Back in May, I served up some high praise for the “Atlas of Furniture Design,” published by the Vitra Design Museum in Germany. If you haven’t bought this book for yourself, please have your family buy it for you for the holidays.
The “Atlas of Furniture Design” is one of those books that is going to be discussed and referred to by many future generations. Primarily, it is a glimpse at furniture design of the 20th century, though it occasionally looks further afield.
It is part reference book – you can easily look up any piece by the name of its designer. And it is – apologies for the term – outstanding bathroom reading. You can open up this book to almost any page and read a bit about an outstanding design, the people who made these pieces or the social context in which they were made.
It also is a drop-dead gorgeous book. Crisply printed. Fantastic binding. As a publisher, I am jealous and somewhat amazed they could make this book (it was a 20-year project) and sell it for only about $180 U.S. The book is available in both English and German. You can buy it directly from the museum or from a variety of other sellers.
— Christopher Schwarz
Read other entries from The Anarchist’s Gift Guide here.
