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Chip Kidd: Book One: Work: 1986-2006 Hardcover – September 27, 2005

by Chip Kidd (Author), John Updike (Introduction), David Sedaris (Contributor),
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
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Described as "the closest thing to a rock star" in graphic design today (USA Today), Chip Kidd is universally recognized as an American master of contemporary book design. At the forefront of a revolution in publishing, Kidd's iconic covers, with their inventive marriage of type and found images, have influenced an entire generation of design practitioners in many fields.Chip Kidd: Book One collects all of his book covers and designs for the first time, as well as hundreds of developmental sketches and concepts-annotated by Kidd and by many of the best-selling authors he's worked with over the years. The result is an important contribution to the design canon today as well as a visually dazzling (and often hilarious) insider's look at the design and publishing process.The book also showcases Kidd's work with comics and graphic novels, including his collaborations with leading artists and writers in the field. Featured are projects for DC Comics, including Batman and Superman, as well as Kidd's award-winning exploration of the art of Charles M. Schulz. Chip Kidd: Book One is sure to enthrall design aficionados, book lovers, pop-culture fanatics, comics fans, and design students.
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  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Rizzoli
  4. Publication date
    September 27, 2005
  5. Dimensions
    12.25 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0847827488
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0847827480
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Stylishly designed and richly produced, this witty volume works both as a retrospective of Kidd's renowned book covers and as a memoir of his career in publishing. "I did not grow up yearning to become a book designer," Kidd declares in his prologue. "What I wanted to be was Chris Partridge on The Partridge Family." Thank heavens that plan didn't work out; ever since Sara Eisenman hired Kidd at Knopf, he's been churning out creepy, striking, sly, smart, unpredictable covers that make readers appreciate books as objects of art as well as literature. His accounts of the development of such famous covers as the clear acetate jacket for Donna Tartt's The Secret History and the high-gloss spot-laminate design for Haruki Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle are fascinating. And his irresistible, tongue-in-cheek remarks keep the text from getting gushy or self-aggrandizing. Example: "One of the great advantages to designing book covers is that you don't ever have to have an idea, much less a thought, ever, in your head. That is the author's job." Publishing insiders will relish the behind-the-scenes stories. Kidd's descriptions of his design process and training make the book equally rewarding for graphic artists. This is a gorgeous gift for serious lovers of books and design. (Nov. 1)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Chip Kidd is associate art director at Alfred A. Knopf. His first novel, The Cheese Monkeys, was a national bestseller and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. He is the editor-at-large for Pantheon and the author of Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz, Batman Collected, and others. He is presently at work on a second novel, The Learners. He lives in New York City and Stonington, Connecticut.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rizzoli (September 27, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0847827488
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0847827480
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.95 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.25 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

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  1. Mark Melnick

    Mark Melnick

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  2. Chip Kidd

    Chip Kidd

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    Charles (Chip) Kidd (born September 12, 1964) is an American graphic designer, best known for his innovative book covers. Based in New York city, Kidd has become one of the most famous book cover designers to date.

    Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Luigi Novi [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) or CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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  3. Amy Bloom

    Amy Bloom

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
41 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

"bandmm"
5.0 out of 5 stars Ordered used book through Amazon seller
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
Arrived at the earliest, estimated date. I am very pleased with the book's condition as it matched CCGoodwill's description.

Book description: The 20 years worth of illustrations, types of lettering, and the placement of both, along with Chip Kidd's personal written account of his artifacts, all can be inspiring for any artist of a variety of genres.
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S. J.
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2006
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Chip Kidd is one of those people who makes me think about the work that I do, and inspires me to try to be more creative. Some design lends itself to stealing and there is a tendency to try to emulate styles, but you can't do that with Kidd's work because it is the idea itself which is so fantastic. He manages to find a perfect way to complement the work of the author and create an ideal package. While his work doesn't conform to any particular style, I find that I can easily spot Kidd's covers on a crowded bookstore shelf. (Sometimes his colleague Carol Devine Carson can fake me out with a well designed spine, but I can pretty reliably pick out a "Kidd" 90% of the time. I find that I sometimes buy books on the strengths of his covers alone.)

Kidd makes me try to expand the way I think about what I'm trying to say, and for that reason, this book will be a frequent reference.
8 people found this helpful
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ludido
4.0 out of 5 stars FUN COVERS
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2006
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This an excellent ,colorful book with very useful and informative comments,they are also humorous.Kidd mentions that he shows failed designs when he lectures to show that even a successful designer has failures.Unfortunately,in my opinion,the jacket for this volume falls in this category,its clever but not practical.because the cover is split in two parts its an irritation to hold and eventually the cover will be bent when laying down or storing in shelf.Still a must have in this genre.Now how about a Susan Mitchell collection?
ps.i followed my advice and bought the hardcover .Amazing its even more unwieldy,the cover is half hard and half soft,yikes!I ended up buying the soft cover to keep and treat it very carefully ,was that the point of this nutty design?I guess this cover will enter the hall of fame and certainly will be a collectors item if its never opened.Argghh!!!
8 people found this helpful
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Curious Epicure
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2008
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This is a great, great book. If you're a fan of Kidd's work, by all means buy this book. If you are at all interested in truly inspirational graphic design, this book is a must-have.

PROS: having so many of Kidd's designs in one place is worth the price of admission, inclusion of the development and back story of each cover is interesting and elucidating, stories of his adventures in the trade are well-written and fun to learn about.

CONS: the cover is awkward, the shape of the book makes it hard to hold while reading - you really have to put it on something flat - it's sometimes difficult to decipher exactly which pictures the captions are referencing.

There is a definite form-over-function issue with the book, but the content is what counts - and that gets 5 stars from me without a quibble.
3 people found this helpful
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R.M.F.
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2005
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Wow. This book - much like Chip Kidd's design work - is simply stunning. Every page is engaging.

Fortunately, Chip Kidd happens to be a very good writer. There is no ego here, Kidd keeps a sense of humor throughout.

This is a beautiful book for every designer to add to their library. My one suggestion would be to spend a few extra bucks for the hardcover edition...
20 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed with Appearance
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2015
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While the book is great & in good shape, I was not expecting it to have prominent "TOURO COLLEGE PROPERTY" stamps around the edges. Won't be using as a coffee table book, as I wanted to.
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angelwiing
5.0 out of 5 stars An inside look at the design process
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2015
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A very good book. It's funny. It's like a course in graphic design. He shows comps and why they weren't chosen. Huge book. Lots of photos.
One person found this helpful
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Mary A. Musilek
5.0 out of 5 stars Chipp Kidd
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2012
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My daughter who is a Graphic Arts major seen this book somewhere and wanted a copy of it. It came quickly and she was quite happy with it!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

andrew manning
5.0 out of 5 stars A magnum opus of a portfolio book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2015
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This book is a lot bigger than it looks… and that is a good thing! In terms of size and page count I was pleasantly surprised with the book itself and it really helps to show of the, for the most part, full size book covers and development images inside. A fantastic read for anybody interested in design or books in general
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Samantha
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 29, 2013
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This book is great for anyone with an interest in book cover design, or just graphic design in general. I originally borrowed it from my college library, loved it, and decided to buy it. The price is great for such a good and large book, and it arrived promptly with no damage.
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Nell
2.0 out of 5 stars He's not as good as you think...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 21, 2012
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No really, it's a boring book to be fair, I've had better afternoons with the Freeman's catalogue, and the format makes my one bookshelf look all raggedy like a Victorian ragamuffins undergarments on washday.
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