Synopses & Reviews
Interior Design magazine says that
The ABC's of the Bauhaus is, "a collection of visually and intellectually stimulating essays about basic design courses at the Bauhaus, Froebel toys, inflation in the Weimar Republic, the typography of Herbert Bayer, Psychoanalysis, and fractal geometry. A fascinating fantasia on an elementary theme."
And Elysabeth Yates Burns McKee, from Design Book Review says that "perhaps the most successful aspect of The ABC's is its ability to elucidate complexand fundamentaltheroetical aspects of the Bauhaus program."
Review
The ABC's is a model of the ways in which design and writing might be harnessed to probe and illuminate a visual subject.... It sets a formidable standard.
Eye While this may be the briefest book on the Bauhaus, we also regard it as one of the best. Ballast Quarterly Review
Synopsis
The ABC's of ANO traces the origins and impact of the Bauhaus in relation to design, graphic design, and typography. The book, designed by the authors, invokes the Bauhaus ideal of synthesizing editorial concept, typography, and format. The essays address such issues as modernist design theory in relation to the nineteenth-century kindergarden movement and Bauhaus graphic design in relation to the idea of a universal "language" of vision. Additional essays address psychoanalysis, fractal geometry, and Weimar culture.
About the Author
Ellen Lupton is one of America's preeminent design educators. Her books include Skin, Inside Design Now, and Mixing Messages, among others. She is currently director of the design program at Maryland Institute of Art and Design.