Jackets Required: An Illustrated History of American Book Jacket Design, 1920-1950

by Steven Heller, S. Chwast

At once seductive, informative, and ephemeral, a book jacket is designed to evoke—and promote—the contents of a book. During the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, book jackets emerged as one of America's most vital graphic media, showcasing the talent of America's most exciting illustrators and designers. "Jackets Required: An Illustrated History of American Book Jacket Design, 1920-1950" features a striking array of book jackets created for a wide range of subjects and formats, including novels, humor books, romances, mysteries, biographies, and history books, among others.

Genres: Nonfiction, Design, Art

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1995

About the author

Steven Heller writes a monthly column on graphic design books for The New York Times Book Review and is co-chair of MFA Design at the School of Visual Arts. He has written more than 100 books on graphic design, illustration and political art, including Paul Rand, Merz to Emigre and Beyond: Avant Garde Magazine Design of the Twentieth Century, Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design Second Edition, Handwritten: Expressive Lettering in the Digital Age, Graphic Design History, Citizen Designer, Seymour Chwast: The Left Handed Designer, The Push Pin Graphic: Twenty Five Years of Design and Illustration, Stylepedia: A Guide to Graphic Design Mannerisms, Quirks, and Conceits, The Anatomy of Design: Uncovering the Influences and Inspirations in Modern Graphic Design. He edits VOICE: The AIGA Online Journal of Graphic Design, and writes for Baseline, Design Observer, Eye, Grafik, I.D., Metropolis, Print, and Step. Steven is the recipient of the Art Directors Club Special Educators Award, the AIGA Medal for Lifetime Achievement, and the School of Visual Arts' Masters Series Award.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glorious visual fun for bibliophiles!

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some really great designs included, and most list the designer's name. I only wish they would've included some bigger names of the time period, or perhaps the different cover versions. The 20's style covers are my favorites.

[R.Friend · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent overview of book cover design from the 1920s to the 1950s, covering major trends.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cool book jacket designs. It makes you appreciate the thought that goes into it.