Kwadraat-Bladen 21: Daily Mirror (Dieter Roth)

This description is long, so let’s not bury the lead: Watch a flip-through of the whole beautiful thing »

Kwadraat-Bladen was a series of graphic experiments published by Steendrukkerij de Jong in the Dutch city of Hilversum between 1955 and 1974. They were always square. And they were always awesome. Thirty-five issues were published. This is the twenty-first. It was conceived and designed by Dieter Roth with enlarged details from the Daily Mirror printed on sixty loose leaves of newsprint. It is as magnificent as it is fragile. Unfortunately it lacks the 4-page explanation that was in English and Dutch, but we have printed a reproduction of that intro at 95% of the original, from scans made by Daniel Mellis. To make up for the missing original 4-pager (and a square that was cut in the front cover, probably to save the stamp) we are delighted to report that this copy was originally mailed (and belonged) to Louis Silverstein, the legendary art director for the New York Times, about whom Massimo Vignelli said, “We are affected by all the factors in the environment around us, and nothing is more ubiquitous than the newspaper. By changing the Times and influencing so many newspapers in other cities, we are indebted to him for improving the quality of our lives.” Then it belonged to Steven Heller. And soon it will belong to you (provided you purchase it).