MASTERPIECES OF BRITISH DESIGN

Unlike their continental counterparts, British designers never went in for the hard-edged modernism of the Bauhaus; they instead created--and continue to create--designs with a soft-edged sophistication that reflects an engaging and understated refinement. The fruits of this approach are immediately recognizable, from the visually seductive E-Type Jaguar, with its gently undulating hood and nostril-like headlight craters, to Giles Gilbert Scott's iconic red telephone box, which says "England" more clearly than perhaps any other inanimate object on earth. Masterpieces of British Design comprehensively surveys 100 landmark designs spanning a period of 250 years. The earlier works include Industrial Revolution-period Coalbrookdale ironwork urns and benches, made with sometimes elaborate patterns, and the Spitfire, William Mitchell's famous World War II fighter plane. But this comprehensive volume also devotes space to the latest designs by a roster of today's most celebrated designers, including Ross Lovegrove, Jasper Morrison and Ron Arad. Each featured design is beautifully illustrated and accompanied by an in-depth explanatory text. With 250 color illustrations, this book reveals the inherent characteristics of British design-a combination of casual elegance and practical functionality, often with a touch of British eccentricity thrown in for good measure-while celebrating the influence of its output on the course of design history