art instruction and reference

It is probably easier to write nebulously about this volume than in very direct and objectively descriptive terms. It's the kind of book that could be said to bring out the poet in you. Maybe because of this, I had a hard time getting a handle on what it was, exactly, before I got a copy. I'd love to try and demystify this wonderful book just a bit.

If you have seen the book "Everything Reverberates" from a few years ago, you have an idea of what this one is like. That book took mostly brief quotes about design and art, and synthesized them into layouts that made the quote a small work of typographic art. Visual puns and kidding visual references to past and present cultures abounded. It was a nice little book to have around and pick up for inspiration or entertainment at the odd down moment.

The art of looking sideways takes the earlier book as a starting point and multiplies the sheer volume of content possibly 40 times over. The layout is elegant. There is lots of visual play (pictures, pictograms, sketches, illusions, calligraphy, etc.) and while there may not be quite as much "making quotes into small works of typographic art", it is still clearly a book given shape by a masterful graphic designer. Whereas the earlier book, because of it's physical dimensions, concentrated on brief quotes, the art of looking sideways is a bit more expansive, including long excerpts from books and articles that have impressed Alan Fletcher, along with pithy quotes (there are plenty of those).

So in one sense, this is a book of quotes, and one of the greatest at that. (On the first page proper of the book, Montaigne says, opening the door for the author, "I quote others only the better to express myself.") But it is more than a book of quotes too. All in all, it is a book worth having around in a prominent place in your home or office, ready to flip open, like a great library dictionary, at any time.

The Art of Looking Sideways is an instruction manual of sorts for adults to deconstruct their preconceived belief systems of reality. Readers are encouraged to look, see, explore, turn upside down, rip apart, and to ultimately rebuild that which everyday people believe to be true through a series of word plays, found quotations, paradoxes, and unusual truths. There are no answers. Just questions, and differences of perception.

The book challenges, enlightens, entertains, and ultimately inspires. It's absolutely not a book of gee-whiz optical illusions, a la psychedelic "Mind's Eye" pointillism or perception bending Escher, but rather a playful, witty scrapbook of collected thoughts, newsprint clippings, poetry, photographs, illustrations, and assorted junk found on globe trotting vacations by the book's compiler.

The design of the book itself is a work of art. No two pages are the same. Each idea, or question, is presented with it's own lyrical typeface and placement to further convey the essence of the topic at hand. At my count, there are well over 1,000 different original works of typography and layout -- a stunning feat in and of itself.

"Sideways" is quite simply a fringe experience that is impossible to label, describe, or place in a particular section of a bookstore. As a designer, I felt more inspired, more aware, more energized after just a handful of pages than I can remember feeling in years of buying design and art related books.

It's big, heavy, and worth its weight in gold. A classic.

I came across this book in the local bookstore, randomly finding it while buying a gift certificate for christmas. If you're into artistic expression in any way, buy this book. It's full of delightfully random illustrations, quotes, and wisdom. If you're not the artistic type, I'd suspect you'll find this book a bit tedious or perhaps even pointless. If, however, you are a creatively minded person who enjoys some visual delights (some of the pictures are just amazing to experience) and some mental stimulation, go for it! This would make a great book to pick up and open to anywhere, then see what you find. I've paged through a lot of it, looking at things. I'm now attempting to start from the beginning and read through it. This book is incredible. Worth owning without a doubt.