Philip Meggs has written the most throughly illustrated, definitive history of graphic communications. In the epilogue, Meggs notes the following: "At the time of this writing human affairs are undergoing a new revolution comparable to the industrial revolution that launched the machine age. Electronic circuitry, microprocessors, and computer-generated imagery threaten to radically alter our culture's images, communications processes,and the very nature of the work itself. Graphic design, like many other sources of human activity, is undergoing profound changes." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

This second edition attempts to provide a conceptual and pictorial overview of significant graphic-design accomplishments. The book is organized into five general chronological sections: The Prologue to Graphic Design; A Graphic Renaissance; The Industrial Revolution; The Modernist Era; The Information Age. Each section is then divided thematically into chapters. This edition has expanded content, revised format and typography, timelines for each section and an expanded bibliography. In keeping with the Epilogue in the first edition, Meggs designed the dust jacket of this second edition using computer generated graphics. Although the number of pages in the second edition is slightly smaller than the first edition, this is because the font size is smaller; actually, the text has been expanded to cover recent contemporary trends in graphic design. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

This third edition provides hundreds of new full-color illustrations and new material in areas such as alphabets, Japanese and Dutch graphics, and the computer revolution. The book is organized into five sections: The Prologue to Graphic Design; A Graphic Renaissance; The Industrial Revolution; The Modernist Era; The Age of Information. Each section is then divided thematically into chapters. This edition has expanded content, revised format and typography, timelines for each section and an expanded bibliography. In keeping with the Epilogue in the first and second editions, Meggs designed the dust jacket of this second edition using computer generated graphics. The expansion in this revision relates mainly to th edigital revolution in typography and the new "dirty" typography. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

The entire issue is skillfully devoted to a parody of itself, photographers (Duane Michaels, Helmut Newton), graphic designers (Paul Rand), and graphic design companies (Emigre). -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.