Classic Book Jackets: The Design Legacy of George Salter (Paperback)

~ Milton Glaser (Author, Foreword), Thomas Hansen (Author) "George Salter's stature in the history of book design is undisputed..." (more)
Key Phrases: conversation with author, book jackets, book jacket design, New York, Die Schmiede, Georg Salter (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In today’s maximum-impact market, with bold colors and graphics plastering book jackets of all sorts, it’s refreshing to peruse this book, which features the work of George Salter, one of the most successful book-jacket designers of the past century. It starts with a biographical synopsis of Salter’s work, but the real raison d’être here are the illustrations, which show how brilliantly Salter captured a book’s theme and plot. Take the swirling collage of characters and images on his cover for Isak Dinesen’s Winter’s Tales or the haunting images of ghost-like figures looking upon a man in a black suit in his cover for Franz Kafka’s The Trial. Sometimes the book cover’s relation to the subject is subtle, yet definite—for instance, a series of wavy lines against a black backdrop on the cover of Evelyn Waugh’s The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold subtly depicts the book’s topic: one man’s neurological illness. This overview commendably goes a step further than the jackets themselves, showing Salter’s lasting contributions to the world of book design, such as a three-dimensional, calligraphy-inspired font called "Flex." Sometimes, one does wish for a bit more cross-study—it would have been nice, for instance, to see examples of Salter’s "Flex" font in recent work by today’s designers—but, overall, this is a pleasantly nostalgic look at an important figure in the world of books. 220 color illustrations.
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Review

"will appeal to readers who love books not just for their contents but for their look and feel as well." -- L.A. Weekly, December 17, 2004

...both delightful to look through and a concise, thorough, and semischolarly account of all of Salter's work. -- Fine Books and Collections, July/August 2005

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (December 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156898491X
• ISBN-13: 978-1568984919
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #833,869 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)