Customer Reviews

History of the Poster

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This book is mainly a pictorial of 291 poster designs from the very late 1800's up until the late 1960's. There are many great and important examples found in this book, both well and lesser known posters are showcased. Some parts of this book could described as egotistical going into the 50's and 60's as there are many Müller-Brockmann works shown; however, I found this to be quite relevant with Swiss design of that time being so revolutionary. Then again I am a great admirer of his work. Additionally, the writings throughout the book are quite enlightening and are not too heavy to read. The printing quality is great, examples are large, shown in full colour and printed on very nice stock. The creator's name, size, year, type of reproduction, and descriptions of the purpose are included for each poster. One of the pro's to this book was the inclusion of these very brief descriptions. A very good piece of information to include in a design collective as it is essential in order to judge whether or not a piece of design is effective; something a few overrated books on identity could use (e.g. Los Logos).

This new edition of History Of The Poster by Josef Muller-Brockmann (1914-1996) brings back into print a seminal work originally published in 1971 and which has been regretably out-of-print for many years. Despite its name, History Of The Poster is not so much a straightforward historical narrative as it is a fantastic gallery of posters used for politics, propaganda, advertising, and art throughout history. A tri-lingual book in English, German, and French, History Of The Poster contains a brief introductory essay then reveals almost three hundred posters in full color, followed by an afterword remarking on present and future trends. A unique and welcome new style of artbook.