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CALIFORNIA DESIGN: THE LEGACY OF WEST COAST CRAFT AND STYLE by Jo Lauria and Suzanne Baizerman
This book is a collection of the design highlights included in an exhibition series of the same name at the Pasadena Art Museum (now the Norton Simon Museum), the premier venue of West Coast design from 1954 to 1976. As Donald Albrecht writes in the introduction, “Combining both handcrafted and mass-produced goods, the series sought to highlight and encourage new talent throughout California. New forms, materials, and technologies were showcased as the state’s designers and artisans exploited revolutionary innovations in lightweight materials, molded plywood, reinforced concrete, and plastics. Prototypes of innovative furniture and accessories, persuasive harbingers of things to come, were featured in virtually every show. Ultimately, California Design put the Golden State on the national design map.”

Gathered together in this beautifully created book are the best designs in furniture, jewelry, textiles, and home decor from the hotbed of creativity in design, California of the ’50s through the ’70s. Reflecting the funky, outdoorsy, quirky lifestyle of the West Coast, California Design showcases work from Charles and Ray Eames, Donald T. Chadwick, Jun Kaneko, Sam Maloof, Claire Falkenstein, and more trendsetters from this iconic period.
$29.95, softcover, 228 pages, Chronicle Books

DESIGNS OF THE TIMES: USING KEY MOVEMENTS AND STYLES FOR CONTEMPORARY DESIGN by Lakshmi Bhaskaran
“In response to the ever-changing demands of the 21st century consumer, designers today increasingly find themselves looking to historicism for a helping hand,” begins the author, Lakshmi Bhaskaran, on history’s role in design. “... While imitative historicism dominated much of 19th-century art and design, this approach was the very antithesis of everything modernism stood for in the 20th century ... It was not until the 1960s and the advent of postmodernism that this view was effectively challenged and designers began to freely explore the past once more. Having come full circle ... historicism is not only a legitimate area of creativity, it is an integral part of contemporary visual culture.”

Designs of the Times offers a combination of historical and contemporary examples spanning many fields of design. Each chapter illustrates the background of a particular style, how it’s evolved over the years, and how it can be applied in design today, with unique examples from past design icons and those from present time. Each style’s key figures and characteristics are presented in quickly referenced form, and timelines of styles, design, designer, and events offer further comprehension of the history of design and its key movements. A valuable reference book for anyone looking for design inspiration and historical understanding. $35, hardcover, 256 pages, RotoVision

REAL PHOTO POSTCARDS by Laetitia Wolff (ed.)
Along with the invention of the first affordable, portable camera came Kodak’s introduction of Real Photo Postcards, which allowed anybody to make a postcard out of any photograph and send it for only a penny. Throughout the early 1900s, this photo postcard craze took off, leaving many memorable pieces in its wake. Real Photo Postcards is a sampling of the vast assembly of photo postcards by avid collector Harvey Tulcensky. Sometimes beautiful, at times outlandish or bizarre, these postcards portray the optimism, sincerity, and stark reality of their time. Some depict natural phenomena or well-traveled landscapes, some offer a glimpse into Main Street, U.S.A., and others are strangely manipulated. Many include inscriptions, while some leave no clue as to their origination. Either way, the book is an interesting and quite personal look at a time long gone. $19.95, hardcover, 208 pages, Princeton Architectural Press

AIRSTREAM LIVING by Bruce Littlefield and Simon Brown
The sleek metallic outdoor living spaces offered by Airstream and other manufacturers have been an inspiration for a new generation. From Paris Hilton to Ralph Lauren, many Airstream lovers have put these silver gems in the public eye. Airstream Living offers a look into the lives of Airstream owners and how they’ve put their trailers to use, from the obvious vacation travel route to a fun shelter/playhouse to businesses—even a popular bar. Profiles of real-life owners reveal the lifestyles of various Airstreamers, and the book offers guidance on how to live in style, and comfortably, in one of these iconic vehicles. Airstream Living’s practical advice covers everything from buying a “land yacht” to care and cleaning tips, to solutions for storage, and tips on decorating (selecting fabrics, furniture, lighting, even hardware). A directory provides a listing of Airstream suppliers and other helpful websites.
$29.95, hardcover, 160 pages, Collins Design, an imprint of Harper-Collins Publishers

EMIGRE NO. 69: THE END by Rudy VanderLans and David Barringer (eds.)
In this very last issue of the design world’s favorite lofty little publication, Emigre, Rudy VanderLans shares 69 anecdotes about starting and maintaining his magazine. Reading like journal entries, VanderLans’ intimate essays hit harder than one might expect. In learning of the gradual development of Emigre, you begin to get to know everyone involved in the publication, almost personally. And as you realize you’re getting to the end, the 69th essay, you feel a sad emptiness, like a child whose best friend is moving away. But all good things must come to an end sometimes, and this issue does so, splendidly.

Throughout the magazine, VanderLans’ self-deprecating humor is endearing. “Over time, the magazine came to define me,” he explains in what he names the Outro, the introduction to Emigre’s last stand. “I was often introduced as ‘the guy who publishes Emigre.’ This always sounded strange to me, as if I knew what I was doing.” In the 19th short story, VanderLans discusses an appearance he made at Cranbrook that didn’t go so well: “My lecture that night comes off stiff and rehearsed. So much for being an inspired bad boy … At the end, when I invite questions, the only sound from the audience comes from Laurie and Scott Makela’s baby. The night ends not with a bang, but with funny gurgling.”

Besides the candor and historical perspective VanderLans offers in his essays, readers also get to delve into the minds of design personalities like Jeffery Keedy, Lorraine Wild, William Drenttel, and others as they say goodbye to Emigre in their individual ways. $12, softcover, 144 pages, Emigre, copublished by Princeton Architectural Press