The Observer Decameron—Third Day

Man In The High Castle
Philip K. Dick
The original Philip K. Dick story is very different from what was cannibalized for the Amazon series. Worth reading whether you’ve watched or not.

John Baeder’s A Road Well Taken
Jay Williams
This biography by Jay Williams of American photorealist painter John Baeder is a treat for its generous imagery, but also for the insights learned from both Williams and Baeder along the journey. Baeder’s work inspired my own interest in American vernacular and has single-handedly documented much of its treasures.

Still Lifes, California
Rudy VanderLans
Rudy VanderLans recent collection of color photographs make the “still” in still lifes come remarkable alive in nuanced and subtle ways. He has been documenting natural and commercial landscapes for years. This is his symphony of observations.

Typography 35
Annuals are all the same, but sometimes they’re not. This one designed by Thomas Wilder and Leyland Maschmeyer at Collins delivers not only some stunning work but an aura on the cover and divider pages. When you see it you’ll know what I mean. Ordinarily pages printed in black would be oppressive, but here they shine.

World History of Design Vols 1 & 2
Victor Margolin’s opus is a boon to design scholars everywhere. Over ten years in the making, these first two of three volumes cover histories of design in countries that we in the West would never have considered. Margolin’s scholarship is enviable, but his passion for recording and documenting the obscure is invaluable.

Bob Noorda Design
This was sitting on my desk for months before I cracked open this “last graphic work produced and wholly conceived by Bob Noorda.” I was transfixed by the scope of the design done solo, with Unimark and others. Of course, with Massimo Vignelli, Noorda is responsible for the NYC Subway graphic system.

War Plan Red: The United States’ Secret Plan to Invade Canada, and Canada’s to Invade the U.S.
Kevin Lippert
Kevin Lippert uncovered the most shocking documents to attack our neighbor to the north. “Tensions once ran so high between the U.S. and its northern cousin that each country created their own invasion plan.” Hard to believe? Just have a look.

The Little Book of Typographic Ornament
David Jury
David Jury’s love of letterpress is on every page of this smartly produced thick little volume.

All The Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr
Anthony Doerr’s story of a blind French girl and teenage German boy during World War II is one of the most beautifully written human tales of wartime love and loss I’ve ever read. I woke up in the middle of the night for three days just to read more.

Graphique de la Rue
Louise Fili
Louise Fili’s second book of exquisite signs is, well, exquisite. Louise is my wife, but I’m in awe of her work.