1000 Chairs (Taschen 25) [Deluxe Edition] [Paperback]

Charlotte Fiell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 382284103X | ISBN-13: 978-3822841037 | Publication Date: April 1, 2005 | Edition: 25th

The ubiquitous chair in all its shapes and forms (TASCHEN's 25th anniversary special edition) More than any other piece of furniture, the chair has been subjected to the wildest dreams of the designers. The particular curve of a back-rest, or the twist of a leg, the angle of a seat or the colour of the entire artefact all reflect the stylistic consciousness of each era. From Gerrit Rietveld and Alvar Aalto via Verner Panton to Eva Zeisel; from Art Nouveau to International Style, from Pop Art to Postmodernism, the phenomenon of the chair is so complex that it requires a reference work as comprehensive as this to do it full justice. They are all here: Thonet's bentwood chairs and Hoffmann's sitting-machines, Marcel Breuer's Wassily chair and Ron Arad's avant garde armchairs. The book, a slightly abbreviated version of our classic title 1000 Chairs, devotes one page to each chair, displayed on its own as pure form, with biographical and historical information about the chair.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sleek, stuffed, buttoned, or bent, in the den or the dining room, the chair is an indicator of its owner's identity. Chairs make up much of the interior landscape of our homes and workplaces, and a comfortable chair is considered a great asset in either location. A rigorous survey of the last 150 years of chairs, 1000 Chairs is a pictorial guide to the axiom "you are where you sit." Writers Charlotte and Peter Fiell argue that, as well as being an icon of identity, the chair is a form through which designers engage in social, political, and even ergonomic rhetoric. A good example is George Nelson's mass-produced modular seating system. Geometrical in design, its austere, mostly rectilinear lines are efficient and economical. The book follows developments and mutations in chair design from the days before art deco through the rise of modernity and into the mid-'90s, when designers like Philippe Starck used such materials as recycled plastic and injection molded polypropylene.

In total there are more than the 1000 advertised illustrations, and each is accompanied by a small text describing the significance of the chair and its designer. The book includes more than 100 capsule biographies of such designers as Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Adolph Loos, and Marcel Breuer. The only problem with 1000 Chairs is, ironically, its own ergonomics. At about eight by six inches and nearly 800 pages, it is an unwieldy little tome. That aside, this is a great book--a must for anyone interested in sitting down. --Loren E. Baldwin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English, French, German (translation)
Original Language: English --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Taschen; 25th edition (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 382284103X
• ISBN-13: 978-3822841037
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Arts & Photography > Design & Decorative Arts > Furniture Design

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a small book with big content, March 5, 2000

By 

Ping Lim (Christchurch) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1000 Chairs (Klotz) (Paperback)

This is a very informative reference book on chairs. The introduction summarises succinctly the significance of chairs in our day to day life. It's not only something that we could sit on. The book is conveyed in 3 different languages, illustrated with mixtures of colour & B&W pictures. Biographies of the designers & manufacturers' information come in rather handy indeed. Brief descriptions of chairs are useful at times but then again, I'm finding the descriptions too brief for my full understanding. If the book is too technical, this would turn off general public who merely want to have a general overview on designer or lifestyle chairs. The book was published in 1997 & needless to say, more new chairs would have come out by now. Then again, I'm not complaining considering that almost all modern classics chairs are included. I think it's quite risky to try to squeeze too much information into one book. Having said that, this book deserves a spot on my coffee-table for being a well presented book (as we expect of Taschen) & as a good talking point.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're into design, this is your design bible., December 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: 1000 Chairs (Klotz) (Paperback)

'1000 chairs' is an easy, pictorial guide through 20th Century chair-design. The pictures are very professional, and they all have short texts to briefly explain the significance and context of that particular chair. The chairs are placed in the order of which they were made, which allows you to understand and see the style of that period. The book also shows you how significant CHAIR design is in the world of design and architecture, as that is where styles most commonly makes its first appearance. As a design student, '1000 chairs' has been invaluable in my understanding of designs and period styles, as well as a great introduction to designers/architects and their personal styles. The book has become a good and helpful friend, and there is nothing about the book I feel is missing or shouldn't be there. I don't know where I would have been without it!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very useful resource, January 16, 2000

By 

imian (Oshkosh | WI | USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1000 Chairs (Klotz) (Paperback)

As a graphic designer who explores industrial design with great interest, I bought this book when as soon as I saw it. I couldn't check it out thoroughly because it was wrapped. but the photography looked pretty good on the covers. Obviously this is a great resource for designers to go back to and see how one of the most influential pieces of furniture - the chair, developed throughout the ages, throughout the different design/art movements and revolutions. You get a good sense of the progression and this book covers a lot of designers I haven't heard of before, so it's really good to see the wide array of the designs, even though a lot of those designs are not nearly as good as other more known designers like Marcel Breuer, Marc Newson, Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe which the book also covers but I guess that's being fair.

As far as readabiltiy and design of the book, it could've been a lot better. Most of the photography featured in the book usually features a gradient lighting scene for the background of the chairs, which tremendously detracts from the design/formal value of the chairs - very distracting. One would appreciate the design and form so much more if these chairs were cropped out or were on a solid plane like they are on the cover. The book is also in three different languages, a little bit excessive and it does hinder the readablity, obviously covering three languages it cannot a significant amount of information to each chair.

I did however find this book very helpful for the developmental process of chairs throughout history and also being able to relate development styles/designers to each other. The end of the book also features little info on each designer. Definitely worth getting if your'e interested in industrial/furniture design.