if:book The weblog of The Institute for the Future of the Book. Thinking about the evolution of publishing, education and creative labor in the digital age. [Preview]   [Open in full window]   The Blue Fairy Book Available in plain text or as a zip file, from Project Gutenberg. [Preview]   [Open in full window]   Lost Crafts: The Printed Book Contents of The Printed Book by Harry G. Aldis Cambridge at the University Press printed in 1916. [Preview]   [Open in full window]

Book Design and Production
Customer Reviews — [1] Rating: 5 Date: 2008-06-14 Summary: If you want to self-publish a book, then you need to read this! ... You may have heard that you should outsource the layout, production, and typography of your book to the professionals, and that self-publishing will cost you thousands or tens of thousands of dollars! Well, times are changing. Masterson along with Poynter provide two must read books on how to get started in publishing your book. Here's what you will learn: The Pros and Cons of using MS Word for your layout: Page 95 An comparison of professional layout software packages: Page 88 Why the backcover is the most important ...more
[2] Rating: 5 Date: 2008-09-13 Summary: Excellent Book if you want the detail ... Before I purchased this book, I read some of the critical reviews. They are valid, in as much as this book provides a lot of technical detail and is low on fluff. It's written in a readable style and laid out so it is easy to use as a reference for years to come. However, be prepared to get down into the details of Book Design. They're covered thoroughly. Another criticism I read was the the book didn't focus on other products besides Adobe's InDesign software. There's some truth in that; however, there is ample room ...more
[3] Rating: 4 Date: 2008-06-14 Summary: Excellent reference, but . . . ... This book has a lot to recommend it, up to a point. It has solid, detailed information on fonts, working with publishers, etc. I was surprised and disappointed, however, that he didn't go into interior design in terms of layout, etc. The last chapter, which was about choosing a designer, made the book seem that his goal was to attract clients. After all he has mentioned in previous chapters, which would be useful for people wanting to learn how to design a book themselves, he recommends hiring a designer and giving ...more
[4] Rating: 5 Date: 2008-11-30 Summary: This is THE book on entry level book design ... Pete Masterson has written an excellent nuts and bolts book on designing your own book. If you're thinking of jumping onto the POD (Publishing On Demand) train, you'd be well advised to read this book before making that leap. I'd worked in publishing and media, so I thought I knew everything. But I'd never designed a book. After working on complex media projects, how difficult could book design be? Just flow the text into InDesign, design a snappy cover, and that's that. I decided to buy Masterton's book as a reality ...more
Editorial Reviews — ... Product Description | If you are a writer working with a publisher (large or small) or if you are a small or first time publisher, this book will help you understand the book production process and the principles of good cover and interior book design. It will allow you to look at a book design and immediately see the common errors and to see that a book is following the traditions of good book design that gives credibility to your message. Whether you do the work yourself or hire it done, this book will help...more

Fine Woodworking Design Book Seven: 360 photographs of the best work in wood (Design Book Woodworking)
Customer Reviews — [1] Rating: 5 Date: 2004-07-30 Summary: Pretty Is As Pretty Does ... There is a considerable difference between the following plans part of woodworking and the artistic design part. Like anyone else who enjoys the thrumming sounds of a happy workshop, following plans is a soothing process with a satisfying result. But getting an idea into my head (and then trying to make it real) is more frustrating - my life lacks the spare 'dream time' needed. As a substitute, I like to look at the work of others. And Taunton Press's series of design books is a fine place to start. Each book is like ...more
[2] Rating: 5 Date: 2002-03-29 Summary: AMAZING ... Another fantastic collection of woodworking masterpieces. Anyone can appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship of these pieces. To have this many excellent works in one book is awesome. One of the best woodworking books I have ever seen. ...more
[3] Rating: 4 Date: 2007-05-13 Summary: Ideas ... As a woodworker it is always good to see what some of the leading edge furniture designers and builders make. Some are conservative, to see how the profession has reached it's height throughout furniture building history, others are way out there trying out the new possibilities, all awesome work! It truly is fascinating what these books inspire in furniture designer/builders and interior designers. The photography, in most cases is truly spectacular and very detailed there where it is supposed to be detailed. The ...more
[4] Rating: 5 Date: 1999-08-13 Summary: Inspiring ... This book contains a compilation of photos of great masterpieces. This book really shows the diversity of design with an wide variety of beautiful hardwoods. This is one of the books I use for inspiration when designing a piece of my own. I recommend it to anyone with an eye for the arts and the confidence to push his/her own limits. ...more
Editorial Reviews — ... Product Description | A compilation of examples from all woodworking disciplines designed to instruct and inspire woodworkers and furniture makers. The editors have chosen to illustrate top quality items, ranging from both traditional and contemporary furniture to sculpture and musical instruments....more

The Complete Book of Celtic Designs (Design Inspiration Series)
Editorial Reviews — ... Product Description | A fantastic source for anyone seeking inspiration for Celtic projects or ideas, this reference features clearly drawn, intricate designs including flowing knotwork images, stylized frames and borders, decorative motifs, beautifully woven crosses, and much more. A colorful gallery of finished pieces is included to show how the designs, which can be reproduced to any scale, can be applied to finished pieces of work. ...more

Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium Classroom in a Book
Editorial Reviews — ... Product Description | This thorough, self-paced guide to Adobe Creative Suite 4 is ideal for users who want to learn the key features of Adobe's stellar collection of professional design tools. Readers are first given a brief program overview of the Design Suite that highlights common features and includes a section on cross-media workflows. Then readers will get up to speed with each software application using step-by-step, project-based lessons, with the lessons in each chapter building upon the reader's...more

The Big Book of New Design Ideas (Big Book (Collins Design))
Customer Reviews — [1] Rating: 5 Date: 2007-03-31 Summary: Big Book Design Ideas ... A great companion book to Carter's book on color in design. Lots of great ideas and I love the flip book layout which makes it easy to find what you are looking for. ...more
[2] Rating: 5 Date: 2007-03-28 Summary: Excellent ... I am a design teacher - and like to fill my presentations of real-life work that parallels my classes. Excellent source of scanning material, and gives you the exact colors. ...more
Editorial Reviews — ... Product Description | How do creative people create?Where do they get their ideas?For many, "brainstorm" sessions are a starting point. But huge numbers of creative people go through creative annuals or other books showing large amounts of work by top creative people. (Author David Carter calls this process "solitary brainstorming.") The Big Book of New Design Ideas was created for this specific purpose. Each piece was selected based on its potential to trigger an idea in the mind of the reader. Look at the...more