Landmarks of Twentieth-Century Design: Voices of Democracy in the Middle East

This is a Terrific encyclopedia in the best sense of the word. Each decade receives a well written, thoughtful overview that address not only design but history and social views from many perspectives. A fine read for the this reason alone. But wait there is more, approximately 30 individual pieces of design are chosen for each section, photographed and described in 100-300 words. The effect is like a cherished museum exhibition catalog. The choices range from iconic artworks to mass produced consumer goods, but no matter the pedigree the text and photos are illuminating and enjoyable. In addition to all of this the designer's biographies will likely seem very familiar. This book appears to be one of the most widely used, and non-credited, sources of information on the internet. The cost of this book has crept up in the last few years; however, it is among the few reference books that I find indispensable when researching, and more importantly it just seems to make me smile when I browse through the pages.