Book List of the Week: Calligrapher “Alice”
The creator of the Morgan Library & Museum’s celebrated signage picks 5 favorite books and gets a book dedicated to her own career.
By Stephanie Salomon July 19, 2016
For more than three decades, beginning in 1967, the calligrapher “Alice” (Alice Koeth— she dropped her last name professionally early on) designed and lettered the iconic and highly praised signage for New York’s Morgan Library & Museum. A founding member of the Society of Scribes (SOS), she is one of the most respected calligraphers in the world today, whose work has influenced generations of scribes.
Her keen understanding of the craft, respect for its tools, and interest in historical calligraphic forms come across clearly in the list of five books she recommends— all explorations of the written form of symbols, letters, and numbers. These range from the 1930 classic The Book of Signs by Rudolf Koch, to The Calligrapher’s Handbook by Heather Child (“a bible,” says Alice), to a catalogue of the work of Rudo Spemann, who, while imprisoned during World War II, Alice notes, “wrote the most wonderful small pages by candlelight.”
Up to now, though, she has never had a book devoted to her own extraordinary work, A currently running Kickstarter*, created by Jerry Kelly of The Kelly-Winterton Press, to publish a book on Alice’s calligraphy, aims to change that.
The book will feature 140 illustrations, showing the depth and breadth of Alice's artistry over her more than 60-year career. In addition to her celebrated posters for the Morgan Library & Museum (many not seen for decades), the book contains charming early works from the 1950s, as well as several sketches and preliminary layouts which offer a rare glimpse into Alice’s working process.
You can support the “Alice” Kickstarter through July 30! *Updated, August 1: the Kickstarter has been successfully funded!
Announcements
Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy by John Lobell
Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy
By John Lobell
Publisher: The Monacelli Press
Published: June 2020
Noted Louis I.Kahn expert John Lobell explores how Kahn’s focus on structure, respect for materials, clarity of program, and reverence for details come together to manifest an overall philosophy.
Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn by Harriet Pattison
Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn
By Harriet Pattison
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: October 2020
An intimate glimpse into the professional and romantic relationship between Harriet Pattison and the renowned architect Louis Kahn. Harriet Pattison, FASLA, is a distinguished landscape architect. She was Louis Kahn’s romantic partner from 1959 to 1974, and his collaborator on the landscapes of the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, and the F.D.R. Memorial/Four Freedoms Park, New York. She is the mother of their son, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn.
Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes
Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes
By Per Olaf Fjeld and Emily Randall Fjeld
Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
Published: October 4, 2019
A new and personal reading of the architecture, teachings, and legacy of Louis I. Kahn from Per Olaf Fjeld’s perspective as a former student. The book explores Kahn’s life and work, offering a unique take on one of the twentieth century’s most important architects. Kahn’s Nordic and European ties are emphasized in this study that also covers his early childhood in Estonia, his travels, and his relationships with other architects, including the Norwegian architect Arne Korsmo.
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Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context by David Raizman
Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context
By David Raizman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Published: December 2020
An innovative approach to graphic design that uses a series of key artifacts from the history of print culture in light of their specific historical contexts. It encourages the reader to look carefully and critically at print advertising, illustration, posters, magazine art direction, and typography, often addressing issues of class, race, and gender.
David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian by Rick Poynor
David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian
By Rick Poynor
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: September 2020
A comprehensive overview of the work and legacy of David King (1943–2016), whose fascinating career bridged journalism, graphic design, photography, and collecting. King launched his career at Britain’s Sunday Times Magazine in the 1960s, starting as a designer and later branching out into image-led journalism, blending political activism with his design work.
Teaching Graphic Design History by Steven Heller
Teaching Graphic Design History
By Steven Heller
Publisher: Allworth Press
Published: June 2019
An examination of the concerted efforts, happy accidents, and key influences of the practice throughout the years, Teaching Graphic Design History is an illuminating resource for students, practitioners, and future teachers of the subject.
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