Notable Design Books of 2012

Our designers, commentators, guest bloggers, and specially invited guests have chosen these as the most notable design books of 2012. Also see Notable Design Books of 2011.
81 books
20th-Century World Architecture: The Phaidon Atlas Editors of Phaidon Press, Phaidon Press $135.14
Porsche: Origin of the Species Ludvigsen, Karl et al. Bentley Publishers $119.95
The Phaidon Archive of Graphic Design Editors of Phaidon Press, Phaidon Press $117.50
Herb Lubalin Shaughnessy, Adrian Unit Editions $100.00
The Raw and the Cooked Bialobrzeski, Peter Hatje Cantz $95.00
Luca Barcellona: Take Your Pleasure Seriously Barcellona, Luca Lazy Dog Press $90.57
House Keaton, Diane et al. Rizzoli International Publications $85.00
Architecture Concepts: Red is Not a Color Tschumi, Bernard Rizzoli International Publications $85.00
Understanding Architecture McCarter, Robert et al. Phaidon Press $85.00
The Dutch Photobook Gierstberg, Frits et al. Aperture $75.00
Asia-Pacific Design No. 8 Sandu Publishing Co. Limited, Sandu Publishing Co. Limited $72.00
Imperfect Health Borasi, Giovanna et al. Lars Müller Publishers $70.00
Tree Houses Jodidio, Philip et al. TASCHEN $69.99
Wiel Arets McCarter, Robert et al. Birkhäuser $69.95
Information Graphics Rendgen, Sandra et al. TASCHEN $69.00
The Avant-Garde Applied (1890–1950) Fontán del Junco, Manuel et al. Fundación Juan March $65.00
The Book of Books Lommen, Mathieu Thames & Hudson $65.00
Graphic Design: A History, 2nd Edition Eskilson, Stephen J. Laurence King Publishing $65.00
Norman Bel Geddes Designs America Albrecht, Donald et al. Abrams $65.00
La Formentera Piasecki, Eric et al. The Monacelli Press $65.00
The Shape of Green Hosey, Lance Island Press $60.00
Terunobu Fujimori Rössler, Hannes et al. Hatje Cantz $60.00
Wendell Castle: Wandering Forms Castle, Wendell et al. Gregory R. Miller & Co. $60.00
Torre David Brillembourg, Alfredo et al. Lars Müller Publishers $60.00
FUSE 1-20 Brody, Neville et al. TASCHEN $59.99
How to Make a Japanese House Nuijsink, Cathelijne nai010 Publishers $55.00
Designing Information Katz, Joel John Wiley & Sons $55.00
Lowrider Space Chappell, Ben University of Texas Press $55.00
Bio Design Myers, William et al. The Museum of Modern Art $50.00
Building Stories Ware, Chris Pantheon Books $50.00
Confessions of a Generalist Diffrient, Niels Generalist Ink $50.00
A Visual Inventory Pawson, John Phaidon Press $49.95
Concrete Koren, Leonard et al. Phaidon Press $49.95
Japan Japanese Schmid, Helmut Robundo Publishing $47.70
The Postcard Age Klich, Lynda et al. Museum of Fine Arts Publications $45.00
Machine Art, 1934 Marshall, Jennifer Jane The University of Chicago Press $45.00
Elegantissima Fili, Louise et al. Princeton Architectural Press $40.00
The Art of Punk Bestley, Russell et al. Voyageur Press $40.00
City: A Guidebook for the Urban Age Smith, P.D. Bloomsbury $39.99
Photo Gallery of Good Buildings: West Building Mania Cafe, PIE International $38.49
15 Years of Media Arts Furuya, Kurando BNN $37.65
Underground: How the Tube Shaped London Bownes, David et al. Allen Lane $35.59
The Color Revolution Blaszczyk, Regina Lee The MIT Press $34.95
Logo Life Van der Vlugt, Ron BIS Publishers $32.00
The Fractalist Mandelbrot, Benoit Pantheon $30.00
The Shape of Design Chimero, Frank Frank Chimero $29.99
100 Ideas That Changed Graphic Design Heller, Steven et al. Laurence King Publishing $29.95
Thanks for the View, Mr. Mies Aubert, Danielle et al. Metropolis Books $29.95
English Graphic Lubbock, Tom Frances Lincoln $29.95
Mirko Ilić: Fist to Face Kršić, Dejan et al. Print Publishing $29.25
Adversarial Design DiSalvo, Carl The MIT Press $28.00
To Forgive Design Petroski, Henry Harvard University Press $27.95
Walkable City Speck, Jeff Farrar, Straus and Giroux $27.00
Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet Blum, Andrew HarperCollins $26.99
The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City Ehrenhalt, Alan Knopf $26.95
The Style of the Stedelijk Huygen, Frederike nai010 Publishers $26.00
Makers: The New Industrial Revolution Anderson, Chris Random House $26.00
Some Remarks Stephenson, Neal William Morrow $25.99
Writing About Architecture Lange, Alexandra Princeton Architectural Press $24.95
Abstract City Niemann, Christoph Abrams $24.95
Blown Covers Mouly, Françoise Abrams $24.95
Sign Painters Levine, Faythe et al. Princeton Architectural Press $24.95
ReThinking a Lot Ben-Joseph, Eran The MIT Press $24.95
Instant: The Story of Polaroid Bonanos, Christopher Princeton Architectural Press $24.95
Quay Brothers Magliozzi, Ron et al. The Museum of Modern Art $24.95
The Where, the Why, and the How Volvovski, Jenny et al. Chronicle Books $24.95
Le Corbusier Redrawn Park, Steven Princeton Architectural Press $24.95
China’s Design Revolution Justice, Lorraine et al. The MIT Press $21.95
Design Is a Job Monteiro, Mike A Book Apart $18.00
The Future Will Be…China Obrist, Hans Ulrich et al. Pinacoteca Agnelli/UCCA $15.00
Hippopposites Coat, Janik Abrams $14.95
Futuro Augé, Marc et al. Bollati Boringhieri $14.95
Fear of Music Lethem, Jonathan Continuum $12.95
I Saw a Peacock with a Fiery Tail Urveti, Ramsingh Tara Books $12.25
Cinesi (The Chinese) Visetti, Giampaolo Feltrinelli $12.00
Girls’ Fashion in Japanese Manga Takemura, Mana Paiintanashonaru
The New Art of Landscape: Conversations between Xin Wu and Contemporary Designers Wu, Xin et al. China Architecture & Building Press
Ikko Tanaka and the Future/Past/East/West of Design Koike, Kazuko Foiru
Katsuji Wakisaka: Japanese Textile Designer Wakisaka, Katsuji PIE International
Wim Crouwel: A Graphic Odyssey (Japanese edition) Brook, Tony et al. BNN
Juliaan Lampens Campens, Angelique ASA Publishers