ABC Verlag (Edition) was a book publisher based in Zurich, Switzerland that released a superb collection of graphic design and fine art books between 1962-1989. I’ve been personally obsessed with these books and have been on a hunt for them for the last 4 years. They contain some of the best graphic design of the last century, and each book covers a different topic.
I recently uploaded photos to my Flickr of my three most recent additions to my collection:
The excellent new online book seller Counter Print has created this wonderful limited edition canvas bags. It has a bottom gusset, long handle and is made from 8oz cotton canvas. You can receive one free, while stocks last, on orders above £40 or purchase it on its own for £6.00.
Counter-print.co.uk is a new site aimed at the sale of out of print and hard to find Art & Design related material. I’ve been wanting something like this for a long time. The site already has a bunch of gems on there, like this Stedelijk Museum catalog designed by Wim Crouwel. This site’s not going to be kind on my wallet.
Both are part of the ABC Verlag series of design books and are authored by Hans Neuburg.
I own both books and dropped a nice chunk of change for them, but they’re so worth it. You almost never find these two books anywhere so this is a super rare opportunity for some lucky person. I wanted to give you guys the heads up so one of you could grab them first. No bids on them yet so you can probably get them for a good price. And no, I have nothing to do with these auctions. Just wanted to spread the love.
Recently my obsession with collecting rare design books has reached an all-time high. In the last month I’ve added 14 books to my collection. Some hard to find, some not, some expensive, some cheap, but all amazing. I’ve photographed them for your viewing pleasure.
1989 – Basic Typography: Design With Letters – Ruedi Ruegg
1984 – Corporate Design International – Wolfgang Schmittel
1986 – Experiment Design – Igildo G. Biesele
1977 – Graphic Design Manual: Principles and Practice – Armin Hofmann
1980 – Moderne Werbe Und Gebrauchs Grafik – Hans Neuburg
1964 – Official Graphic Art in Switzerland – Walter Bangerter, Albert Moneda
1986 – Posters by the Members of the Alliance Graphique Internationale 1960 – 1985 – Rudolph de Harak
1978 – Process Visual – Wolfgang Schmittel
1993 – Symbol Signs: The Complete Study of Passenger/Pedestrian-Oriented Symbols Developed by The American Institute of Graphic Arts for the U.S. Department of Transportation
1974 – Symbol Signs: The Development of Passenger/Pedestrian Oriented Symbols for Use in Transportation-Related Facilities