Catcher In The Rye – Cover Art
Jan 29, 2010 Art, Image based
Newsweek has an overview of Catcher In The Rye cover styles over the last several decades. Check it out here.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Jan 20, 2010 Biography, History, Image based, Women's Literature
Moving without being sentimental or cliched, painfully honest to the point of brutality without being gratuitous, this book is basically perfect. The artwork is simple but somehow very, very expressive and this is a side of Iranian life you never get to see – it’s easy to be sort of informed if you keep up with news sources, but it’s usually in the aftermath of violence that anyone stops to ask regular Iranians what they think, and what their lives are like. The answers might surprise you.
Synopsis: Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis is an exemplary autobiographical graphic novel, in the tradition of Art Spiegelman’s classic Maus. Set in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, it follows the young Satrapi, six-year-old daughter of two committed and well-to-do Marxists. As she grows up, she witnesses first-hand the effects that the revolution and the war with Iraq have on her home, family and school.
Book Cover Archive
Dec 11, 2009 Art, General, Image based
Just because you don’t judge a book by its cover doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate them. Here’s a massive archive of over 1000 book covers for you to enjoy.
Win possibly the greatest Magic Book ever
Nov 20, 2009 Art, Image based, Special Offers, Specialist Subjects
TASCHEN are noted for their wonderful books crammed full of images and we own quite a few, however this release is really something special. Featuring more than 1,000 rarely seen vintage posters, photographs, handbills, and engravings as well as paintings by Hieronymus Bosch and Caravaggio among others, this 650-page volume traces the history of magic as a performing art from the 1400s to the 1950s.
Combining sensational images with incisive text, Magic explores the evolution of the magician’s craft, from medieval street performers to the brilliant stage magicians who gave rise to cinematic special effects; from the 19th century’s Golden Age of Magic to groundbreaking daredevils like Houdini and the early 20th century’s vaudevillians.
This book is a stunning publication. I will admit, first thoughts were that was a specialist release, however attempting to put the book down is very hard. Well actually it is very easy, its weighty feel is something to behold at a good 10lbs. And yet I must have spent at least 30 minutes turning pages and reading snippets before I realised the time.
Further more we’re giving away a copy of this book and not just any copy. We have managed to secure copies signed by one of the great illusionists of all time, Derren Brown. He is not featured in this book, its time period only stretches from 1400-1950, but many who have influenced him are.
To win a fantastic copy just visit the TASCHEN site here and select the LEAF THROUGH option on the right. Leaf through the MAGIC book until you find a bottle of Ether. Tell us exactly where you found it, along with the reason why you’re into books or magic (your choice but must be in less than 100 words) and email us here.
The winner picked out of a hat will be announced on the 1 December via the blog.
MAGIC – Taschen, Win a copy signed by Derren Brown on Vimeo.
Exclusive – low price offer over at Amazon
Exhibitions: The British Library – Points Of View
Nov 5, 2009 Events, Image based
From the first tentative ‘drawings of shadows’ produced in the mid-1830s to its universal acceptance as a leisure pursuit, photography was swept along by a tide of entrepreneurial activity throughout the 19th century.
As an influential new artistic and documentary medium, photography rapidly developed into a lucrative profession. Science, government, industry and a growing media quickly recognised its power both to reflect and to shape society, while both artists and amateurs embraced its potential for personal expression.
Organised by subject matter, the exhibition asks: ‘Who was taking the photograph and why?’ Section by section, items are presented within their cultural context to explore some of the major themes of the 19th century – from expansion to industrialisation, science, and the rapid changes taking place in society. The final section reveals how technology responded to the demands of a developing mass market for photography, which continues to the present day.
Design for Obama: Posters for Change
Nov 5, 2009 Biography, Image based, Politics and Society
Perhaps one of the most prominent images of the Obama campaign was the Obey poster that is now ingrained in everyones minds. Along with this was a growing trend to create images that represented a leader who is both powerful and in control but comes across as actually quite cool and approachable.
Finally America has a leader with a good image both in the US and abroad and he’s hopefully someone who can redirect the countries obviously troubled path. They want “change”.
So it comes as no surprise that the graphic design following this word and Obama’s image is intelligent, well formed and pretty funky too. Tashen shine when it comes to image based books and this one is no different. There’s a 176 page preview here where you’ll see the vast array of different styles and imagery occurring both before and after the election.
What’s interesting this time round is that everything from street styled graffiti to super cool illustration has been a part of the process. Graphic design has officially landed on the political platform and the fact it’s message is so strong and seen by so many puts it in to a new perspective.
Another great Tashen release.
