Record Covers: The Evolution of Graphics Reflected in Record Packaging = Die Schallplattenhülle Als Spiegel Der Graphischen Entwicklung = L'evolution ... de dis (English, German and French Edition)

Text and captions are in English, German and French. 644 album covers are shown in black & white and some in color. Arranged by musical category. From the Forward: A book on the design of record covers would be incomplete, to say the least, if it did not contain some account of the beginnings and the early stages of development of an art form whose total evolution up to date is in any case limited to a few decades. We have therefore included in this book sections dealing with the pioneers of record-cover design and with the work done in the nineteen-fifties, but have restricted our examples to the outstanding achievements and to those artists who really succeeded in setting a trend. Although this book deals specifically with record-cover design, it also mirrors, in a wider frame of reference, the general trends of the graphic design and the photography produced in the periods under review and thus constitutes an interesting retrospect over the changing tastes and the main directions of advance manifested in these two areas. We have been fortunate in obtaining, for our introductory texts, the services of writers who are recognized authorities in their various fields.