wiedler.ch

book (design) story #298

konrad heiden:
geburt des dritten reiches

europa verlag, zürich, 1934
printer: druckerei-genossenschaft aarau
size: 21 x 15 cm
designer: max bill (jacket)

konrad heiden (1901-1966) was a journalist and historian who wrote critical history books on hitler and the national socialist movement. heiden emigrated to switzerland in 1933 where he published this book. in 1935 he left for paris and later emigrated to the USA.

birth of the third reich – the book was published by the europa-verlag in zürich. an english-language adaption with the title "history of national socialism" was published by alfred a knopf, new york, in 1935.

the designer of the jacket is credited in the impressum: "bill, zürich". max bill (1908-1994) designed several book covers/jackets for this anti-fascist publisher – e.g. book 75 on fascism which is announced on the rear jacket flap.

a comparison of the "fascism" dustjacket and this "nazi" one is particularly interesting: in both max bill used a deliberately ugly, "mock-fascist" typography: they ironically employ all the "sins" of traditional typography denounced by jan tschichold in die neue typographie: blackletter type, axial arrangement, and swelled rules. while the fascism jacket reminds of the italian fascists'"blackshirts", this light brown jacket on dark brown wrappers is obviously inspired by the "brownshirt" uniforms of the sa (sturmabteilung), the nazi paramilitary organisation.

i am not quite sure abou the exact idea behind bill's design: should "bad" typography reflect the "bad" ideology criticised in the book? or should the design also appeal to nazi /fascist sympathisers who might change their minds after reading the book? interestingly, the nazis used very much the same method to ridicule modernist art – e.g. in the mock-constructivist poster for the "entartete kunst" (degenerate art) exhibition (picture here).

the typography of the inner pages is just traditional.