wiedler.ch

book (design) story #113

peter freuchen:
das leben geht weiter

büchergilde gutenberg, zürich, 1941
printer: genossenschaftsdruckerei zürich
size: 24 x 17 cm
designer: richard paul lohse

is it a coincidence that so many books about far-away countries were published by the büchergilde zürich during ww2, when travelling was hardly possible? das leben geht weiter (life carries on) is a german translation of the 1938 book min anden ungdom by peter freuchen (1886-1957), a danish writer-adventurer who explored greenland and the arctic. in ww2 freuchen was an activist in denmark's anti-nazi underground movement, captured, sentenced to death, but he managed to escape to sweden, then to the states.

again a nice design by richard paul lohse (1902-1988): the dustjacket showing a dog sledge in front of an icy blue background with a hazy sun is very atmospheric. the cloth cover and endpapers are in an arctic grey colour.

while the book is printed in a venetian-style typeface, the letters of the main title are actually drawn by hand in a slightly different style.

the page layout features large indents and "new typography"-style asymmetric page numbers.

the impressive photos are placed with skill and taste. below peter freuchen (2nd from right), knud rasmussen (4th from left), and other friends.