Taschen Reissues Arts & Architecture 1945-54 in Facsimile Box Set

Taschen has published a facsimile box set of the first ten years (1945-1954) of the California-based magazine Arts & Architecture. The original issues are reproduced with exact covers, paper, and advertisements, including vibrant covers by graphic designer Herbert Matter and occasional contributions from architects Ray Eames, Mies van der Rohe, and André Bloc. The set includes a preface by David F. Travers, who succeeded founding editor John D. Entenza and ran the magazine from 1963 to 1967. Travers describes the Case Study House program, launched by Entenza in January 1945, which commissioned architects to build experimental homes using modern, cost-efficient construction methods with standardized catalog parts. The program aimed to reshape postwar domestic living. The box set is a limited edition of 5,000 numbered copies priced at €500. A reprint of the second decade (1955-1967) is expected by the end of 2009.