Catalog [Hardcover]

Carin Goldberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001

Carin Goldberg, ever on the lookout for useful images for her graphic projects, acquired a mail-order catalog dated winter 1951 to 1952. This two-pound "wish book" offered Americans everything they could ever need or hope to acquire. Here, Goldberg noted, were consumer goods presented as icons: brassieres and girdles were wonders of engineering, water heaters displayed as if they were pieces of sculpture - hundreds of pages of clothes and appliances and tools elevated to stellar status. In this very personal selection of more than 60 of these images, she prompts one to wonder about the objects themselves, how they are presented, what they meant then and what they mean now. Goldberg is very clear that the attraction is not the nostalgia these items evoke. The images she has chosen are pure forms, minimally decorative, juxtaposed to suggest further associations and ideas. The curve of a bodice mirrors the stitched seam of a basketball; a ceiling light's contours echo those of a flowing skirt. Isolated from any sales description, these pieces are seductive and alluring in a completely unexpected way. An introduction by curator Dorothy Twining Globus forms a context for these images, both past and present. Catalog is a jewel to hold, peruse, and enjoy. The book's stunning design features a specialty binding; the front cover is embellished simply by a custom metal plate bearing the title. For design aficionados, lovers of fashion, and students of visual culture, this sly celebration of American consumerism is a must-have item in itself.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

CARIN GOLDBERG is one of the most respected graphic designers working today. Her book jacket designs for clients such as Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Time Warner have twice earned her publishing's Literary Marketplace Award. Her work also has appeared in museum exhibitions and design publications, including Novum and Graphis.

DOROTHY TWINING GLOBUS is a renowned curator of fashion, design, and architecture who established her reputation at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York. From 1992 through 2000, she served as director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584791039
• ISBN-13: 978-1584791034
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,032,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars They cut down trees for this!, August 25, 2003

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Catalog (Hardcover)

Now here is something a bit different, a handsomely produced book with a small metal plate fixed to the front cover that displays the title, nice paper and printing inside. That is far as I'm going to go with the praise because I thought this book was incredibly boring.

Carin Goldburg it seems was captivated by the sepia illustrations in a fifties mail-order catalog and this book shows these images vastly enlarged, one to a page. Mostly female attire, with a look-in for other everyday household objects, you can look through the sixty-eight pages in about two minutes and that's it! Oh yes, you should know that seven of the pages carry the book's title one letter per page.

I don't even think this will be worth buying when it pops up on the BOOKS REDUCED shelf.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars not what you might expect, November 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Catalog (Hardcover)

this is not some nostalgic look backward at the wacky and retro world of catalogs. this is a lovingly constructed paean to imagery we have all seen, but are now able to understand (with Ms. Goldberg's remarkable touch) as the art of the common object.
her book is about the love of the ordinary. it is about the power of the familiar. and about a time when anonymous artists made ethereal images of the corporeal world, then assembled them into books of contemporary reality.
or maybe i love it becuase it is just beautiful.