wiedler.ch

book (design) story #346

franz maria feldhaus, karl siegfried:
das blaue badewannenbuch

verlag der krausswerke, schwarzenberg, 1932
printer: f. bruckmann ag, münchen
size: 23 x 16 cm
designer: paul renner, josef käufer

the blue bathtub book is a history of the bath and bathtub. the main text was written by technology historian franz maria feldhaus (1874-1957).

it was published by the company f.e. krauss in schwarzenberg (saxony), a manufacturer of bath tubs. company director and inventor friedrich emil krauss (1895-1977) later became an active nazi party member. after 1945 he was put in prison for 9 years, and his company was turned into a "veb".

note the logo of the krauss company on the cover and endpapers. the book is a private printing of 2500 numbered copies, according to the impressum ...

... which credits paul renner (1878-1956) and josef käufer (1891-?) for the design. so the use of renner's futura typeface is no surprise. both renner and käufer designed several publications for the krauss company. josef käufer was a typographer and teacher at the meisterschule für deutschlands buchdrucker in munich. renner was director of the meisterschule until he was sacked by the nazis in 1933.