The Design History Reader

This revised and updated edition addresses the international history and practice of design from the 17th century to the present day.

Covering both primary texts by social theorists, designers and design reformers, and secondary texts in the form of key works of design history and design thinking, the Reader provides an essential resource for understanding the history of design, the development of the discipline, and contemporary issues in design history and practice, including decolonization, sustainability, historiography, gender and globalization. Extracts are grouped into thematic sections, each with a contextualizing introduction by the editors, and a guide to further reading.

The updated edition of The Design History Reader expands upon its original content and features numerous significant voices from across the globe. Authors include William Morris, Karl Marx, Roland Barthes, Victor Margolin, Penny Sparke, Judy Attfield, Ellen Lupton, and many more.

Rebecca Houze is Associate Professor of Art History at Northern Illinois University, USA. Her publications include, as co-editor, The Design History Reader (Berg, 2010), and, as author, New Mythologies in Design and Culture: Reading Signs and Symbols in the Visual Landscape (Bloomsbury, 2016) and Textiles, Fashion, and Design Reform Before the First World War: Principles of Dress (2015).

Grace Lees-Maffei is Professor of Design History and Director of the Professional Doctorate in Heritage (DHeritage) at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. She is Chair of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Design History and Series Editor, with Kjetil Fallan, of the book series Cultural Histories of Design (Bloomsbury). Her publications include Design at Home (2014) and, with Nicolas P. Maffei, Reading Graphic Design in Cultural Context (Bloomsbury 2019). For Bloomsbury, Grace edited Writing Design (2012) and Iconic Designs (2014). With Rebecca Houze, Grace co-edited Design and Heritage (2022) and with Kjetil Fallan, she co-edited Designing Worlds (2016) and Made in Italy: (Bloomsbury 2014).