The Lucky, Plucky Chairs

by Rolf Fehlbaum, Maira Kalman (Illustrations)

A charming tale of eight chairs, illustrated by Maira Kalman When a set of eight classic old No. 14 Thonet chairs are threatened with certain doom, their ingenuity saves the day. Together they discover a way to escape, and encounter a world of the most wonderful and imaginative chairs from around the globe. The Thonets discover, too, that they have a talent for the stage. This charming tale by Rolf Fehlbaum, with delightful illustrations by Maira Kalman, is accompanied by a brief and informative glossary of 22 of the most innovative chairs created in 150 years. Rolf Fehlbaum (born 1941), a critical figure of design entrepreneurship, led the Swiss furniture company Vitra from 1977 to 2013. In the early 1980s he began to assemble a collection of modern furniture, which led to the foundation in 1989 of the Vitra Design Museum. Maira Kalman (born 1949) is an author and illustrator of numerous books for adults and children, including the Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey . She lives in New York City, where she is represented by the Julie Saul Gallery.

48 pages, Hardcover

Published June 28, 2016

Reviews

[Jacob Maness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute, Childs book involving great furniture.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A confession: I have a weakness for chairs. Such simple objects, yet they contain a universe of style, culture and history. From the iconic Thonet chair through the slinkily elegant Mies Van Der Rohe chair right up to Frank Gehry's corrugated cardboard wiggle, they have stories to tell, and Rolf Fehlbaum's engaging adventure story is an excellent case in point. Maira Kalman's drawings add charm and wit. A tiny gem of a book.