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book (design) story #130

albert ehrismann:
lächeln auf dem asphalt

orell füssli verlag, zürich / leipzig, 1930
size: 19 x 11 cm
designer: max bill

this is one of max bill's (1908-1994) earliest book designs. the jacket features a very unusual photomontage: an aerial view of the zurich bahnhofplatz in two sizes is combined with a wire-like silhouette of a man. the text is printed diagonally in a lower-case sans-serif, with big spaces between words.

at the top of the front flap the signature: "bill – zürich / foto: ad astra". ad astra aero was an early swiss avation company, led by walter mittelholzer. in 1931 ad astra merged with balair to form the swissair company (history now, too).

"lächeln auf dem asphalt" (smile on the asphalt) is a collection of poems by swiss author albert ehrismann (1908-1998) – his debut publication.

the typography of the cover and title page is very different from the jacket, with asymmetrically arranged uppercase serif type.

this 1930 first edition bears a label from the schweizerische schillerstiftung which is signed by the author (see book 272 for a similar edition). there is also a card of this literature supporting organisation laid in.

i also have a copy of the 1931 second edition, with a dedicated and signed card by the author.

the first edition came also with a flyer for the same publisher's "schaubücher" (sb) series of photo books (see e.g. stories 95, 553 or 554). the second edition (below) saw a few changes, like the typography of the first poem.

the typography of the inside pages is similar to some of bill's other book designs of the 1930s, with its horizontal lines and with titles flush to outer margins – see book stories 74, 75 and 76.