Aproposter's Favorite Poster Books
Poster collectors know that there are many fantastic and desirable original vintage posters out there that they might never be able to actually possess. At least in our case, there are countless classic posters, which we would like to put on our walls, or just own them, that are either not available on the market or simply do not accommodate to our poster budget. Here a good example:
A.M. Cassandre,
Luckily, there are different ways to enjoy more posters than you can own. You could simply buy reprints. Though, it’s certainly not the same to decorate your rooms with posters that are not from the original print run, and which are not stone lithographs featuring stunning colors. If available, later printings of a poster might be an opportunity to own a specific poster at an affordable price. The Torino Martini poster is a great example of a wonderful stone lithograph later printing that is available for a reasonable price tag.
Marcello Dudovich, Martini Torino, 27.4 x 39.2 inches or 70 x 100 cm
Alternatively, original posters can be admired in museums. The problem often is that the best poster museums might not just be around your corner; or in other words, you could rather spend the money on another poster than an expensive and time-consuming flight to New York, Milan, Zurich, or any other city with a good design or poster museum.
Therefore, we think it’s great to have poster books. Of course, looking at a classic poster in a poster book is by no means the same experience as having the original hanging on the living room wall in your house or apartment; though, your walls might anyway already be plastered with all kinds of stunning posters so that there is no more space left for an original poster.
There are numerous poster books that contain a great selection of beautifully illustrated posters. Overall, there are hundreds of poster books, from beautiful hardcover books with fantastic poster art and interesting background information to rather cheap poster coloring books. Some poster books are now classic books, which became a form of collectibles on their own. For example, Modernism101 specializes in rare and out-of-print design books and periodicals.
Aproposter’s 10 favorite Poster Books
On this page, you will find our top 10 favorite poster books, featuring original posters from the most famous poster designers and artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec, Leonetto Cappiello, and Milton Glaser. Even though there are great classic poster and poster design books – we very much like the old Paul Rand design books – the selection below only contains newer poster books from the 2000s.
Top 10 Poster Books
The Art Deco Poster
The works in The Art Deco Poster have been selected from the William W. Crouse collection, an extensive group of rare and hard-to-find posters acquired for their clean lines, strong geometry, and hard-edged power.
The Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec
Toulouse-Lautrec is widely regarded as the most talented printmaker of the late nineteenth century. This book presents more than one hundred prints and posters by Lautrec from MoMA's outstanding collection of his work.
Vintage Travel Posters
This book gathers together some of the best and brightest travel posters ever made and offers a stylish, informative glimpse into tourism and tourists from a bygone era. Just great illustrations. Wonderful images of rare posters.
The Poster
Technology's impact on poster design and the ways in which contemporary designers are harnessing the visual language of the past to satisfy the needs of the present and future are evident in this selection of 1,000 posters.
Plakat, Affiche, Poster
History of the Poster, co-written by Josef and Shizuko Müller-Brockmann, is a landmark account of one of the most prolific visual dialogues of our culture. Originally published in 1971, this seminal study is expertly written and richly illustrated.
How Posters Work
How Posters Work is a book about how designers see. Featuring more than 330 illustrations, this primer in visual thinking shows the ways designers use principles of composition, perception, and storytelling to convey ideas and construct meaning.
Milton Glaser Posters
Milton Glaser has designed more than 500 posters. Some, like his 1967 Bob Dylan poster for Columbia Records, are icons; others, like the series celebrating "I ♥ New York," evoke his best-known work.
Razzia - 25 Years of Poster Art
Razzia is the last of a dying breed. Quite possibly, he represents a glorious Art Deco conclusion to the contemporary possibilities of the poster. This 204 page book is the first compilation of the artist's brilliant contribution to the poster medium.
The Posters of Leonetto Cappiello
This is the largest collection of Cappiello's work ever presented—534 poster illustrations in full-color—as well as the most authoritative. Detailed appraisals and annotations accompany each poster.
Travel Italia
Travel Italia guides you to the major centers for art and culture. Organized by region, this passport to Italy features the country's foremost destinations by drawing on an unparalleled collection of vintage posters.