How to See: A Guide to Reading Our Manmade Environment [Paperback]

GEORGE NELSON (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 233 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (March 30, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316603120
• ISBN-13: 978-0316603126
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,337,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The founding father of American Modern Design, January 14, 2006

By 

Availar James "Availar James" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to See: A Guide to Reading Our Man-Made Environment (Paperback)

George Nelson was not only a creative artistic talent, he was also a commercial genius (just like Picasso was). These two talents provided his secret for success that would reward him throughout his life. This book is an actual reprint from the original edition. It documents in detail how George Nelson thought and designed. The attention is clearly on his biography, this is not a coffee table book filled with an overdose of pictures. A wonderful biography about a designer that was the founding father of American Modern Design. I also suggest to visit the wonderful online archive about George Nelson at WWW.GEORGENELSON.ORG.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful and timeless perspective on visual literacy, August 7, 2010

By 

MacFromSeattle (seattle, wa usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to See: A Guide to Reading Our Manmade Environment (Paperback)

Strongly recommended if you have a keen interest in improving your visual literacy.

Contains a wonderful essay on visual literacy, what it is, and how it is missing in most people.

Followed by photo essays on aspects of acquiring visual literacy.

Very recommended.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Overrated, January 26, 2010

By 

Robert T. Tabor "Bob Tabor, LearnVisualStudio... (Rowlett, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How to See: A Guide to Reading Our Man-Made Environment (Paperback)

I was expecting some great insights from a design visionary. However, after a few initial essays (which were forgettable) the famed author proceeds to go through a slide-show of his photo collection, matching by common traits. Even THAT would be acceptable if coupled with a designer's perspective on "how to see" those images in such a way that it leads to some greater insight about design or aesthetics. No ... sometimes the observations are quite pedantic.