Automobile Design Graphics (VARIA)
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Graphic Design
Automobile Design Graphics (VARIA) Details
Review “…unique specimens of how car buyers‘ desires have changed over the years, illustrated by the best American illustration and graphic design of the last century.”“The book gives a fascinating insight into how car buyers‘ desires have developed over the course of eight decades - as well as offering a feast of visionary artwork.” Read more About the Author Steven Heller is the co-chair of the School of Visual Arts MFA Designer as Author Program. For 33 years he was an art director for The New York Times, and currently writes the “Visuals” column for The New York Times Book Review. He is the author of 120 books on graphic design, illustration, and satiric art.Jim Donnelly is senior editor of Hemmings Motor News, the world’s foremost source on automotive heritage, and has written for Hemmings Classic Car, Sports & Exotic Car, and Muscle Machines. He is the author of the racing biography Miller’s Time.Jim Heimann is the Executive Editor for TASCHEN America. A cultural anthropologist, historian, and an avid collector, he has authored numerous titles on architecture, pop culture, and the history of Los Angeles and Hollywood, including TASCHEN’S Surfing, Los Angeles. Portrait of a City, and the best-selling All American Ads series. Read more
Reviews
Very nicely done! If you enjoy automobile advertising art you should be pleased with this book. As the extended title indicates, the ads cover the years 1900-1973. The contents are divided into four time periods - 1900-1929, 1930-1946, 1947-1961 & 1962-1973. The selection of images are well chosen and cover a pretty good swath of marques. I've been a collector of magazine advertising art for a number of years and appreciate this contribution to the field. The process of selecting which images to use in compiling a collection like this is obviously quite subjective, and will never meet with everyone's complete approval. I was a bit disappointed to see a number of my favorite pieces excluded. However, there are a number of wonderful ads that I've never seen and am pleased they're now accessible. For my tastes, the editors could have left off in 1961. I don't think the artwork and production quality after that date is equal to what preceded it. I wouldn't knock off any points on that score because the book clearly indicates which years it covers. As for the physical merits of this book - four stars is about right. I like the weight and finish of the paper and the binding appears very durable. A dust jacket would have been a nice touch but a lot of publishers like to skip this expense. I would have given the book 5 stars but I thinks it's a bit overpriced. Taschen, has a reputation for offering a lot of bang for the buck. On this occasion they went the other direction. I have a keen interest in the subject so I overlooked the price. At $35-$40 this would have received that fifth star.** This book was just released (only a couple of days ago). How is it that there are over thirty outside sellers offering this book for sale on Amazon - deeply discounted. I understand the remainder market but could Taschen be dumping this book only days after its release? Very strange! And given this, how is it Amazon is charging so much. Either Amazon is trying to squeeze a little extra out of this particular title or Taschen wouldn't offer them much of a discount. How did all those other sellers obtain their inventory? - and at such a reduced price. Curious Indeed!! Guess I'll have to reassess my habit of pre-ordering. Appears to be a costly policy.
