Bijutsu Shuppan-sha (美術出版社) — 12-nin no Graphic Designer / Twelve Persons in Graphic Design Today (２２人のグラフィックデザイナー), Vols. 1–3 Complete Set. Tokyo, 1968–1970.
The definitive anthology of Japanese graphic design's golden age — Published by Bijutsu Shuppan-sha between 1968 and 1970, Twelve Persons in Graphic Design Today documents the mid-century masters who invented the visual language of modern Japan: their masterworks, posters, advertisements, and personal essays, gathered in three volumes that together constitute the essential record of the era.
The designers represented across the three volumes read as a roll call of the twentieth century's most influential visual artists working outside the Western canon:
Vol. 1: Ario Uno (宇野亜喜良), Kazumasa Nagai (永井一正), Shigeo Fukuda (福田繁雄), Iwao Hosoya (細谷岩夫)
Vol. 2: Kiyoshi Awazu (粟津潔), Mitsuo Katsui (勝井三雄), Ikko Tanaka (田中一光), Makoto Wada (和田誠)
Vol. 3: Yosuke Isaka (伊坂芳太山), Toshihiro Katayama (片山洋一), Tsunehisa Kimura (木村恒久), Tadanori Yokoo (横尾忠則)
Introductions by Kuniharu Akiyama (秋山邦晴), Sakyo Komatsu (小松左京), and Arata Isozaki (磯崎新).
For collectors of Japanese graphic design, vintage typography, and mid-century visual culture, this three-volume set is the Holy Grail. Complete sets in this condition are exceptionally rare on the international market.
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Title: 12-nin no Graphic Designer / Twelve Persons in Graphic Design Today
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Publisher: Bijutsu Shuppan-sha (美術出版社), Tokyo
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Years: 1968–1970 (Showa 43–45)
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Format: 3-volume hardcover set
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Language: Japanese (with English titles and designer names)
Condition: Very Good — Remarkably Well-Preserved Complete Set
Overall, the set is in exceptionally clean and well-preserved condition for volumes over 50 years old. Specific notes by volume:
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Vol. 1 — Endpapers: Minor tanning/toning due to age. Final page: Previous owner's signature and name stamp (hanko) — a small mark of provenance.
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Vol. 2 — Endpapers: Minor tanning/toning due to age. Otherwise clean throughout.
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Vol. 3 — Spine: Minor loss/chipping at the top of the spine, consistent with age and shelving. Interior clean and bright.
- Please inspect all high-resolution listing photographs carefully before purchasing.
