100 Years of Magazine Covers is a stunning exploration of a relentlessly innovative medium that, in the first decade of the twenty-first century, continues to compel, challenge and surprise.
Magazines provide snapshots of moments in history. Their disposable nature means that they have to sell quickly, and their covers vie for attention on the shelves with images of beauty, sex, shock, humour and celebrity. This book gathers over 300 of the most striking, provocative and iconic covers from the last 100 years to chart the evolution of a cultural phenomenon.
Covering the period from 1900 to the present day, 100 Years of Magazine Covers is an alternative narrative of an enthralling, tumultuous century. From the nascent movie stars of the 1920s that catalysed the magazine industry and birthed the modern ‘celebrity’ to the catastrophic global conflicts that scarred the globe and were characterised by a massive channelling of creative energy onto the magazine cover, this book is a consummate survey of a medium that refuses to fade away.
100 Years of Magazine Covers presents covers from fashion and women’s magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Harper’s Bazaar; news publications—from the era-defining photo-journalism of Life and Time, through Stern and the rise of the broadsheet supplement; magazines such as Esquire, Heat and The Face that have one way or another influenced entire generations—to the underground punk and counter-culture publications of the 1960s and 1970s, such as Sniffing Glue and Oz. The book also includes seldom seen covers from the Vinmag Archive and more recent developments in magazine design including Dazed & Confused, Tank, Grafik and i-D.
Alongside the images, the history of magazines, their development and design, is engagingly chronicled by Steve Taylor, founding contributor to The Face and Arena magazines. The book is beautifully designed by Neville Brody, ex-creative director of The Face and an influential UK designer.
