THE LETTERHEAD: HISTORY AND PROGRESS
Ernst Lehner
Ernst Lehner: THE LETTERHEAD: HISTORY AND PROGRESS. NYC: Museum Books, Inc, 1955. First edition. A very good or better spiral-bound book with decorated paper-covered boards and an embossed black cloth backstrip: boards are lightly scratched with lightly worn edges edges and the black cloth backstrip uniformly sunned along spine. Former owners initials on front endpaper. Out-of-print and rare.The former owner has attached a sheet of printed letterhead [WESC: 660 in Dixie] to the verso of the front free endpaper, and carefully inked "design: Arnold Roston" under the sample. Pretty cool in its own charming way.
Because of this books' design/production values, I must assume it was produced in a very limited edition. The production methodology also virtually guarantees that few copies survived in their original condition.
9.25 x 12.25 book with 64 pages of frontis material printed in two colors, followed by 55 pages of 8.5 x 11 letterhead pages printed on 9 x 12 sheets in order to show bleeds with all technical and paper specifications printed in the trim areas. These original sheets of letterhead were printed especially for this volume on the paper originally specified by the designers and typographers.
Every possible printing effect is utilized for maximum impact, including engraving, letterpress, embossing, debossing, thermography, silk-screening and so much more. Each sheet of letterhead was printed in its country of origin (Dick Elffers work printed in Holland, Ashley Havinden in England, etc) and collated in New York City for this exceptional volume.
This book functions as a spiral-bound portfolio of contemporary letterhead design (circa 1955) by leading designers of the day such as Ladislav Sutnar, Lou Dorfsman, Matthew Leibowitz, Gene Federico, Dick Elffers, Ashley Havinden and others. The clients represented in THE LETTERHEAD include a nice cross-section of the international creative community represented by design, typography, printing, architecture, photography, industrial design and more.
This is one of the coolest Graphic Design Books I have ever seen.
Needless to say, this book earns my absolute highest recommendation.
Contents
- Introduction
- Prelude and Evolution
- Mechanization and Decay
- Renaissance and Modernization: design samples by Emil Preetorius, F. H. Ehmke, Julius Gipkens, Berthold Loeffler, O. H. W. Hadank, Bernd Steiner, Theodor Kalotz-Durrenbach, Franklin Booth, Jean Mercier, Andre Groult, H. G. Reinstein, Hermann Kiessling, Frank Gayton, Julius Klinger, Eric Gill, Hermann Viril, Ernst Aufseeser, E. R. Auchter-Arndt, Kurt Libensy, Gustav Jensen, Otto Arpke, Hans Anker, Otto Prutscher, Ervine Metzl, Hugo Bernhardt, Hansi Lehner, Fred Kraith, Alfons Plasil, Ray Bloch, Guy Georget, Jean Pique, Morton Goldscholl, John Averill, Arthur Tuerkel, Leo Lionini, Joseph Low, L. M. Kohler, Theodor Jung, Leonhard Linn, Harry Ayers, Hal Zamboni, and Ernst Keller.
- Letterheads of Today: letterhead designs by Ladislav Sutnar, Chuck Ax, Hermann Zapf, Lou Dorfsman, Matthew Leibowitz, Gene Federico, Walter Bangerter, Dick Elffers, Ashley Havinden, J. Buchel, Milton Ackoff, Jack Vibber, Peter Mehlich, William Metzig, George Samerjan, Charles C. S. Dean, Harvey Olsen, Seymour Robins, Carbone, Andrew Szoeke and Fflorence May, Koodin-Lapow Assocs., Hal Zamboni, Gene Kramer, Oliver Lundquist, Emil Biemann, Karl Lindestrom, Fred Siegle, Heinz Richter, Robert Jones, Nestor Davis, John Ciampi, and Joe Schindleman.
Spreads from this volume can be viewed here.
out of stock