Never Leave Well Enough Alone
Between the 1930s and the 1960s, Raymond Loewy's streamlined designs for thousands of consumer goods―everything from toasters and refrigerators to automobiles and ocean liners―radically changed the look of American life. Regarded as the father of modern industrial design, he appeared on the cover of Time in 1949; in 1990, he was selected as one of Life's "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century." Whether they realized it or not, Americans at mid-century lived in a Loewy-designed...
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Raymond Loewy (1893-1986) was one of the pioneers of industrial design, responsible for the "streamlining" of cars and locomotives, the redesign of the Lucky Strike cigarette package, and many other staples of American consumer culture. This book—part memoir and part design manifesto—was first published in 1951, and was designed by Loewy himself (it includes many b&w photos and is in a small format: 6.25x5.25"). A new introduction by Glenn Porter, director of the Hagley Museum and Library (Wilmington, Delaware), sets the historical context. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, ORNew YorkerAn autobiography by one of the leading industrial designers in this country . . . Mr. Loewy tells of his youth in France, his coming to America after the first war, his initial success as a fashion artist, and the dawn of industrial design and his part in it . . . The book is instructive, brash, cocksure, occasionally funny, sometimes vulgar, and always honest.
Introduction to the Johns HopkinsEditionxiiiPart 1Chapter 1Corporal Loewy3Chapter 2Adolescence15Chapter 3Sex and Locomotives39Chapter 4Fashion Illustrator51Chapter 5The Crusade65Part 2Chapter 6The Duplicating Angel81Chapter 7Skyscraper Office91Chapter 8American Cooking99Chapter 9Penthouse Studio115Chapter 10The "Me Too" Boys125Chapter 11From Toothpicks to Locomotives133Chapter 12Big Business145Chapter 13Michael and Venise161Chapter 14Viola Erickson165Chapter 15Preparations for Postwar179Part 3Chapter 16The National Widget Company187Chapter 17The Chrome and You207Chapter 18Industrial Design and Your Life233Chapter 19Case History257Chapter 20The MAYA Stage277Chapter 21The Borax Plague287Chapter 22Design and Psychology295Chapter 23Automobile Body Styling305Chapter 24Reader Rides Again321Chapter 25Keeping Fit349Chapter 26Where To?369
\ New ScientistA fascinating insight into the birth and growth of the largest consumer society the world has ever seen—and a handbook for how to make technology desirable.\ \ \ \ \ Cruise-In.comA great resource for the auto buff as well as aficionados of industrial design.\ \ \ New YorkerAn autobiography by one of the leading industrial designers in this country... Mr. Loewy tells of his youth in France, his coming to America after the first war, his initial success as a fashion artist, and the dawn of industrial design and his part in it... The book is instructive, brash, cocksure, occasionally funny, sometimes vulgar, and always honest.\ \ \ \ \ InteriorsWhilst displaying an uncommon amount of literary dexterity, modesty, and generosity, Loewy manages to describe the development of his career, his achievements, and the methods and organization of his business... It is the funniest and most lucid success story that the industrial design field has yet produced.\ \ \ \ \ Avanti MagazineThe details in this book are amazing... This book serves well to teach how the designs of everyday objects can have an effect on their usefulness, attrativeness, and even potential sales for businesses.\ — Paul Regna\ \ \ \ \ \ New YorkerAn autobiography by one of the leading industrial designers in this country . . . Mr. Loewy tells of his youth in France, his coming to America after the first war, his initial success as a fashion artist, and the dawn of industrial design and his part in it . . . The book is instructive, brash, cocksure, occasionally funny, sometimes vulgar, and always honest.\ \ \ \ \ InteriorsWhilst displaying an uncommon amount of literary dexterity, modesty, and generosity, Loewy manages to describe the development of his career, his achievements, and the methods and organization of his business . . . It is the funniest and most lucid success story that the industrial design field has yet produced.\ \
