Muscheln und Schirme (Hans Arp and Sophie Taeuber + Jan Tschichold)

We first saw this book in real life at MoMA’s Sophie Taeuber-Arp show sometime during Covid. (See what we saw here.) The whole show was pure delight, but when we saw this, we were especially moved. We texted a bookselling friend to see if he had a copy for sale. He did not. We tried to forget it, but we could not. The four lovely drawings by Sophie Taeuber stayed with us. And we can hardly ever say No to the typography of Jan Tschichold even if this particular item is a masterclass in restraint and there’s not much to say about it other than he did his job perfectly by staying out of the way. But the whole thing is delicious. And this copy happens to be signed by Hans Arp. Cut this up and sell the drawings individually for a massive profit. Or, use it as intended and read it aloud to a lover. Either way, this one has got three towering figures of twentieth century art and design in one modest little book.