photography with his elaborate snapshots. This book is great in every respect – nothing more to say.

284 It chooses you Miranda July unknown Diogenes 2012

Miranda July: ‘It Chooses You’ (Es findet dich) – oddly bizarre, but touching with a wonderful cover.

283 Zettel’s Traum leaflet Arno Schmidt Friedrich Forssman Arno Schmidt Stiftung 2010

Yesterday I went to a TGM lecture by the head of the “anti-design-theory-movement”, Friedrich Forssman, and brought home some unique thoughts and a leaflet promoting his five years of typographical labours on ‘Zettel’s Traum’.

282 Scheiße Dieter Roth Students of Rhode Island School of Design Providence 1966

Some days are much better than the title of the book you’ve just found in your mailbox at home may suggest.

281 Call Ampersand Response Micah Lexier, Michael Dumontier unknown Nieves 2012

An eloquent conversation in images: Michael Dumontier and Micah Lexier: ‘Call Ampersand Response’, Nieves, 2012.

280 Die Kunst der Typografie Paul Renner Paul Renner Frenzel & Engelbrecher 1940

What I found in my copy of Paul Renner’s ‘Die Kunst der Typografie’: (1) early Futura test prints, (2) a typewritten carbon copy of a political assessment (or rehabilitation) of Paul Renner by the Nazis.

279 Marcel Duchamp – À l’infinitf Richard Hamilton, Ecke Bonk (Eds) Ecke Bonk The Typosophic Society 1999

Marcel Duchamp: ‘À l’infinitf’, 1999 – a delicate typotranslation by Richard Hamilton and Ecke Bonk of Duchamp’s white box.

278 Living, Thinking, Looking Siri Hustvedt Henry Sene Yee Picador 2012

Friday night reading: a cheap paperback with a tactile suprise.

277 Mnemosyne Atlas Aby Warburg unknown Dölling und Gallitz 2006

​Finally I got my hands on a copy of the rare ‘Mnemoysne Atlas’ box by Aby Warburg.

276 Observations Roman Ondák Roman Ondák König 2012

I like the poetic simplicity of the catalogue accompanying Roman Ondák’s documenta installation.

275 A Zine Christian Hoffelner Christian Hoffelner Spector 2012

The future of design education? In my opinion, Urs Lehni is completely mistaken here. For me, it’s absolutely ridiculous to assume that one can learn practical design skills from books. To be honest, I don’t know of any books that can replace guided learning by experience. Here is the foundation of design education: 1. Learn the rules (in practical excercise) 2. Learn to leave the rules (in theoretical reflection).

274 Le Corbusier – The Graphic Work Heidi Weber (Ed.) Heidi Weber Edition Heidi Weber 2009

Apropos reprint – a classic, designed and edited by Heidi Weber, on Corbusier’s graphic work. Edition Heidi Weber, reprinted 2009.

273 Der Landarzt Franz Kafka unknown Stroemfeld 2006

Kafka had a strange predilection for large type in small columns and even accepted the omission of punctuation marks: Franz Kafka, Der Landarzt, Stroemfeld, 2006 – facsimile reprint with a revealing epilogue by Roland Reuss.

272 A Stack of Books Triin Tamm Triin Tamm Rollo Press 2011

A Stack of Books, Triin Tamm, 2011 – not yet sure if this is a special beauty or the most useless crap I ever bought.

271 Il futurismo Kunstmuseum Winterthur unknown Kunstmuseum Winterthur 1959

Another beautifully printed example of Swiss typography.

270 Kurt Schwitters Karl Ruhrberg (Ed.) Walter Breker Kunsthalle Basel 1971

Of course Zurich also means book shopping. I mean, how can you leave a book like this for only 10 “Stutz”?

269 Die mathematische Denkweise in der Kunst unserer Zeit Max Bill Harry Spielmann Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich 1954

And a last one from Dino’s “Réserve du patron” – a student work from 1954 by Harry Spielmann. Pictures or words can’t describe the excitement of touching this sublime, perfectly made booklet.

268 The Printed Picture Richard Benson Richard Benson Museum of Modern Art 2008

Even if you’re only remotely interested in printing techniques (every designer should be!) – read this book: Richard Benson: ‘The Printed Picture’, MoMA, 2008.

267 Apfelsorten der Schweiz H. Kessler unknown Schweizerischer Obstverband 1945

Another beauty printed in 11-colour (!) chromolithography: H. Kessler: ‘Apfelsorten der Schweiz’, Schweizerischer Obstverband, 1945 – breathtaking!

266 Urwald Abenteuer Ileana Holmboe Jan Tschichold Holbein 1946

The weekend before last I met Dino Simonett in his new atelier in Zurich, where he served some delicious and surprising books, such as this children’s book designed by Jan Tschichold in 1946.

265 One Thousand Polish Book Covers Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielińscy Aleksandra Machowiak, Daniel Mizielińscy 40000 Malarzy 2012

An incredible wave of inspiration, with a different accent: ‘One Thousand Polish Book Covers’, Warszawa 2012.

264 Living in the Lowlands 1850-2004 Jaap Jan Berg, Jean-Paul Baeten, Véronique Patteeuw (Eds) Mevis & Van Deursen NAi Uitgevers 2004

One of my favourite Mevis & Van Deursen “one-idea-is-enough” books: ‘Living in the Lowlands 1850-2004’, NAi, 2004.

263 Die 60er Jahre – Vom Happening zum Kunstmarkt Wulf Herzogenrath, Gabriele Lueg (Eds) Caspar Frenzel, Dennis Löw Kölnischer Kunstverein 1986

An index needn’t be boring – a sublime idea from ‘Die 60er Jahre, Kölns Weg zur Kunstmetropole: Vom Happening zum Kunstmarkt’, Kölnischer Kunstverein, 1986.

262 26 Nieuwe Spreuken Melle Hammer Melle Hammer De Buitenkant 1995

Out of this envelope comes a strange but nice children’s book without “words” introducing an alien alphabet (designed by Melle Hammer, 1995).

261 Der Typografiestreit in der Moderne Hans Rudolf Bosshard Hans Rudolf Bosshard Niggli 2012

Nothing new: Bosshard and Hochuli are heavily involved with dogma discussions – I wish there were still some around. Nevertheless a pleasure to read: Hans Rudolf Bosshard, ‘Max Bill kontra Jan Tschichold’, Niggli, 2012.

260 Das Rendezvousproblem Hans Schabus Hans Schabus, Dorothea Brunialti Kunsthaus Bregenz 2004

Strange beauty: Hans Schabus: ‘Das Rendezvousproblem’, Kunsthaus Bregenz, 2004. An ordinary calendar serves as a background for glued-in plates and collages.

259 Sammeln Heidi Stecker, Barbara Steiner Markus Dreßen GfZK 2007

A book doesn’t need glue to stick together: Heidi Stecker, Barbara Steiner: ‘Sammeln’, GfZK, 2007.

258 Der Charme des Systematischen Ferdinand Kramer Harriet Höppner Anabas 1991

Somehow idiosynchratic but quite interesting: Ferdinand Kramer: ‘Der Charme des Systematischen’, 1991.

257 Karel Teige – Animator Koosje Sierman (Ed.) et al. Jaap van Triest Stedelijk Museum 1994

Karel Teige: ‘Animator’, Stedelijk 1994, designed by Jaap van Triest in his excitingly over-dense layout style. Note the beautiful book-in-book idea!

256 The Technology of Man Derek Birdsall, Carlo M. Cipolla Derek Birdsall Rinehart and Winston 1979

‘The Technology of Man’, eloquently designed and edited by Derek Birdsall in 1979.

255 Nichts, Nothing Martina Weinhart, Max Hollein Raffinerie Hatje Cantz 2006

Today: ‘Nichts, Nothing’, Schirn Kunsthalle, 2006, designed by Raffinerie.

254 Ton Bruynèl 1984

OK, not exactly a book but a beautiful album cover (1984) for great music by the underrated Dutch composer Ton Bruynèl.

253 Ed Ruscha with six books on his head 1970

Jerry McMillan: ‘Ed Ruscha with six books on his head’, 1970 — thanks @ibrahimltd.

252 Riley and his Story Monica Haller Matthew Rezac Onestar Press 2009

Monica Haller: ‘Riley and his Story’ – the book is better than the XTC-mashup promises. Download a PDF of excerpts.

251 An Anthology of Concrete Poetry Emmett Williams (Ed.) unknown Something Else Press 1967

Some books make promises they can’t keep. Anyway, this is a wonderful book: ‘An Anthology of Concrete Poetry’, Something Else Press, 1967

250 Writings about Graphic Design Richard Hollis Sara De Bondt, Anthony Hudek Occasional Papers 2012

Scheduled this weekend: Reading or re-reading Richard Hollis’ collected essays (‘Writings about Graphic Design’, 2012). My only reservation – as so often – concerns the binding. PUR glue is to books what mp3 is to acoustic music – a compression of agility.

249 Light and Color in the Outdoors Marcel Minnaert Albert Gomm Springer 1992

Edward Tufte recommended this book as a change-your-life classic: Marcel Minnaert: ‘Light and Color in the Outdoors’. The German edition (Springer) is particularly splendid – designed by Albert Gomm.

248 Sleeves of Desire ECM Lars Müller Lars Müller 1996

‘Sleeves of Desire’: The charm of a well-worn proof copy.

247 Naked City Weegee Henry Stahlhut, Michael Polvere Essential Books 1945

My favourite page from Weegee’s ‘Naked City’, 1945 – awesome book! 

246 Anri Sala Katherine Rattee, Melissa Larner Quentin Walesch Serpentine Gallery 2011

The wolf in sheep’s clothing: a staple-bound book seductively executed in every respect. Anri Sala, ‘Serpentine Gallery Catalogue’, 2011, design by Studio Quentin Walesch.

245 Back Cover Magazine No. 5 Alexandre Dimos, Gaël Étienne De Valence Éditions B42 2012

In my humble opinion @backcovermag is the best European design magazine – nothing else to say.

244 Nick’s Film – Lightning Over Water Wim Wenders Franz Greno Zweitausendeins 1981

Wim Wenders: ‘Nick’s Film – Lightning Over Water’, screenplay, 1981, design by Franz Greno.

243 Radikales Theater Ute Nyssen Hannes Jähn Kiepenheuer & Witsch 1969

A gem from the 60s: Ute Nyssen: ‘Radikales Theater’, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 1969. Printed throughout on red paper. Default typewriter typography by Hannes Jähn. Absorbing.

242 Lucio Fontana – 1946-1960 Zeichen und Zeichnung Luca Massimo Barbero, Simone Soldini Studio CCRZ Museum Liner 2008

Lucio Fontana: ‘1946-1960 Zeichen und Zeichnung’, Museum Liner, Appenzell, designed by Studio CCRZ. The cover is printed white on black cardboard.

241 Fälschung und Fake Martin Doll Kaleidogramm Kadmos 2012

NOT a Suhrkamp book, despite the cover design.

240 Mechanisierte Grafik Paul Renner Paul Renner Hermann Reckendorf 1930

In many ways (primarily content-wise) a remarkable book with nice ageing, except for the wrong grain direction of the paper. The last page perfectly sums up Renner’s arguments. 

239 Monographien und Materialien zur Buchkunst, Band 2 Wolfgang Tiessen (Ed.) Wolfgang Tiessen Verlag Wolfgang Tiessen 1969

‘Monographien und Materialien zur Buchkunst’, Band 2, Verlag Wolfgang Tiessen, 1969 – an ageless design.

238 Log May 1974 – August 1976 Claes Oldenburg unknown Edition Hansjörg Mayer 1976

Claes Oldenburg, ‘Log May 1974 – August 1976’, Book A, Press Log. All newspaper articles of this illustrated bibliography are shown in full-page facsimile.

237 Chronicvm Phrygio 1534

Phrygio: ‘Chronicvm’, 1534 – for me, one of the most exciting (and beautiful) books one can own. Can’t stop flipping through these musical page compositions.

236 Cubism and Abstract Art Alfred H. Barr unknown Museum of Modern Art 1936

A cover can provide a comprehensive view of a book’s subject.

235 Wechselwirkungen Brigitte Willberg Brigitte Willberg Stiftung Buchkunst 1999

Brigitte Willberg: ‘Wechselwirkungen’, 1999 – a nicely designed booklet on her graphical work.

234 Rot 38 Max Bense, Elisabeth Walter (Eds) Walter Faigle Edition Hansjörg Mayer 1969

‘Rot’ edition, published by Hansjörg Mayer in the 60’s.

233 Freunde + Freunde Karl Gerstner, Diter Rot, Daniel Spoerri, André Thomkins Karl Gerstner Edition Hansjörg Mayer 1969

Or this one from 1969 – another member of the Neobond family with 4 individually designed parts – here the one by Karl Gerstner. 

232 Méthodes Pierre Hebbelinck, Pierre de Wit Architectes Manuela Dechamps Otamendi Wallonie-Bruxelles International 2008

I have a certain affection for book jackets printed on Neobond. They often prove to be real beauties – as is this one, designed by Manuela Dechamps Otamendi.

231 Daodejing Laozi Friedrich Forssman, Cornelia Feyll Reclam Bibliothek 2009

Laozi: ‘Daodejing’, Chinese and German, designed by Cornelia Feyll and Friedrich Forssman for the beautiful Reclam Bibliothek series.

230 All the World’s Fighter Planes Fiona Banner Fiona Banner, Eleanor Brown The Vanity Press 2006

Fiona Banner, ‘All the World’s Fighter Planes’, The Vanity Press, 2006.

229 Bilder und Texte – Literatur Juergen Teller Peter Miles Steidl 2011

Juergen Teller’s funny and not so funny ZEITmagazin columns finally became a nice book – together with an appendix documenting the hefty, scathing reviews of the readers.

228 War Requiem Benjamin Britten unknown Decca 1963

It was really an epiphany, the moment I saw this album in a second-hand bookstore (!) in 1985.

227 Kultur & Gespenster Gustav Mechlenburg, Jan-frederik Brandel, Nora Sdun, Christoph Steinegger (Eds) Christoph Steinegger Textem 2012

‘Kultur & Gespenster #13’: I’m thrilled by Christoph Steinegger’s strange spine typography.

226 Vom Terror der Verschwendung Hans Magnus Enzensberger Wolfgang Kaiser Haus Grenzenlos 1993

Even a postcard can shine like a book.

225 Theorie der Texte Max Bense unknown Kiepenheuer & Witsch 1962

“Wie die Entropie eines Textes läßt sich die Entropie seiner Typografie bestimmen.” (Like the entropy of a text, the entropy of its typography can be determined.) Max Bense, 1962.

224 Konturen einer Geistesgeschichte der Mathematik Max Bense Hans Bohn Claassen & Goverts 1946

The reader can use the margins according to his or her precise needs.

223 Friday evening belongs to the reader

Friday evening belongs to the reader.

222 Palms John Bock John Bock Red Cat 2008

For this artist’s book, John Bock inserted a poster into second-hand books and oversprayed the titles.

221 City as a Map of Ideas Matt Mullican Till Krause, Matt Mullican GFLK Surveys 2009

Back to my fondness for “useless” books: Matt Mullican’s ‘City as a Map of Ideas’ is an endless cartographic list.

220 Why Women Like to Buy Textiles That Feel Nice Olaf Nicolai Ina Kwon, Helmut Völter Argobooks 2010

Olaf Nicolai: ‘Why women like to buy textiles that feel nice’, designed by Ina Kwon and Helmut Völter.

219 Tausend Plateaus Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari Adelheid Paris Merve 1992

The absence of typography on the spine gives this book an incredibly abstract quality.

218 Das deutsche Lichtbild Robert & Bruno Schultz unknown Robert & Bruno Schultz 1933

A gorgeous book photograph by Elsbeth Heddenhausen, 1932, from the beautifully printed ‘Das deutsche Lichtbild – Jahresschau 1933’.

217 Ornament? Ohne Ornament Mark Buchmann (Ed.) Jörg Hamburger Kunstgewerbemuseum Zürich 1965

Another Kunstgewerbemuseum-catalogue from 1965, designed by Jörg Hamburger – a timeless beauty. Again – the old problem with red, sorry!

216 Color and Gray Claudia Angelmaier Severin Wucher Seemann 2007

I really enjoy Claudia Angelmaier’s book compositions. Her catalogue ‘Color and Gray’ is quite nice – designed by Severin Wucher.

215 Three books from Büchergilde Gutenberg Büchergilde Gutenberg

In the 1930’s they had a strange fondness for edge colouring (three books from Büchergilde Gutenberg).

214 Das kleine Buch der 100 Bücher Hans Schwab-Felisch unknown Bücher der Neunzehn 1957

“Are there too many books?” from: ‘Das kleine Buch der 100 Bücher’ (a present from Ibrahim – thanks!)

213 Growth Zin Taylor Boy Vereecken Sternberg Press 2011

Hey type geeks, wake up ... here is the quiz of the day: Spot the typographic accident! Can’t find it? You’re in the best of company: the Baudin Prize Jury couldn’t either. Love this cover nonetheless.

212 Erni Manuel Gasser Editions Générales Genève 1969

This little book on Peter Erni’s life and drawings is an underrated gem of Swiss design from the 1960’s. I really enjoy its modest, perfectly adequate size and the always appealing gravure printing.

211 Mathematik 1 Herbert Butzke, Joachim Sieber Karl-Heinz Wieland Volk und Wissen 1967

Christian Lange introduced me to this old maths schoolbook published in the GDR – former Eastern Germany. It’s printed throughout with primary colours and shows beautiful illustrations in perfect page layouts. If only today’s schoolbooks would also have this visual appeal and aesthetic impact.

210 The Family of Man Edward Steichen (Ed.) Leo Lionni Museum of Modern Art 1955

‘The Family of Man’, 1955 Edition – the embossing and the overall feel of the book are marvellous, not to mention the wonderful endpapers. Thanks for introducing me to this treasure, Katharina!

209 Goldmanns Großer Weltatlas Herbert Bayer, L. Visintin, Wilhem Goldmann (Eds) Herbert Bayer Goldmann 1963

Today I bought a cheap German “light” version of Bayer’s ‘World Geographic Atlas’, in large parts identical to the 1953 Container Corporation edition, but better printed. Always wondering why jpgs have these problems with red.

208 1234 Most Speedy Drawings Dieter Roth Dieter Roth Edition Hansjörg Mayer 1987

Most speedy cover design by Dieter Roth.

207 God’s Country and My People Wright Morris unknown Harper & Row 1968

“This recombining of the visual and the verbal sought to hold fast to what was vanishing.” Wright Morris: ‘God’s Country and My People’, 1968.

206 Tendences actuelles de l’école de Paris Kunsthalle Bern unknown Kunsthalle Bern 1952

Simple solutions can be so convincing…

205 Die Form der Zeit George Kubler unknown Suhrkamp 1982

There is nothing like a nicely wrapped book – this exciting, important title should at least be available in every design faculty’s library.

204 I Love Fast Cars Craig McDean M/M Paris Powerhouse Books 1999

Fanatical devotion: Craig McDean: ‘I Love Fast Cars’, Powerhouse Books, 1999, designed by M/M (Paris).

203 Reading too many books at once

Some people suspect me of reading too many books at once – I can’t understand why.

202 Kurt Schwitters – I is Style Rudi Fuchs, Siegfried Gohr, Gunda Luyken et al. Walter Nikkels Stedelijk Museum 2000

Sublime book design (cover, interior) by Walter Nikkels – good guy.

201 And It Came to Pass – Not to Stay Richard Buckminster Fuller Lars Müller Lars Müller 2008

How little I know – “ventilated prose” by Buckminster Fuller – worthwhile reading!

200 The Last Whole Earth Catalog Stewart Brand (Ed.) unknown Portola Institute 1971

The bible of counterculture – providing encyclopedic, anti-consumerist access to tools and knowledge. Items are listed if they are useful as tools, relevant to education, high-quality or low-cost and easily available.

199 Einaudi’s Paperback Design Einaudi

Nice – ‘Einaudi’s Paperback Design’ is reacting to the physical properties of a book.

198 Graphics Handbook Ken Garland Ken Garland Studio Vista 1966

Introduction, printed in a larger size of type in the hope you will read it (Ken Garland: ‘Graphics Handbook’, 1966).

197 Mao Bible Mao Tse-Tung unknown Verlag für fremdsprachige Literatur Peking 1967

I like the way my copy of Mao’s ‘Little Red Book’ fits on top of Beckett’s collected works.

196 Helvetica and the New York City Subway System Paul Shaw Paul Shaw, Abby Goldstein MIT Press 2011

Dear Paul Shaw, I really enjoyed your report on the NY Subway System, especially this little red subway sign, but what happened to the left-hand column on the back? InDesign default breaks?

195 Printing Explained Herbert Simon, Harry Carter unknown Dryad Press 1931

“This is a book about a process – not about a product.” Herbert Simon and Harry Carter, Printing Explained, Dryad Press, 1931.

194 Two voided books John Baldessari 1990

Two voided books by John Baldessari, 1990.

193 Discovery of the Circle Bruno Munari Bruno Munari George Wittenborn 1966

Bruno Munari’s little books on the elementary geometric figures are a constant source of inspiration. Munari concludes that circles, squares and triangles are innate forms, not inventions.

192 2HB CCA Glasgow unknown CCA Glasgow 2012

Journal of the CCA Glasgow: Some things only reveal their beauty when you touch them.

191 Art Titles 1969-2010 Gilbert & George Gilbert & George König 2011

Can’t explain my persistent fascination for books that have no immediate value outside themselves: Gilbert & George, ‘Art Titles 1969-2010’, Walther König, 2011

190 Das Kind und die Schrift Gerrit Noordzij Philipp Luidl Typographische Gesellschaft München 1983

Recommended reading – not least for our education ministry (designed by Philipp Luidl, published by @typographische).

189 Das neue große Kochbuch Roland Gööck unknown Bertelsmann 1963

Overwritten and expanded: another kind of “artist’s book”: my mother’s cookbook (Roland Gööck: ‘Das neue große Kochbuch’, 1963).

188 Do It Yourself Kunst Karl Gerstner Karl Gerstner Galerie Der Spiegel 1970

Karl Gerstner’s funny guide to art production – hilariously written and designed by himself (Galerie Der Spiegel, 1970).

187 Weather by Richard Hell Richard Hell Christopher Wool CUZ Editions 1998

Richard Hell’s mind-messing poetry with a wonderful cover design by Christopher Wool.

186 Viabizzuno Report 26

Traces of Fronzoni in Milan: ‘Viabizzuno Report 26’ (the corporate identity for Viabizzuno was one of Fronzoni’s last works) and Viabizzuno showroom, via Solferino 18, Milan.

185 Zeitung Peter Piller Christoph Keller JRP Ringier 2008

‘Looking in Holes’ by Peter Piller, from his fantastic book ‘Zeitung’, designed and edited by Christoph Keller.

184 Daily Mirror Book Dieter Roth Dieter Roth Forlag Verlag 1961

Dieter Roth’s ‘Daily Mirror’ series are the foundation for Hans-Rudolf Lutz’s later newspaper experiments. Roth bound the found material of the newspaper clippings (2 × 2 cm) into a 150-page book.

183 Irrweg und Umkehr Constantin Silens Jan Tschichold Birkhäuser 1946

The title of this book, for which Tschichold designed the cover in 1946, sounds programmatic for his volte-face from asymmetry.

182 Joseph Beuys – Werke aus der Sammlung Karl Ströher Kunstmuseum Basel unknown Kunstmuseum Basel 1969

Joseph Beuys, ‘Werke aus der Sammlung Karl Ströher’, Kunstmuseum Basel, 1969.

181 Klau Mich Rainer Langhans, Fritz Teufel (Eds) Christian Chruxin Edition Voltaire 1968

Christian Chruxin is a totally underrated German designer. His anti-aesthetic feels so 2012, however – it’s 1968 (Edition Voltaire).

180 $20,000 Bill Drummond Bill Drummond Beautiful Books 2010

I confess, I’m a fan of Bill Drummond’s works and books. Order this one immediately, but read the warning first!

179 Das lebenslängliche Interview Curt Burgauer, Erna Burgauer, Willy Rotzler (Eds) Max Koller Erker 1970

‘Das lebenslängliche Interview – Die Sammlung Erna und Curt Burgauer’, designed by Max Koller, 1970. Intelligent grid typography can create layouts with a marvellous rhythm (by the way, nice “origami” dust-jacket).

178 Andy Warhol Pontus Hulten (Ed.) John Melin, Gösta Svensson Moderna Museet 1968

Andy Warhol: ‘Moderna Museet’, 1968. The epitome of the artist’s book as exhibition catalogue.

177 Manuel Typographique Pierre-Simon Fournier le jeune Pierre-Simon Fournier le jeune Technische Hochschule Darmstadt 1995

Fournier’s ‘Manuel Typographique’ together with Harry Carter’s translation and James Mosley’s introduction. An enchanting edition printed by the Lehrdruckerei Technische Hochschule Darmstadt in 1995.

176 Bestimmungstabelle für Nester und Eier einheimischer Vögel Hans Noll unknown Wepf & Co. 1968

Happy Easter! (Noll: ‘Bestimmungstabelle für Nester und Eier einheimischer Vögel’, Basel, 1968)

175 Caribia Herbert List Jo van Kalckreuth Rowohlt 1958

This photobook comes from a time when the Caribic islands had still the smell of an exotic and erotic paradise. ‘Caribia’, sponsored by an Hamburg shipping company, testifies that Herbert List is definitely one of the great documentary photographers on par with the Magnum stars. It’s easy to get it second hand and super cheap.

174 Another Book Hans-Peter Feldmann Hans-Peter Feldmann König 2010

First page from ‘Another Book’, Koenig Books, 2010. Hans-Peter Feldmann argues why he could not let a designer do his books.

173 On Reading André Kertész Jacqueline Schuman Grossman 1971

The excitement of opening a book, reading the first lines and getting lost in a parallel world: ‘On Reading’ by my favourite photographer André Kertész is a lovely little book.

172 Ein Buch ist erst ein Buch wenn es ein Buch geworden ist Huib Krimpen Huib Krimpen De Buitenkant 1987

A book is not a book until it has become a book. So true! Good night.

171 Hanne Darboven – Schreibzeit Hanne Darboven

Hanne Darboven, ‘Schreibzeit’, 1975–1999. 32 volumes plus index, 4025 pages.

170 Die Tücke des Objekts Matthias Götz, Bruno Haldner (Eds) Marcel Schmid, Thomas Gfeller Schwabe & Co. AG 1991

Another book I carry a torch for – quite marvellously designed by Marcel Schmid and Thomas Gfeller in 1991. A vademecum (Latin: go with me) composed of sampled facsimiles and printed on onionskin paper.

169 Drawings 1956-1976 Donald Judd Robert Hiltbrand Kunstmuseum Basel 1976

Learning from book covers: Why “bad” typography can be fine typography.

168 Alles oder Nichts Raymond Federman Franz Greno Die Andere Bibliothek 1986

Those were the days – when Franz Greno typeset the volumes of ‘Die andere Bibliothek’ using lead type until 1996 (Volume 144) with painstaking care for typographic detail.

167 Duchamp in Munich Lenbachhaus Thomas Mayfried Lenbachhaus 2012

‘Duchamp in Munich’ – The best part of a somewhat thin exhibition was Thomas Mayfried’s design and printed ephemera.

166 Charles Darwin Charles Darwin Rudolf Hostettler Huber 1965

Charles Darwin, Hubers Klassiker. Pictures don’t tell how beautifully Rudolf Hostettler’s Garamond is set.

165 Some Magazine Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle Sven Voelker and Students Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle 2012

Some Magazine’ is proof that student magazines don’t have to be overly formalistic in approach or devoid of content.

164 Koenen Dictionary Icarus van Gelderen unknown Langenscheidt 2002

Together with Schreuder’s book I bought this beautiful and absolutely economically set ‘Koenen Dictionary’.

163 Lay In, Lay Out Piet Schreuders Piet Schreuders De Buitenkant 1977

“The profession of graphic design is criminal” – Still fun to read @pietschreuders text from 1977. “Graphic designers: it is advisable not to deal with them directly, but they can be quite entertaining when observed from a certain distance.” English translation in ‘Looking Closer 3: Classic Writings on Graphic Design’.

162 Martin Creed – Works Martin Creed Martin Creed, Catherina Lutman, David Southard Thames & Hudson 2010

Martin Creed: ‘Works’, Thames & Hudson, 2010. A book with a talkative spine.

161 De Aetna Pietro Bembo Francesco Griffo Aldus Manutius 1496

The last page of Pietro Bembo’s ‘De Aetna’ designed by Francesco Griffo in 1496, as found here.

160 I’m Thinking of a Number Micah Lexier Small Nova Scotia College Press 2010

Micah Lexier: ‘I’m Thinking of a Number’. A picture of a book showing a picture of a picture of books, featuring Lexier’s invitations, books, catalogues, objects, multiples, t-shirts and other epehemera, 1998 to 2010 – published by Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, designed by Andrew Di Rosa & Emma Wright.

159 Schapen Tellen Hans van der Meer Steef Liefting Nieuw Amsterdam 2009

Hans van der Meer, ‘Schapen Tellen’ (Counting Sheep) ... worth considering!

158 The Plan Michael Schmelling Michael Schmelling, Jason Fulford Jandl Books 2009

I don’t know why I love this book by Michael Schmelling, dirtily printed on thin newspaper stock, but I do. Michael photographed homes of obsessive-compulsive hoarders while working with the Disaster Masters task force – published by Jandl Books (they have some more beauties ...).

157 Double or Nothing 51N4E Zak Kyes AA Publications 2011

51N4E, ‘Double or Nothing’. After cutting the fore-edge, the book block (newspaper stock) was milled for binding. I dearly love the opening picture of this architecture book, designed by Zak Kyes.

156 Formen lesen Paulus Dreibholz Paulus Dreibholz Gaffa Limited 2011

Paulus Dreibholz is not only an exqusite typographic designer but also an intelligent writer – recommended reading.

155 Merve Backcovers Merve

Nice: ‘The Backcovers’ @MerveVerlag are increasingly becoming concrete poetry ...

154 Catalogue raisonée of the books by Martin Kippenberger Martin Kippenberger Silke Fahnert, Uwe Koch D. A. P. 2003

Uwe Koch, ‘Catalogue raisonné’ of Kippenberger’s books. Being sold off at a steal at Walther König.

153 The Fox 2 Art & Language Foundation (Eds) unknown Art & Language Foundation 1975

Without doubt one of the most exciting art journals of the 1970s: ‘The Fox’, Number 2, New York, 1975, published by the Art & Language Foundation Inc. “If you are concerned with art as an instrument of social and cultural transformation you are urged to participate in this journal.”

152 Und sie bewegt sich doch Ilja Ehrenburg Lars Müller Lars Müller 1986

An early publication by Lars Müller Publishers, when it was still LIT Verlag: Ilya Ehrenburg, ‘Und sie bewegt sich doch’, LIT Verlag, 1986 (original edition Moscow, 1922)

151 Oase #83 Christoph Grafe Karel and Aagje Martens NAi Uitgevers 2010

One of my favourite ‘Oase’ covers is this one for Issue #83, designed by Karel and Aagje Martens.

150 Interview Book Katrin Erthel, Tabea Nixdorff Katrin Erthel, Tabea Nixdorff Self-published 2012

Katrin Erthel and Tabea Nixdorff – two students from the Academy of Visual Arts, Leipzig – conducted an interview with me and turned it into a nice little book.

149 The Education of Young Design Edward McDonald unknown Eye Magazine 1994

Yesterday I stumbled upon this essay by Edward McDonald in ‘Eye Magazine’ 12/1994 – re-reading was worth it. Read it here. I miss important articles like this one in current design publications.

148 Piet Zwart Fridolin Müller (Ed.) Fridolin Müller Niggli 1966

Documents in the Visual Arts, Vol. 1: ‘Piet Zwart’, Niggli, 1966. Ragged right columns become poetry – Fridolin Müller edited and designed this series. The Zwart book is printed in immaculately saturated spot colours.

147 Kinetische Kunst Hans Fischli, Willi Rotzler (Eds) Fridolin Müller Kunstgewerbemuseum Zürich 1960

‘Kinetische Kunst’, Kunstgewerbemuseum Zurich, 1960. Fridolin Müller has an unerring sense of space. It’s rather strange to see what design history includes and leaves out. One day I’ll write a “B-Side History of Design” (promise!).

146 Jean Tinguely Gimpel & Hanover Galerie Fridolin Müller Gimpel & Hanover Galerie 1966

Featuring Fridolin Müller, a wonderful but neglected designer best known, if at all, for his Schützenfest poster. ‘Jean Tinguely’, Gimpel & Hanover Gallery, Zurich, 1966. Catalogue and invitation card.

145 Rehabilitation
The Legacy of the Modern Movement
Dirk Snauwaert, Christophe Van Gerrenwey (Eds) Luc Derycke MER Paper Kunsthalle 2010

This catalogue, pleasantly designed by Luc Derycke, features important texts of the Modern Movement in facsimile.

144 Paul Valéry Moi Paul Valéry Paul Rand Princeton University Press 1975

To come back to Paul Valéry once more: Paul Rand has designed an exquisite English edition of his collected works.

143 The Sweet Flypaper of Life Roy DeCarava unknown Simon and Schuster 1955

Some books tell stories in a dual sense: I found this note in my copy of the 1955 classic. I admire its splendidly narrative book design, as well as Roy DeCarava’s photographic blackness.

142 Sonne auf der Haut Moritz Zwimpfer Moritz Zwimpfer Niggli 2009

Moritz Zwimpfer’s simple little book on colour ‘Sonne auf der Haut’ inspires me time and again. The colour of today’s sky: “open for everything, not yet determined”.

141 Commerce Paul Valéry (Eds) unknown Giraud-Badin 1924

In 1924 Paul Valéry gathered the most brilliant minds of his generation and published the magazine ‘Commerce’. It was issued three times a year – green: spring, red: summer, brown: winter. 

140 If I Had a Mind Klaus Groh Dumont Dumont 1971

“You are not obliged to take that insult for granted, choose the important ideas, the rest throw away.” – ‘If I Had a Mind’, 1971. For this book Klaus Groh invited concept-art artists to edit and make up their own pages.

139 Learning from Las Vegas Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, Steven Izenour Muriel Cooper MIT Press 1972

Not for me with my tight budget: first edition, designed by Muriel Cooper. Luckily we have libraries.

138 Das ABC eines Typografen Jost Hochuli Jost Hochuli Edition Ostschweiz 2011

In his new book ‘Das ABC eines Typografen’ Jost Hochuli rediscovers beautiful books published by Jakob Hegner. Hochuli writes: “Hegner’s book designs remind me of the Shaker’s furniture: they are functional, of undecorrated simplicity, simply beautiful.” 

137 Probe Nr. 462 Berthold unknown Berthold AG

‘Probe Nr. 462’. What did those guys at Berthold smoke?

136 The Nam Fiona Banner Secondary Modern Frith Street Books 1997

Is it profane to be in awe of a book that no one ever reads? Fiona Banner describes ‘Apocalypse now’ in 995 pages. 

135 Yvonne Rainer – Space Body Language Yilmaz Dziewior, Barbara Engelbach (Eds) Selitsch Weig Kunsthaus Bregenz 2012

‘Yvonne Rainer, Space Body Language’ shows the American choreographer’s work and some nice Fluxus ephemera.

134 2 + 52 Jan P. Boterman Melle + de typografieklas De Buitenkant 2005

Some cover designs are so subtle that you almost miss them: ‘2 + 52’, Charles Jongejans, Melle + de typografieklas, en Mart Stam, designed and edited by Jan P. Boterman, published by Uitgeverij De Buitenkant, Amsterdam, 2005.

133 Sandberg Pieter Brattinga Pieter Brattinga Kosmos 1975

By looking at a book’s index you can measure the quality of its design. ‘Sandberg’, Kosmos Pub., 1975, is one of Pieter Brattinga’s best book designs and a thoroughly enjoyable book.

132 The Cosmological Eye Henry Miller unknown New Directions 1939

Henry Miller: ‘The Cosmological Eye’, 1939 – from the library of Philip L. Field, Kenneth Goldsmith’s grandfather via @thejournalinc.

131 Variantology V Siegfried Zielinski, Eckhard Furlus (Eds) Silke Fahnert Uwe Koch König 2011

Ever heard of the exciting Variantology Project? Naples centered Vol. V is a great read: Neapolitan Affairs, edited by Siegfried Zielinkski and Eckhard Fürlus, designed by Silke Fahnert and Uwe Koch.

130 The Architecture of the City Aldo Rossi Massimo Vignelli Oppositions Books 1966

Aldo Rossi’s ‘The Architecture of the City’, designed by Massimo Vignelli, is still a key text – not only for architects – and worth re-reading.

129 A Book About Some People and Time Myung Feyen Carvalho Bernau Self-published 2011

It’s always fun when Susana and Kai @at_cb come for a visit and we can exchange new ideas or books. Their ‘A Book About Some People and Time’ for artist Myung Feyen is incredibly musical – a polyphonic fugue. 

128 Vorzüge der Absichtslosigkeit Peter Piller Christoph Keller Revolver 2004

This book featuring Peter Piller’s ‘Office Drawings’ is rather poetically titled ‘Advantages of Non-intentionality’ (published and designed by Christoph Keller).

127 Zeitlose Kunst Ludwig Goldscheide unknown Phaidon Wien 1934

Publishing art in anti-art times: Ludwig Goldscheide: ‘Zeitlose Kunst’, Phaidon/Wien, 1934. It almost seems as though I have a weakness for books that are bound in raw linen and have bold lettering on their title page.

126 La Table Francis Ponge unknown Gallimard 1942

With ‘La Table’ Francis Ponge expands the author’s scope into the typographical. “Qu’est-ce que le silence dans la lecture? – Le silence est le sable des bruits.” Interesting article on Ponge’s Table in ‘Backcover Magazine’ 1/2008 (incidentally one of the last design mags worth reading).

125 Notations Archiv 1 Carsten Nicolai, Daniela Haufe, Detlef Fiedler (Eds) Klasse Systemdesign HGB Leipzig Raster Noton 2006

‘Notations Archiv 1’, raster-noton: You can learn so much about typography by translating, i.e. notating music. This bookish box is the output of a project at the Academy of Visual Arts, Leipzig, supervised by Cyan and Carsten Nicolai. Each volume is designed by a different student. Hardly could decide which one to show – they’re all so beautiful.

124 New Waves Takashi Homma unknown Parco View 2007

There are so many waves to surf ...

123 Lo Studio Boggeri 1933-1981 Bruno Monguzzi Bruno Monguzzi Electa 1981

Sharp Shooting: ‘Lo Studio Boggeri 1933-1981’, Electa, designed by Bruno Monguzzi.

122 Dieter Roth Inserate Dieter Roth Stephan Fiedler Edizioni Periferia 2010

Dieter Roth: ‘Advertisements’. “Those pages are like a junkyard. So I thought I’d just stick a little tear in them.” After 114 ads, the newspaper terminated the contract, supposedly because readers had complained. This book was carefully designed by Stephan Fiedler.

121 Mein Autobuch unknown unknown Pestalozzi

My first book ever. The disproportionately large VW Beetle shaped my early childhood design preferences.

120 Klankteksten Liesbeth Crommelin Wim Crouwel Stedelijk Museum 1971

Some books age with grace, even when they are printed on ephemeral paper containing wood pulp – like this one, designed by Wim Crouwel, which has become even more touching through browning.

119 Vilém Flusser Vilém Flusser Philipp Luidl Typographische Gesellschaft München 1993

I love this strangely ephemeral cover with printed scratches designed by Philipp Luidl 1993 for Typographische Gesellschaft München. Vilém Flusser: ‘Typen und Charaktere, Vortrag für die TGM’, 1993.

118 Die Schöne Schrift František Muzika Milan Hegar Dausien 1965

From time to time the two thick volumes of František Muzika’s ‘Die Schöne Schrift’ are on my desk. The book is not only fun to read, but also packed with cultural and historical information and probably the only treatise on typography in German at this level of completeness. Unfortunately there is only this German translation published by Dausien and the Czech original ‘Krásné písmo ve vyvoji latinky’.

117 The Situationist International Stefan Zweifel, Juri Steiner, Heinz Stahlhut (Eds) Marie Lusa JRP Ringier 2007

If you are even basically interested in the Situationist International, you need this book (headline = title). Designed by Marie Lusa and published by JRP Ringier.

116 Cindy Sherman Cindy Sherman Lars Hall Hasselblad Center 2000

Some books have something to hide, as does this beauty designed by Lars Hall AB.

115 Uncreative Writing Kenneth Goldsmith unknown Columbia University Press 2011

Kenneth Goldsmith’s ‘Uncreative Writing’ won me over right from its title. It’s an unexspectedly good read.

114 3rd Person Archive John Stezaker Yes König 2009

John Stezaker’s ‘3rd Person Archive’, subtly designed by YESstudio, features the smallest image sizes ever seen.

113 Deutsches Mosaik Dieter Hildebrandt, Siegfried Unseld (Eds) Otl Aicher Suhrkamp 1972

Otl Aicher put this book with fold-out dustjacket on the nightstand of every athlete at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The reader-friendly “Bible replacement” is set flush left, ragged right, in Walbaum and Univers 45.

112 Thomas Hirschhorn Thomas Hirschhorn Vasco König 2012

Thomas Hirschhorn, ‘Kurt Schwitters-Plattform: Untere Kontrolle’, Sprengel Museum, 2012. The designers (Vasco, Paris) used an interesting Mercator revival credited as Mercator CC by Charles Mazé.

111 Essentials in Conducting Karl Wilson Gehrkens unknown Oliver Ditson 1919

Some old books look as if they were hip artefacts of our time ... 

110 Serpentine Pavilion Alexander Kluge Henrik Nygren König 2011

Wonderful essay by Alexander Kluge in an exciting book designed by Henrik Nygren on Zumthor’s Serpentine pavilion.

109 Geschichte der Mechanischen Prinzipien István Szabó Albert Gomm Birkhäuser 1987

​István Szabó, ‘Geschichte der Mechanischen Prinzipien und ihrer wichtigsten Anwendungen’, Birkhäuser, 1976. I feel more and more attracted to the dry typography of the underrated Swiss designer Albert Gomm.

108 The Typographic Contribution to Language Robert Waller Robert Waller Private print 1987

There is way too little demanding reflection on typography. Robert Waller fills this vacuum with his profound research ... He has made most of his texts available online, including his thesis which I printed and bound.

107 Le Spectacle Dans La Rue Anna Boggeri, Bruno Monguzzi, Foldesna Boggeri (Eds) The Red Box Capelli 2005

Le Spectacle Dans la Rue’, Capelli, 2005. If you could only own one book on poster design, this would be it.

106 Frank Lloyd Wright Autobiography Frank Lloyd Wright unknown Duell, Sloan, and Pearce 1943

Sunday reading: ‘Frank Lloyd Wright – An Autobiography’. Found my copy 15 years ago in the far corner of an antiquarian bookstore in Hanover, New Hampshire, for one dollar. (On the return-flight my luggage was 20 kg overweight. Those were the days before internet bookshops were born.)

105 Dan Graham Dan Graham unknown König 1972

To print the contents page on the cover is not an invention of our time – ‘Dan Graham’, published by Walther König in 1972.

104 Aicher and Enzensberger for BMW Hans Magnus Enzensberger Walter Schwaiger TransAtlantik 1981

Back when advertising could have cultural value. Concept: Otl Aicher, text: Hans Magnus Enzensberger (!), who also started this magazine. Müller-Brockmann drew a strange typeface for the headlines.

103 Investigation Into the Physical Properties of Books W. A. Dwiggins W. A. Dwiggins Private print 1919

W. A. Dwiggins published an ‘Investigation Into the Physical Properties of Books’ in 1919, concluding that “All Books of the Present Day Are Badly Made”. Probably any ambitious designer of any generation would find that Dwiggins’s chart applies to their own day.

102 A Young Patriot in the American Revolution Jim Murphy Bradbury Thompson West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company 1981

‘A Young Patriot in the American Revolution’, 1981. Good book design knows how to tell stories. As in this private edition elegantly designed by the great Bradbury Thompson. He said: “I believe an avid interest in Type necessarily includes a zest for everyday life.”

101 Hölderlin Friedrich Hölderlin D. E. Sattler Roter Stern 1976

‘Friedrich Hölderlin – Sämtliche Werke’, Frankfurter Ausgabe, Vol. 6. Typographic translations of pure poetry.

100 Alvar Aalto Alvar Aalto Karl Mannhart Editions Girsberger 1963

An all time favourite – for the cover typography as well as the architect!

99 Our Home Shek Kip Mei Vincent Yu Luk Chi Cheong MCCM 2007

This is the only book I own that is housed in a cloth dust-jacket. It is a photobook dedicated to the people who lived at Shek Kip Mei housing estate, Hong Kong, from 1954 to 2006.

98 L’effet Gutenberg Fernand Baudin Fernand Baudin Éditions du Cercle de la Librairie 1994

Re-reading Baudin’s faboulous book ‘L’effet Gutenberg’ – or at least trying to – with a French dictionary, as no translation exists. Baudin reflects not only on the art of typography, but on the design of the page and the ever-changing means of printing and designing with type.

97 Soy Cuba Carole Goodman, Claudio Sotolongo Carole Goodman Trilce Ediciones 2011

Carole Goodman, Claudio Sotolongo and Stephen Heller present post-revolutionary Cuban cinema posters. Don’t be fooled by the cover – there are many gems in this book.

96 Complete Penguin Shakespeare William Shakespeare Hans Schmoller Penguin 1969

Hans Schmoller’s economical typography for the ‘Complete Penguin Shakespeare’, published in 1969, is pure and convincing. 

95 Voyage au bout de la nuit Louis-Ferdinand Céline unknown Demoël et Steele 1932

I have a love-hate relationship with Celine’s prose. It eviscerates everything around him, as well as himself.

94 Persistent Huts Derek Sullivan Derek Sullivan Printed Matter 2008

Derek Sullivan: ‘Persistent Huts‘ (published 2008). Books are architecture built out of ‘Psychobuildings’ ... 

93 File Under Architecture Herbert Muschamp Muriel Cooper MIT Press 1974

Architecture is a word – Muriel Cooper created this book with a handmade feel and a bad bookbinder, but nevertheless it’s an immaculate design. 

92 Introduction to Typography Oliver Simon Oliver Simon Faber and Faber 1954

Every typography nerd should internalise this quote on the title page of Oliver Simon’s ‘Introduction to Typography’: “The old artists of the classical school were never egotists. Egotism has been and remains responsible for many defects of modern typography.”

91 Allora & Calzadilla Jennifer Allora, Guillermo Calzadilla Yes König 2010

Weight can be a surprising as well as awe-inspiring means of design – as in this strange beauty. ‘Allora & Calzadilla & Etcetera’, Koenig Books, 2009, designed by Yes.

90 Capitolo Zero Giovanna Sandri Giovanna Sandri Lerici Editore 1969

A typographical score of exceptional beauty: Giovanna Sandri: ‘Capitolo Zero’ (published by Lerici Editore in 1969). ‘Capitolo Zero’ è una avventura dentro il segno (Capitolo Zero is an adventure inside a dream).

89 Book Look Book Jörg Koopmann Keller Maurer Design Book with a Beard 2011

Book Look Book’: While sitting at his bookfair stand, Jörg Koopman took beautiful photos of beautiful people looking at his books – beautifully executed by Keller Maurer Design. For best separations around ask Christian Albrecht – he also made this book shine and gave me one of his rare voucher copies – many thanks.

88 The Aims of Education Alfred North Whitehead unknown Free Press 1916

“Culture is the activity of thought, and receptiveness to beauty and humane feeling. Scraps of information have nothing to do with it. A merely well-informed man is the most useless bore on God’s earth” – thus Alfred North Whitehead writes in this seminal book.

87 Paul Strand Paul Strand, Basil Davidson unknown VEB Verlag der Kunst 1962

Paul Strand’s ‘Land der Gräser’ was sensitively laid out, typeset and gravure printed in the former East Germany in 1962. It seems to me that people in the 1960s were less afraid of black in black-and-white reproductions. Maybe “blackness” is nowadays felt to be a metaphor for death.

86 Bill Drummond – 17 Bill Drummond unknown Penkiln Burn 2008

I really love Bill Drummond’s books. If only his UK printers had a sensibility for the running direction of paper. ‘To burn a million quid’ (one of Drummond’s best works) seems to have become a normal practice today. 

85 Dick Higgins Dick Higgins unknown Something Else Press 1969

‘Foew&ombwhnw’ by Dick Higgins, Something Else Press, 1969 – Another bible: this book is nothing but great!

84 On Semantic Poetry Stefan Themerson unknown Gaberbocchus 1975

In his ‘Semantic Sonata’ Themerson structures text prosodically with ‘semantic typography’. “One can understand the Themersonian ‘Internal Vertical Justification’ as a special case of what designers know as alignment”, writes Kinross in his Froshaug book, “whereby elements within a visual field are given order by letting them run from or to the same vertical axis.”

83 Lesen Stanislas Dehaene Buch-Werkstatt Knaus 2007

Stanislas Dehaene’s book on reading is not visually appealing, but essential to every typographic designer’s library. English edition here.

82 Travels in Modern Architecture Howard Robertson, Francis Rowland Yerbury (Eds) unknown Architectural Associationun 1989

This fake leather cover from 1989 feels throughly modern with poetic reference to its title. A good read, by the way!

81 Art Eric Gill Eric Gill Bodley Head 1934

Two small books on somehow interrelated issues written and designed by Eric Gill. ‘Art’ was published by The Bodley Head in 1934. This is the fourth edition of 1950, regrettably reset in Bodoni.

80 Unemployment Eric Gill Eric Gill Faber and Faber 1933

Two small books on somehow interrelated issues written and designed by Eric Gill. Well worth rereading. ‘Unemployment’ was published by Faber & Faber in 1933.

79 Im Laboratorium der Moderne Matthias Noell Prill Vieceli Cremers gta Verlag 2011

Matthias Noell: ‘Im Laboratorium der Moderne’ (published 2011). A reading book on Doesburg that reveals its secrets at second sight.

78 Book of a Thousand Tongues Eric M. North unknown United Bible Societies 1972

One of the most exciting books on typography I own. The ‘Book of a Thousand Tongues’ (here second edition, published in 1972) features facsimile images of Bible excerpts in 1399 languages.

77 Valerio Olgiati Valerio Olgiati Dino Simonett Birkhäuser 2011

Two fine booklets on ‘Valerio Olgiati’, designed by Dino Simonett (with Bruno Margreth) – the square shape being a lecture.

76 Vom Bau der Kirche Rudolf Schwarz unknown Lambert Schneider 1947

Rudolf Schwarz: ‘Vom Bau der Kirche’ (published 1947). Angelic conceptual illustrations between architectural drawings and pictograms. And, as a counterpoint, typography with Gill sans, nicely printed with letterpress.

75 Ed Ruscha – Writings Ed Ruscha, Alexandra Schwartz (Eds) Graphic Composition MIT Press 2002

Ed Ruscha, ‘Leave Any Information at the Signal. Writings’, published in 2002. Enjoyed this book and its cover, a loaded conceptual gesture.

74 A Good Book John Körmeling Geertjan Dusseljee Van Abbemuseum 2002

Books that start on the title page are often good books – as is this one: John Körmeling: ‘A Good Book’, designed by Geertjan Dusselje (published 2002).

73 Music Box Katja Blomberg (Ed.) Hermann Hülsenberg Studio König 2011

William Engelen, ‘Music Box’. A simple and elegant catalogue reminiscent of a musical score for artist-composer Engelen.

72 Die neue Stadt Markus Kutter, Lucius Burckhardt, Max Frisch (Eds) Karl Gerstner Felix Handschin 1956

‘Basler politische Schriften 1-3’, edited by Markus Kutter, designed by Karl Gerstner, Verlag Felix Handschin, Basel, 1955-56. It’s fascinating to see how the typographical skill, expression and formal refinement of the young Karl Gerstner has evolved over these three publications. Here: ‘Basler politische Schriften 3 – Die neue Stadt’.

71 Achtung: die Schweiz Markus Kutter, Lucius Burckhardt, Max Frisch (Eds) Karl Gerstner Felix Handschin 1955

‘Basler politische Schriften 1-3’, edited by Markus Kutter, designed by Karl Gerstner, Verlag Felix Handschin, Basel, 1955-56. It’s fascinating to see how the typographical skill, expression and formal refinement of the young Karl Gerstner has evolved over these three publications. Here: ‘Basler politische Schriften 2 – Achtung: die Schweiz’.

70 Wir selber bauen unsre Stadt Markus Kutter, Lucius Burckhardt (Eds) Karl Gerstner Felix Handschin 1955

‘Basler politische Schriften 1-3’, edited by Markus Kutter, designed by Karl Gerstner, Verlag Felix Handschin, Basel, 1955-56. It’s fascinating to see how the typographical skill, expression and formal refinement of the young Karl Gerstner has evolved over these three publications. Here: ‘Basler politische Schriften 1 – Wir selber bauen unsre Stadt’.

69 Film Socialisme Jean-Luc Godard 2 Edit Diaphanes 2011

An appendix to a brilliant film in the form of a little book: Jean-Luc Godard, ‘Film Socialisme’.

68 Max Bill Max Bill Max Bill HFG Ulm 1956

An exceptionally awesome catalogue Max Bill designed in 1956. I get so excited whenever I take it off the shelf.

67 Otl Aicher, Gestalter Eva Moser Weidner Händle Hatje Cantz 2011

This book, designed and sent by my friend Berthold Weidner, arrived today. Will not open until Xmas – at least I’ll try not to.

66 Design and Crime Hal Foster Rumors Studio Verso 2002

Maybe this book (strange line break on the cover, don’t have a clue what it wants to say) shouldn’t lie on my nightstand. It infiltrates my dreams.

65 Der Mut zur Wahrheit Michel Foucault Willy Fleckhaus Suhrkamp 2010

Michel Foucault: ‘Der Mut zur Wahrheit’ (English edition). Astonishing hallucinogenic documents ... 

64 Ein Gespräch mit Louise Bourgeois Donald Kuspit Silke Fahnert, Uwe Koch Piet Meyer 2011

An engaging read for a Sunday with a lightly falling snow: How to live 98 years without growing old. 

63 Another Scale of Architecture Junya Ishigami Rie Shimoda Seigensha 2009

There is something about white books: Junya Ishigami: ‘Another Scale of Architecture’. Not only the cover is pristine.

62 Thoughts on Design Paul Rand Paul Rand Wittenborn 1947

Paul Rand, ‘Thoughts on Design’, 1947. How playful an emboss can be – beautiful.

61 Joseph Moxon – Mechanick Exercises Harry Carter, Herbert Davis (Eds) Charles Batey Oxford University Press 1958

Re-reading Moxon’s ‘Mechanick Exercises’. My copy is a gift Berthold Wolpe gave to Folio font designer Konrad F. Bauer.

60 Die Lochkameras von Peter Olpe Peter Olpe Wolfgang Weingart Peter Olpe 1992
A pleasant booklet on Peter Olpe’s pinhole cameras, designed by Wolfgang Weingart in 1992.
59 Andor Foldes – Erinnerungen Andor Foldes R. Benens Limes 1993

Andor Foldes: ‘Erinnerungen’. I bought this book for one eurocent. The best Bartók interpreter is a wonderful storyteller.

Listen! These are wonderful recordings I recommend without reservation: I II

58 Alfred Stieglitz – The Key Set Sarah Greenough Derek Birdsall Abrams 2002

Alfred Stieglitz, ‘The Key Set’, Vol. II, designed by Derek Birdsall. Stieglitz’s clouds – Equivalents – are pure poetry.

57 What is a Designer? Norman Potter Robin Kinross Hyphen 1969

Another book to read again and again: Norman Potter, ‘What Is a Designer?’ wholeheartedly recommended (here the revised third edition from 1989).

56 Design for the Real World Victor Papanek unknown Academy Chicago Publishers 1970

Important books by designers, part II: Victor Papanek: ‘Design For The Real World’. Read the section on the Ulm School of Design (p. 227).

55 Kulturbolschewismus Paul Renner Paul Renner Eugen Rentsch 1932

‘Kulturbolschewismus?’ – old and new. It’s seldom that designers have the guts and the sense to write essential books (first edition published in 1932, reprint with annotations by Roland Reuss and Peter Staengle published in 2003).

54 From Afar it was an Island Bruno Munari Bruno Munari Corraini 2006

Bruno Munari, ‘From Afar It Was an Island’. Nice, but dear Italian printers: paper has a running direction!

53 Slanted 16 Slanted Slanted Slanted 2011

“Dieser ganze aufgeblasene Designballon – ich hasse den wie die Pest (This whole overblown design balloon – I hate it like the plague!)”. Jost Hochuli in an interview in Slanted 16.

52 The Clock Christian Marclay Laurent Benner White Cube 2010

Christian Marclay’s ‘The Clock’ is a fine, thick artist’s book. Every minute of a day is represented by a film still. I like the noble restraint of Laurent Benner’s design, but I don’t quite get the fashion for ugly justified text.

51 How to Speak Japanese Correctly K. Akada, J. Satomi unknown Seisoku Nihon-Go-Gaku 1918

‘How to Speak Japanese Correctly’ – the thingness of books is an experience generator.

50 On Writing Well William Zinsser unknown Autorenhaus 1976

If you don’t like the cover but the book, make your own jacket. Essential reading for every designer by the way. It’s also a book on design in a metaphorical sense. Ugly German edition (the translation is better than the original cover design – under my jacket).

49 Re-Objekt Gerhard Merz Gerhard Merz Richter 2007

Gerhard Merz is striving for the absolute, for perfection. What he left out of the equation: bookbinding. 

48 Long Life Cool White Moyra Davey Katie Andresen Yale University Press 2008

Very well worth reading! My copy met with an accident, which seems to undermine its title (no pun intended). 

47 Viviane Sassen Viviane Sassen Sybren Kuiper Prestel 2011

Viviane Sassen, ‘Parasomnia’. “I try to make images that confuse me”, she says, “and I hope they confuse others, too.”

46 Griffelkunst 2001-2010 Dirk Dobke, Harald Rüggeberg Michael Sauer Griffelkunst 2011

I like this book. It’s beautifully executed without falling into the trap of wanting to be stylish.

45 Arnold Schönberg Arnold Schönberg Günther Stiller Universal Edition 1968

Beautiful edition of Schoenberg’s tight-knit piano oeuvre by typographer Günther Stiller.

44 Rietveld’s Chair Marijke Kuper Lex Reitsma NAi Uitgevers 2011

‘Rietveld’s Chair’ (NAi Publishers, 2012): ‘A book with a film by Lex Reitsma’. Enjoyed both, as well as the unobstrusive design.

43 Das Buch Klaus Scherübel Klaus Scherübel König 2001

The book as a concept: Klaus Scherübel’s object of an unpublished book by Mallarmé consists of nothing but a dustjacket.

42 Zehn Hoch Ray and Charles Eames Henri Wirthner Zweitausendeins 1994

Eames, ‘Zehn Hoch’. The eccentric ragged left vs. right layout by Henri Wirthner works fine here and looks almost classical.

41 Notizen zum Kinematographen Robert Bresson Alexander Wewerka Alexander Verlag 2007

On my nightstand: Bresson’s musings on cinema (which is of course just another field of design). At least there’s a French edition of the Bresson book by Gallimard – don’t know if it’s available in English.

40 Spielplatz und Gemeinschaftszentrum Alfred Ledermann, Alfred Trachsel Ernst Scheidegger Gerd Hatje 1959

‘Public space’ sounds like a promise from a time when man was a participant rather than a spectator in the growth of a city. Most contemporary graphic design seems solely rhetorical. I wish we could reestablish a meaningful non-artsy discourse on important questions of our profession.

39 Jan Tschichold Rudolf Hostettler (Ed.) Jan Tschichold Schweizerischer Typographenverbund 1972

Not exactly a book, but a publication I love: Typografische Monatsblätter 4/1972 on Jan Tschichold.

38 Katsura Yasufumi Nakamori Daphne Geismar Yale University Press 2010

This book by Daphne Geismar (published 2010) is a gem. Beautifully designed and produced. Only the binding could have been better, without PUR.

37 Das dtv-Taschenbuch und die Akzidenz-Grotesk H. Berthold AG Celestino Piatti Berthold AG

Back when publishers had a recognisable house-style: Celestino Piatti for dtv, using Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk. 

36 What Will Be Has Always Been Richard Saul Wurman Richard Saul Wurman Access Press 1986

The Words of Louis I. Kahn (published 1986): an inspiring book with a beautiful cover, designed by Richard Saul Wurman. Gathers Kahn’s speeches, writings, interviews and journal entries and shares the reminiscences of fellow architects.

35 Projet pour un livre. Projet pour un film. Nico Dockx, Helena Sidiropoulos Nico Dockx, Jean-Michel Meyers Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts 2009

Nico Dockx published this catalogue on Broodthaers with blacked out images due to unresolved copyright issues in 2009. 

34 German Ephemerides Fritz Werle unknown O.W. Barth 1950

When our future was written in the stars and typesetting was hard work: ‘German Ephemerides, 1951-1960 (midnight)’. 

33 Circle Leslie Martin, Ben NIcholson, Naum Gabo Barbara Hepworth Faber and Faber 1937

The marvellous English bible of modernism (An International Survey of Constructive Art, published 1937). Writings from Corbusier to Neutra, from Mondrian to Tschichold.

32 Des Kaisers Kulis Theodor Plievier John Heartfield Malik 1930

John Heartfield had this wonderful idea of using the spine as a teaser to the book in 1930 (Malik Verlag, Berlin).

31 No Photographing Timm Rautert Sarah Winter Steidl 2011

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image: Timm Rautert’s beautiful Amish and Hutterite photos, finally published in 2011. 

30 Vinyl Guy Schraenen Guy Schraenen Neues Museum Weserburg 2005

A book I love a lot (apart from its dust jacket, which I removed): ‘Vinyl Records and Covers By Artists’. 

29 Some Trifles Which Make for Perfection Carl Purington Rollins Carl Purington Rollins George McKibbin 1949

‘Some Trifles Which Make for Perfection’: Carl Purington Rollins’s discourse on details in typography (‘A Brief Discourse on the Details of Setting-up of Footnotes, Bibliographies, and Indexes – Applicable to Any Kind of Type and Any Size of Book’, published in 1949).

28 Saul Bass Jennifer Bass Bass Jennifer Laurence King 2011

Published by Laurence King in 2011. Jennifer’s book on her father Saul Bass is one of the few must-have graphic design publications. Love it. 

27 Koerners Werke Theodor Koerner Harry Graf Kessler, Emery Walker Insel 1906

Großherzog Wilhelm Ernst Edition (‘Koerners Werke’, published in 1906): a most ergonomic reading tool with a pleasant tactile sensation. Titles drawn by Eric Gill. 

26 Italo Modern Martin und Werner Feiersinger Schmid Willi Springer 2012

Beautiful (but strange) architecture in a strange (but beautiful) book, designed by Willi Schmid, Vienna. 

25 The Secret War Between Downloading and Uploading Peter Lunenfeld Roettinger Brian MIT Press 2011

“All animals download, but only a few upload anything besides shit and their own bodies.” Interesting book but ugh! Ugliest fast-food binding ever: Read and dispose. 

24 Selbstdenker und Systemdenker Karl Heinz Bohrer Klaus Detjen Hanser 2011

A new book by Karl Heinz Bohrer: ‘Selbstdenker und Systemdenker’. ‘Confessions of an Independent Thinker’. 

23 Art and Plastics Franco Passoni AG Fronzoni Industria Pubblicazioni Audiovisivi 1975

The book as sculpture: ‘AG Fronzoni – Art and Plastics’, 1975. Not only is the container awesome, so is the book.

22 Paul Otlet unknown unknown unknown

A book by Le Corbusier I found in a film: ‘The Man Who Wanted to Classify the World’ – Paul Otlet.

21 How to Use Your Eyes James Elkins unknown Routledge 2000

Not so beauftiful in terms of design, but for the ravishing stories it unfolds. 

20 Morton Feldman – Essays Morton Feldman Zentralsatz Dieter Noe Beginner Press 1985

Definitely one of the brightest minds in 20th century music. Feldman’s essays are seminal texts. Here is an interview with Morton Feldman in German.

19 Josef Koudelka – Roma Josef Koudelka Sarah Winter Steidl 2011

Only Steidl knows how to catch up with gravure printing. Impressive! Read this article in the German newspaper ‘TAZ’.

18 Das Watt Alfred Ehrhardt Richard von Sichowsky Heinrich Ellermann 1937

Alfred Ehrhardt: ‘Das Watt’. Outstandingly well printed in sheet fed gravure printing, published by Ellermann, 1937.

17 The Philosophical Palace James Lee Byars Gerd Fleischmann Galerie Michael Werner 1986

Gerd Fleischmann designed this book on James Lee Byars in 1986. Still one of my favourites and one of his best.

16 The Internet and Everyone John Chris Jones John Chris Jones Ellipsis 2000

I always come back to this wonderful small thick book by John Chris Jones: ‘The Internet and Everyone’. A must-read.

15 Walter Niedermayr – Appearances Walter Niedermayr Mevis & Van Deursen Skira 2011

What makes this Mevis & Van Deursen book on Walter Niedermayr spectacular is how unspectacular it is.

14 Armand Schulthess Hans-Ulrich Schlumpf Elektrosmog Edition Patrick Frey 2011

The most beautiful book Elektrosmog ever made: awesome materiality, erotic tactile sensation. Feel it, pictures won’t tell you the whole story.

13 Steve Jobs Walter Isaacson Seitenweise C. Bertelsmann 2011

Conspiracy! The last page of ‘Steve Jobs’ by Walter Isaacson, German edition.

12 Schweizer Fotobücher Peter Pfrunder Integral Lars Müller Lars Müller 2012

Way too heavy to read in bed, nonetheless beautifully executed, as is nearly everything from @LarsMullerBooks.

11 Apollo Amerika Ferdinand Kriwet Willy Fleckhaus Suhrkamp 1969

Finest Fluxus: Kriwet’s ‘Apollo Amerika’, published in 1969 by Edition Suhrkamp – a typographer’s delight. If you are looking for a copy you may find one available here.

10 Guy de Cointet Marie de Brugerolle, Larry Bell, Gérard Wajcman (Eds) Gavillet & Rust JRP Ringier 2011

Striking little book by Gavillet & Rust @optimofoundry on Guy de Cointet – a strange but fascinating artist.

9 Das befremdliche Überleben des Neoliberalismus Colin Crouch Willy Fleckhaus Suhrkamp 2011

“But what do we do when the assertion of national citizenship rights becomes our only defence against the power of trans-national corporations to disrupt our lives?” A must-read. 

8 Metabolism Talks Rem Koolhaas, Hans-Ulrich Obrist (Eds) Harvard Graduate School of Design Taschen 2011

Usually I don’t like Irma Boom’s flamboyant design, but here it works: ‘Project Japan – Metabolism Talks’ (published 2011).

7 Kultur Digital Hedy Graber, Dominik Landwehr, Veronika Sellier (Eds) Glashaus Christoph Merian Verlag 2011

Last Week at Frankfurt Book Fair 2011, Part 7: “Finale” with a beautiful book designed by Glashaus – Gregor Huber and Ivan Sterzinger. The digital revels in the analogue. Form and content coalesce in an exciting compendium. This design has thoroughly analogue qualities – ergonomic typography, fine-grained materials, judicious use of a vocabulary well under control. Unfortunately the PUR binding makes the book difficult to open. An almost perfect book.

6 Colored Waters Cécile Wick Büro 146 Scheidegger & Spiess 2011

Last Week at Frankfurt Book Fair 2011, Part 6: The most sensual experience: ‘Cécile Wick – Colored Waters’ – a tactile delight. 

5 Maurizio Cattelan Maurizio Cattelan, Nancy Spector (Eds) Chad Kloepfer Guggenheim Museum Publications 2011

Last Week at Frankfurt Book Fair 2011, Part 5: A beautiful ‘bible’ for Maurizio Cattelan’s installation @Guggenheim.

4 Ernst Schurtenberger Heinz Widauer, Christine Anliker (Eds) Velvet Scheidegger & Spiess 2011

Last Week at Frankfurt Book Fair 2011, Part 4: ‘Ernst Schurtenberger 1931 – 2006’, published by Scheidegger & Spiess. Not sure if this binding works. Nice idea and book anyway. 

3 Videogramme Hannes Rickli Hubertus Design Scheidegger & Spiess 2011

Last Week at Frankfurt Book Fair 2011, Part 3: ‘Videogramme’, published by Scheidegger & Spiess. Look at the spine. The bookbinder’s precision scares me. 

2 Atlas Transformace Zbyněk Baladrán, Vít Havránek, Věra Krejčová (Eds) Adéla Svobodová JRP Ringier (english edition) 2010

Last Week at Frankfurt Book Fair 2011, Part 2: ‘Atlas Transformace’. Stunning. English edition available!

1 Typografins Väg Marcus Gärde Marcus Gärde Bachgärde Förlag 2010

Last week at Frankfurt Book Fair 2011, Part 1: Marcus Gärde, ‘Typografins Väg, Volym I, II: en guide för morgondagens typografer’ (a guide for tomorrow’s typographers).