Jan Tschichold, Designer: The Penguin Years [Hardcover]

Richard B. Doubleday (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1584561785 | ISBN-13: 978-1584561781 | Edition: First Edition

First edition. Jan Tschichold, Designer: The Penguin Years is the first publication that focuses on Tschichold's typographic revolution that he applied to Penguin's mass production of books. This well-researched work includes over one hundred full-color and black-and-white images representing a wide range of the Penguin Book Series with which Tschichold was involved with during the mid- to late 1940's. Many of Tschichold's preliminary hand-drawn cover and title-page designs are published here for the first time and show his meticulous attention to detail. The author explains, with many illustrations, the influences that drove Tschichold and his New Typography. Jan Tschichold, Designer: The Penguin Years also includes an extensive bibliography on Tschichold's writings and historical appendices of his inter-office memoranda and texts. The book is essential reading for the specialized professional, student, and enthusiast who works in the typography, book design, or publishing industry. Co-Published with Lund Humphries, UK.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In The Penguin Years, author Richard B. Doubleday manages to portray Tschichold's work at Penguin in a wider framework. The historical appendices enhance the value of this book, giving important insight into the man and his works, as well as the Penguin brand and its traditions that are being built upon today. Doubleday's own enthusiasm for his subject is infectious. --Herbert Lechner, Novum: World of Graphic Design

Doubleday outlines and illustrates in detail Tschichold's work on many of the various Penguin series: King Penguin, the Penguin Classics, the Puffin Picture Books, etc. There are wonderful illustrations of his mockups of title pages, annotations, and instructions for the printers to demonstrate the care and detail that went into the book's production. ... Compared with Baines's paperback book [Penguin by Design], Doubleday's book is certainly a more elegant production, based on the principles laid out by Tschichold. --Randall Speller, Papers of the Bibliographic Society of Canada

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Oak Knoll Press; First Edition edition (July 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584561785
• ISBN-13: 978-1584561781
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,080,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A significant addition to academic library collections, December 4, 2006

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jan Tschichold, Designer: The Penguin Years (Hardcover)

Jan Tschichold, Designer: The Penguin Years is a seminal and impressive contribution to the history of publishing with its focus on Jan Tschichold and his influence with respect to the typographic revolution that was applied to Penguin's mass production of books for the general populace. Author Richard B. Doubleday (Assistant Professor of Art, Department of Graphic Design, College of Fine Arts, Boston University) brings a special research-based expertise to providing an historical and analytical survey of Tschichold's contributions during the mid to late 1940s that saw the emergence of a wide ranging Penguin Book Series that included both fiction and non-fiction. Many of Tschichold's preliminary hand drawn cover and title page designs are made public for the first time in order to demonstrate and document his meticulous attention to detail and the development of his `New Typography'. Enhanced with the inclusion of an extensive bibliography on Tschichold's writings and historical appendices of his inter-office memoranda and texts, "Jan Tschichold, Designer" is a significant addition to academic library collections on the history of publishing, and an especially recommended for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in typography, book design, and the publishing industry.