Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From Jacobsen to Tupperware, this fascinating new dictionary of Modern Design covers the period from the mid-nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth. Over 2,000 entries on names and movements from the past 150 years of design include ceramics, furniture, graphics, industrial design, interiors, and fashion, as well as biographical entries on designers, manufacturers, etc, and major museums and heritage sites. The dictionary, international in focus, also covers major movements, key concepts, design terminology, and important design institutions.Written in a clear, accessible style, and with more comprehensive coverage than any of the other design dictionaries available, the Dictionary of Modern Design is an essential addition to every designer's and artist's studio shelf. It also features funky illustrations at every letter's opening page, with zeitgeist design concepts from Action Man and Barbie to Ferrari and Electrolux.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction
• A-Z Dictionary of Modern Design
• Bibliography

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Woodham, who authored the well-known Twentieth-Century Design, has produced an excellent lexicon of design concepts from the past 150 years. International in focus, the work boasts over 2000 concise entries on concepts like Fisher-Price, Ikea, and Ferrari as well as background on designers (e.g., Michael Graves), manufacturers, major museums, and heritage sites. A multitude of mediums is represented, including ceramics, furniture, graphics, industrial design, interiors, and fashion. However, it is not just the richness of information provided that makes this dictionary an essential acquisition. There are also superb time lines charting both aesthetic and commercial movements in design, plus a thorough bibliography and a well-organized index. Bottom Line This marvelously compiled dictionary will answer just about any reference question on modern design. A delight to browse; highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.-Sheila Devaney, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Athens (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Woodham's useful dictionary of modern design covers influential designers, movements, companies, materials, and technologies from Arts & Crafts in the 1860s to contemporary practices and practitioners. The author (Univ. of Brighton) also wrote the well-received history Twentieth Century Design (CH, Oct'97, 35-0723). In numbers of biographical entries, his dictionary shows a decided UK and European slant. About 350 individual designers receive a long paragraph of description; another 500 or so are mentioned in entries for firms and movements. Text about major design movements is printed against a gray background. Woodham's introduction succinctly lays out the history of design, museum collections and seminal exhibitions, landmark symposia, design as an academic discipline, and interdisciplinary explorations, but it does not clearly define selection criteria. Cross-referencing and indexing are exemplary. The bibliography is arranged by topic and country. A time line charts design groups and organizations, landmarks, technology, key exhibitions, and key publications. Unfortunately, the book is printed on cheap paper that allows black-and-white illustrations to bleed through and makes reproductions dull. While recommended for libraries with an international design focus, a more complete and satisfactory design reference is Mel Byars's The Design Encyclopedia (CH, Jan'05, 42-2538). ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates; design professionals. R. T. Clement Northwestern University

Booklist Review

Sometimes a book's cover, or in this case, the book jacket, is an indication of what is between the boards. The stylish use of the ISBN number and large colorful bar code are emblematic of good modern design. As well as being a dictionary of modern design, this book is also a concise history. It is filled with biographies of individuals, such as Laura Ashley, Charles Eames, and Robert Venturi, as well as entries for styles ( Art deco, Danish modern0 ); materials ( Bakelite, Chrome,0 Formica0 ); companies ( IKEA, Tupperware,0 Prada0 ); and more. Each alphabet letter section, from A 0 through XYZ,0 is introduced by a classic example of modern design. For example, F0 is illustrated with a photograph of Fiskars scissors; N0 with a Nokia mobile phone; R0 with a Rubik's Cube. There are no other illustrations. More than 2,000 entries cover world design from the middle of the nineteenth century through 2004. Occasional boxed entries discuss important concepts such as Arts and Crafts movement, Green design, Kitsch,0 and Modernism.0 If an entry heading is mentioned within the text of another entry, it is preceded by an asterisk. The dictionary portion of the volume is followed by a topically organized bibliography, time lines, and an index of names. A wealth of information in a well-designed book makes this a required purchase for libraries supporting design programs and for most academic libraries and large public libraries. --Linda Loos Scarth Copyright 2005 Booklist