Phaidon Design Classics (3 Volume Set) (Pts. 1, 2 & 3) (Hardcover)

~ Editors of Phaidon Press (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

PHAIDON DESIGN CLASSICS is the first comprehensive and authoritative collection of classic design objects. This beautifully illustrated three-volume set of books presents 999 industrially manufactured products, carefully selected by a group of experts. It is the first definitive illustrated sourcebook on the evolution of design to include such a wide scope of objects in detail.

From cars to furniture, from tableware to cameras, from everyday objects to airplanes, this breadth of design has never before been collected in such a way before. PHAIDON DESIGN CLASSICS tells the story of design’s evolution around the world from the late 1600's to the present, bringing together patents, prototypes, old advertisements, original drawings, images showing the process of manufacturing, as well as rare archival photographs. The anthology features an astonishing 4,000 images.

The objects are presented chronologically, beginning with an elegant pair of Chinese bonsai scissors from the early 1600s, still in production today, and ending with Barber Osgerby’s Lunar bath accessories, destined to become a classic. Glancing through the volumes, the reader will gain an understanding not only of the history of design, but a history of taste and culture. The book is an extraordinary journey through the objects that have shaped our society, from the first attempts to combine function and beauty in the nineteenth century, through the machine aesthetics of the thirties, the advent of plastic and other new materials in the fifties and sixties, up to the classics-to-be of the last ten years.

The book includes not only objects created by internationally renowned designers, such as Breuer, Le Corbusier, Dreyfuss, Eames, Yanagi and Castiglioni, but also anonymously designed pieces, such as the clothes peg, the corkscrew and the chopstick, which, in spite of lacking a specific designer, have achieved such perfection in design and functionality that they have eliminated the possibility of improvement.

PHAIDON DESIGN CLASSICS is a laboriously selected examination of some of the world’s best products ever made, most of which are still in production. The objects truly encapsulate what design is and what it will be for decades to come. It is a key reference tool for the designer or architect, as well as a fascinating and accessible design history for the newcomer.

The collection comes in a specifically commissioned carrying unit exclusively designed by Konstantin Gricic.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 3300 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (April 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714843997
• ISBN-13: 978-0714843995
• Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.8 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 21.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #378,200 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece, Despite the "Carrying Case", June 25, 2006

By	James M. Laffey (Naples, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

On the next rainy day, make yourself a nice cup of tea, curl up and savor every page of this magnificent design compendium. It's endlessly enlightening to learn the backstories of so many of the ubiquitous everyday objects we now take for granted, from paperclips to Mies seating to Fiestawear. This clearly deserved 5 stars but the carrying case was so annoying and poorly designed (picture prying the books out with a screwdriver!) that I subtracted a star. In a collection of this scope and stature, such ineffective packaging is unforgiveable.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Please stop making cases like this!, May 2, 2006

By	Tanatip Arunanondchai "design addict" (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The content are so comprehensive not much really needed to sell this book. Unfortunately the casing (designed by one of my favorite designer Konstantin Grcic) was so hard to open during the process of trying to crack the plastic case open in the modelshop I torn part of the second book cover...bummer :( Phaidon please don't ever...ever...ever overly design your book and the case ever ever ever again...it really hurts to have your brand new $175 book torn by it's overly design cover...else fantastic book!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars for content; 0 stars for shipping, February 6, 2007

By	Samuel D. Duncan (Fort Worth, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Beautiful books and production value, but the plastic carrying case--being especially vulnerable--didn't survive two shipping attempts. On both occasions, the books arrived with their carrying case shattered and the books damaged. You might do better getting these some other way. You'll take your chances if you decide to have them shipped via Amazon (or any other online shipper). Beware.