Book Review: Times Square Style: Graphics from the Golden Age of Broadway

Submitted by  Robin Benson on  December 21, 2012 - 2:17 am

Carnival Times

Flick through this lovely paperback and you'll realise that the style of Times Square is to have no style apart from a bubbly exuberance, which jumps out from two hundred graphics shown.

Some wonderful material has been selected, the chapter on the Great White Way has a spread of eighteen beautiful theater (always spelt theatre) programs and over the page illustrator Franz Felix has four stunning covers for Theatre Magazine. A nice touch is a page of eleven half-torn theater tickets (1947 to 1958) produced, it seems, by some local jobbing printer. Sign Spectaculars chapter includes ten postcards from 1914 to 1955 revealing the amazing neon displays around the Square. I've always noticed, over the years, the Bond Clothing store and their neon claim of Two Trouser Suits, now long gone I expect.

The nine chapters just about cover everything the Square had to offer and the range of graphic material shown is very impressive. Well designed and printed, I think this super book will interest graphic designers, pop culture fans and New Yorkers who want a souvenir of their famous Crossroads of the World.

Times Square Style: Graphics from the Golden Age of Broadway is available at Amazon (US | CA | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | JP | CN)

Times Square Style: Graphics from the Golden Age of Broadway - 01
Covers to Threatre Magazine 1930 and 1931 with the British spelling for extra cachet.

Times Square Style: Graphics from the Golden Age of Broadway - 02
Opening spread.

Times Square Style: Graphics from the Golden Age of Broadway - 03
Spectacular signs.

Times Square Style: Graphics from the Golden Age of Broadway - 04
The Square in 1936 and 1969.

Times Square Style: Graphics from the Golden Age of Broadway - 05
Hotel brochures.

Times Square Style: Graphics from the Golden Age of Broadway - 06
Movie posters.

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Tags
time square
graphic design
princeton architectural press

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