Synopses & Reviews
Anatomy of ideas: The life’s work of an infographics pioneer Fritz Kahn was a German doctor, educator, popular science writer, and information graphics pioneer whose brilliant work has all but fallen into oblivion. Chased out of Germany by the Nazis, who banned and burned his books, Kahn emigrated to Palestine, then France, and finally the United States to continue his life's work. Though his achievements were numerous, the most notable was the development of creative visualizations to explain complex scientific ideas. Published on the 125th anniversary of Kahn's birth and destined to bring his work back into the spotlight, this monograph features more than 350 illustrations with extensive captions, three original texts by Fritz Kahn, a foreword by Steven Heller, and an essay about Kahn’s life and œuvre. Natural science buffs, graphics professionals, and anyone interested in visual expression of ideas will be fascinated by this tribute to Kahn’s greatest achievements. Fritz Kahn: Official Selection TED Book Club
Four times a year, the non-profit organization “TED” sends out a specially curated selection of up to three books that support the TED mission: “spreading thoughts that change attitudes, lives, and ultimately the world, by bringing together ideas from the fields of Technology, Entertainment, and Design” (= TED). For the fourth and final book club mailing of 2013, the TED Book Club jury has chosen the Fritz Kahn monograph as one of their top bi-monthly recommendations, meaning that the world’s most inspired thinkers as well as attendees of the two global annual TED conferences will receive the Kahn publication in February 2014. Through its decision, the jury acknowledges Fritz Kahn’s inspirational mind and his work as a pioneer of information design. Text in English, French, and German
Synopsis
Celebrated German polymath Fritz Kahn (1888-1968) was a doctor, educator, and popular science writer. Among his most notable achievements was the development, with the help of professional illustrators, of creative visualizations to explain complex scientific ideas. In the 1930s, the Nazis banned and burned his books; to escape from his pursuers, he emigrated to Palestine, France, and finally the USA, where he successfully continued to publish more books.
This monograph, featuring 350 illustrations with extensive captions, brings together a selection of his most fascinating work. Three original texts by Fritz Kahn are accompanied by an introduction by Steve Heller and an essay about Kahns life and oeuvre. Kahns pioneering work—a veritable visual language in the field of information graphics—remains highly influential today, not only for those interested in the natural sciences, but also for those who are curious about ways to express complex ideas visually.
Synopsis
Anatomy of ideas: The life's work of an infographics pioneer Fritz Kahn was a German doctor, educator, popular science writer, and information graphics pioneer whose brilliant work has all but fallen into oblivion. Chased out of Germany by the Nazis, who banned and burned his books, Kahn emigrated to Palestine, then France, and finally the United States to continue his life's work. Though his achievements were numerous, the most notable was the development of creative visualizations to explain complex scientific ideas. Published on the 125th anniversary of Kahn's birth and destined to bring his work back into the spotlight, this monograph features more than 350 illustrations with extensive captions, three original texts by Fritz Kahn, a foreword by Steven Heller, and an essay about Kahn's life and oeuvre. Natural science buffs, graphics professionals, and anyone interested in visual expression of ideas will be fascinated by this tribute to Kahn's greatest achievements. Fritz Kahn: Official Selection TED Book Club
Four times a year, the non-profit organization "TED" sends out a specially curated selection of up to three books that support the TED mission: "spreading thoughts that change attitudes, lives, and ultimately the world, by bringing together ideas from the fields of Technology, Entertainment, and Design" (= TED). For the fourth and final book club mailing of 2013, the TED Book Club jury has chosen the Fritz Kahn monograph as one of their top bi-monthly recommendations, meaning that the world's most inspired thinkers as well as attendees of the two global annual TED conferences will receive the Kahn publication in February 2014. Through its decision, the jury acknowledges Fritz Kahn's inspirational mind and his work as a pioneer of information design. Text in English, French, and German
About the Author
Brother and sister Uta and Thilo von Debschitz have collaborated on several picture/text projects. They were awarded the 2009 German Photo Book Award for their first book, Frank Kunert. Topsy-Turvy World (Hatje Cantz Verlag) and in the same year they published their first book on Fritz Kahn. Uta von Debschitz was as an architect until 2002, when she became a journalist focusing on culture and health. In 2010, she curated the exhibition of Fritz Kahn visual work at the Berlin Museum of Medical History and is currently doing a doctorate on Kahn's visualizations at the Berlin University of the Arts. Thilo von Debschitz worked as a designer and art director in international advertising and design agencies after completing his Communication Design studies. In 1997, he founded the creative agency Q in Wiesbaden, which has won many awards for its print and online media projects.