Meggs' History of Graphic Design [Hardcover]

Philip B. Meggs (Author), Alston W. Purvis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471699020 | ISBN-13: 978-0471699026 | Publication Date: December 7, 2005 | Edition: 4

Now in its Fourth Edition, this unrivaled, seminal work continues its long tradition of providing balanced insight and thorough historical background. Under the new authorial leadership of Alston Purvis, this authoritative book offers more than 450 new images, along with expansive coverage of such topics as Italian, Russian, and Dutch design. It reveals a saga of creative innovators, breakthrough technologies, and important design innovations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A significant attempt at a comprehensive history of graphic design...it will be an eye-opener not only for general readers, but for designers who have been unaware of their legacy. -- The New York Times

With this book, Meggs made it easier for designers to envision their work in terms of history. The final pages of each edition attempt to put young designers into historical context, perhaps before their influence can be accurately assessed. Although some may argue that it's an effort to control history rather than report it, this book makes for a lively debate. A History of Graphic Design, now in its third edition, stands as a monumental contribution to the field. -- Critique Magazine, Pamela Williams, Spring 1997 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Under the new authorial leadership of Alston W. Purvis, Meggs' History of Graphic Design, Fourth Edition offers hundreds of full-color images supported by the latest information, including a new chapter on modern type design. With more than 1,000 illustrations, lucid text, and interpretive captions, this Fourth Edition reveals a saga of creative innovators, breakthrough technologies, and important design innovations.

Graphic design is a vital component of each culture and period in human history, and this Fourth Edition was carefully reviewed and updated to best represent the work of particular time periods and designers. This edition's historic account is an extraordinary panorama of people and events, including:

• The Invention of Writing and Alphabets
• Medieval Manuscript Books
• The Origins of Printing and Typography
• Renaissance Graphic Design
• The Arts and Crafts Movement
• Victorian and Art Nouveau Graphics
• Modern Art and Its Impact on Design
• Visual Identity and Conceptual Images
• Postmodern Design
• The Computer Graphics Revolution

A History of Graphic Design, Fourth Edition surpasses in detail and breadth the content, design, and color reproduction of previous editions. Professionals, students, and everyone who works with or loves the world of graphic design will quickly find this reference tool is an invaluable visual survey that they will turn to again and again

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 592 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 4 edition (December 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471699020
• ISBN-13: 978-0471699026
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles
  • #60 in Books > Professional & Technical > Architecture
  • #63 in Books > Arts & Photography > Design & Decorative Arts > Graphic Design

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have reference book for graphic designers, March 20, 2001

By 

SL (RI) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A History of Graphic Design (Hardcover)

In my opinion, this 3rd Edition "A History of GD" is the best reference book written about graphic design. This 500 plus pages book/bible is simply divided into 5 sections, 1) The Prologue to Graphic Design, 2) A Graphic Rennaissance, 3) The Industrial Revolution, 4)The Modernist Era, and 5) The Age of Information. The topics range from the invention of writing to, creation of new typogrphic styles to, the digital revolution and computer art. There are plenty of graphics and photos on every page to accompany the wonderfully written text. If you study art history or graphic design, I think this would be a great reference book to have. It will take some time to read the entire book. But this is like a text book, so, reading only part of the chapters would be quite informative as well. Once you are done, you will definitely appreciate graphic design/graphic designers.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Comprehensive Graphic History text around!, August 3, 2005

By 

Rachel Lieberman "Sangria" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A History of Graphic Design (Hardcover)

I bought this book for a class and am incredibly impressed. It covers the evolution of graphic communication from the earliest cave paintings to the web. This book has incredible pictures and describes different styles in an easy to understand format. It is thick, but is one of the best reference books for choosing style and historical content. I normally sell back my textbooks, but this one is staying in my library!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book, June 17, 2001

By 

Mikhail (Moscow Russia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Graphic Design (Hardcover)

This is The Book, a must-have. Incredibly helpful. What I like best - it provides an outstandingly complete context in which certain individual works and trends were developed. Also, you don't have to read the whole - very big - book to understand the things you're currently looking for; it's a great reference. And if you don't find something, at least you know where else to look and which next bookshelf to address. Nothing comes close.