Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Even in the digital age, the printed poster retains an important, much-loved role in connecting with audiences in a way that both entertains and informs. The V&A was one of the first museums to start collecting posters and to recognize the importance of doing so. Far from ephemeral, posters are both a representation of the time in which they were produced and distributed and, in many instances, have shaped the societies in which they were seen. The story of the poster is both one of changing styles and new innovations in design, illustration and printing, and a visually compelling social history.

The Poster brings together over 300 examples that tell a comprehensive visual history of poster design and the various ways the poster has been used to tell, to sell, to charm and to spur on change. Organized into seven thematic chapters that tell the story of the poster as a medium, each poster is accompanied by a concise commentary that explains the work in terms of its design, printing, content, message and the commercial, social or political impact it may have had.

Featuring works by the masters of poster design that have become popular and highly collectible classics, charting the ebb and flow of styles such as Art Nouveau, Modernism, Art Deco, Psychedelia and Punk and featuring the nostalgic glow of muchloved brands as well as posters that shook and changed the world, The Poster will be an essential visual resource for graphic designers and illustrators - a reference for anyone with an interest in collecting posters and an engaging design and social history for all who appreciate this most popular of art forms.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

This gratifyingly massive compendium of poster art draws upon the vast collections of the Word & Image Dept. at London's Victoria & Albert Museum, a 13,000-item repository presciently begun in 1864 and now global in scope. It's sensibly arranged around seven thematic sections--sport, show business, commerce, politics, travel, art, and digital posters--each introduced by brief but piquant scholarship expounding on the evolution of the forms within each divergent genre. Beautifully illustrated, it features works by masters of graphic and fine art, some renowned (Toulouse-Lautrec, Aubrey Beardsley), others more obscure. Few of these posters ever see a V&A exhibit case, so it's a rare treat to see them presented in one volume. Anglophiles will love the British tilt of what's on view, such as the witty "My Goodness, My Guinness" lithos, and striking London Transport ads. A popular mania for collecting posters began very early, on the Continent in the 19th century, represented here by broadsheets epitomizing the look of the Belle Époque. Helpful glossaries of style and printing lexicon, keyed to specific posters, round out what is a fun, instructive tour of this singular 2-D art form. VERDICT Colorful and comprehensive, an entertaining visual history with something for everyone.--Douglas F. Smith, Oakland P.L.

CHOICE Review

Though one can find a ton of books on the poster, this new one is among the finest. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has perhaps the world's deepest collection of the poster as a design artifact, as an art artifact, and as a cultural/sociological artifact. This book is grounded in the museum's superb collection. Not only does the publisher do an admirable job of book production, but the amply illustrated volume highlights some posters (and designers) not popularly known. Saunders and Timmers (both senior curators at the V & A) spurned a chronological structure in favor of a nesting chronology inside a subject-based breakdown. Hence, one gets to see how entertainment, as a category, evolved through posters; how protest evolved visually; how advertising developed increasingly sharp messaging. All this is framed by an introductory essay by Saunders, who succinctly puts the poster in context, explains its eruption onto the streets in the mid-19th century, and elaborates on the socioeconomic factors that laid the groundwork for that ascension. This reviewer knows of no book more useful for a basic education on the poster. Summing Up: Essential. All readers. --Steven Skaggs, University of Louisville