Never Leave Well Enough Alone

Never Leave Well Enough Alone was first published in 1951 at the height of Loewy's career. His company, Raymond Loewy Associates, served as design consultants to more than a hundred of the world's largest corporations, and products manufactured to their specifications sold in excess of $3 billion annually. Written and designed by Loewy, this profusely illustrated book is part autobiography and part design manifesto. Acclaimed for its wit, its idiosyncracies, and its insight into the Loewy aesthetic, this volume stands as a remarkable document of the American Century and a still-vital meditation upon the importance of industrial design in daily life. "A fascinating insight into the birth and growth of the largest consumer society the world has ever seen -- and a handbook for how to make technology desirable." -- New Scientist "An autobiography by one of the leading industrial designers in this country... Mr. Loewy tells of his youth in France, his coming to America after the first war, his initial success as a fashion artist, and the dawn of industrial design and his part in it... The book is instructive, brash, cocksure, occasionally funny, sometimes vulgar, and always honest." -- New Yorker, reviewing a previous edition or volume "Whilst displaying an uncommon amount of literary dexterity, modesty, and generosity, Loewy manages to describe the development of his career, his achievements, and the methods and organization of his business... It is the funniest and most lucid success story that the industrial design field has yet produced." -- Interiors, reviewing a previous edition or volume "The details in this book are amazing... This book serves well to teach how the designs of everyday objects can have an effect on their usefulness, attrativeness, and even potential sales for businesses." -- Paul Regna, Avanti Magazine, reviewing a previous edition or volume "A great resource for the auto buff as well as aficionados of industrial design." -- Cruise-In.com Raymond Loewy (1893--1986) was born in France and came to America in 1919. After dressing department store windows and illustrating fashion magazines, he established his own design firm in 1930 and worked as an industrial designer into his eighties. Glenn Porter is director of the Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington, Delaware, and author of The Rise of Big Business, 1860-1920. http://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/ecom/MasterServlet/GetItemDetailsHandler?iN=9780801872112&qty=1&viewMode=3&loggedIN=false&JavaScript=y