Books Received: Summer 2008

A comment or two wouldn't hurt...

a bunch of books bound for the clearance bin.

Why would you say such a foolish thing, Angus?

Have you read all these books?

Do you think all books are bound for the clearance bin?

If you have a point to make, why don't you make it properly?

I have to agree with 'A book reader's' point of view on Angus's post. That really makes you sound like an utter moron Angus. It is true that the above publications range from niche to even-more-niche but the writers, publishers and designers involved in all of them care whole heartedly about the subject matter. If it weren't for their blood sweat and tears (they aren't doing it for the money) it would be a pretty colourless world we live in. It is idiotic to undermine their work and just angers me and I'm sure all of them immensely.

To the above point:

I can fully recommend Adrian Shaughnessy, Cover Art By: As a massive fan of the Sampler series I was thrilled to see the words of these designer's being included along side their stunning work in here.

Also the same for Modern Dog: 20 Years of Poster Art. It is truly a dying form and these guys show here how it can be done with intelligence and humour.

Also, as someone who teaches, there is no one out there right now that is able to breakdown the access point of graphic design like Ellen Lupton does. When I picked up Ellen Lupton & Phillips Jennifer Cole, Graphic Design: The New Basics I almost immediately added it to my first year student reading list.       

I am almost sad to say that I have only read three of the list but since going through them I have a great reference for future reading and in this time of going over it, I have actually already ordered a couple more.

Thank you the all of the people out there that care.

Perhaps Angus believes what he believes, and we can let it stand
at that. Some people, it seems, can utter a few words and that is
enough for them. Meanwhile, some people love to go on and on
about essentially mundane or worthless matters.

Perhaps what his less than verbose response means is that his
taste is above the ordinary, that is to say, even of the most elite
DesignObserver reader or blogger. Perhaps he is questioning
why there are so many books available in the world when most of
them are not only bound for the clearance section but are
absolute rubbish despite the assumptions of those embroiled in
the modern aesthetic of design book navel gazing.

I know many reviewers like myself who have seen so many
books come across my desk that I just glance through them
quickly, decide a similar thing as Angus does, and then it's off to
the bookstore to unload them for a dollar or two. Because, in
fact, irrespective of the liberal sentiment that some people do
"care", many books (including some of these) really are not worth
the paper they're printed on.

Etc etc.

Just a note to say that target="_blank">The Association of Art Museum Curators
recently honored Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design and
Culture at Midcentury with their top award for exhibition
catalogues for 2007 (Elizabeth Armstrong, curator, Orange County
Museum of Art).

Hey Harry,

You make a good point. I should reword my statement.

I would like to thank the people involved in publishing the titles listed above for the interest, research and work that they have put into these books. Publications that they will stand behind and defend as important, even knowing that a potential reviewer my be trucking them down the road to sell for pennies.

Harry is right though, the majority of the buying public won't pick up your book and deem it a worthy purchase. There are books above that I won't read. I would, however, like to believe that I have the ability to make that decision for myself without being judged on its outcome. (It is curious that someone who accuses people of being 'embroiled in the modern aesthetic of design book navel gazing' is on here reading these posts in the first place)

I would like to finish this by standing behind the word I was called out on, 'care'. I cared enough to post and Harry cared enough to counter my post. When it comes to the books on this list I wouldn't be wrong in saying that everyone involved in these books 'cared' about what they were doing. I 'care' about wanting to have a book industry (at least a small one) to pass on to my daughter and that means I have to 'care' enough to keep buying books (I don't get them free to review).

I obviously care about what Harry thinks too because I came back for more.

The Sentimental Liberal

Man, I WISH that I could find books like these on the discount shelf.

"Perhaps what his less than verbose response means is that
his taste is above the ordinary, that is to say, even of the most
elite DesignObserver reader or blogger."

How sad to have such elite taste that no outside
phenomenon (a book, a work of art, etc.) can penetrate the
tough carapace of self-assuredness. This makes for fine and
creatively thinking, (not to mention feeling) human being?

"...many reviewers like myself who have seen so many
books come across my desk that I just glance through them
quickly, decide a similar thing as Angus does, and then it's off to
the bookstore to unload them for a dollar or two. Because, in
fact, irrespective of the liberal sentiment that some people do
"care", many books (including some of these) really are not
worth the paper they're printed on.

Isn't there such a thing as being too self-assured? Isn't it
possible to miss something interesting when a mere list
of books is somehow threatening to the tyranny of one's inner
editor?

Don't let your heighty taste in design lit-trit-chure implode in on itself, now. No one but your alter ego will be impressed, anyway.
This obtuse, overly-refined "elite taste" won't lead you to those elusive gods of design, anyway. Just loneliness and prematurely receeding hairlines.

Thank you D.O. editors for the list of books.

I think the notion of these books being overlooked and doomed to the summer sale bin at Chapters is overly simplistic. It ignores the fact that most of these titles are probably printed in small runs and will be delivered to the kinds of places where people who want to read them will in fact pick them up.

You know: basic economics and all that.

Nah. Angus is right. They are like the bastard children of Taschen. Amusing for perhaps five minutes, and they become recognized for what they are. Fluff by the pound.

Perhaps you are just lazy, angus fan, and can't be bothered to make the effort to find out about anything, or to think.

It's much easier to act like you already know best.

I'd like to read Graphic Design History: A Critical Guide solely because I took a class with Johanna Drucker at UVa. I'm curious to see if her writing is a little less academic than her lectures (doubtful), but perhaps the presence of a second writer will make the book a bit more approachable and enjoyable than my introduction to media studies course. Drucker is as smart and friendly as they come, and overall she taught a good course, but one particularly long, after lunch, lecture on Descartes has kind of sullied my view on the class as a whole

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anyone who believes Sherry Turkle or Tom Vanderbilt or Richard Sennet or Deyan Sudjic or Johanna Drucker to be 'fluff by the pound' has obviously never bothered to crack the spine... Taschen is the worst thing to ever happen to art and design publishing (except maybe Phaidon)... one day designer's aversion to reading is going to bite them in the butt ;-)

I guess the real point here is, oh great, a big list of books. A little editing would be nice. Which ones are good, which ones are bad? Is there one I really need? Tell me which 5 of these the people at Design Observer think are really notable.