A John Heskett reader : design, history, economics

A John Heskett Reader brings together a selection of the celebrated design historian John Heskett’s key works, introduced and edited by Clive Dilnot of Parsons, the New School, USA. Heskett, who passed away in early 2014, was a pioneering British-born writer and lecturer.

His research was foundational for the study of industrial design, and his research into the relationship between design, policy and economic value is still a regular reference-point for academics and students alike.

This anthology represents well the great range of his work, covering such varied topics as the growth of Japanese industrialism, modernism in the Third Reich, and 1980’s corporate design management.

Including both hard-to-access and previously unpublished material like Crafts, Commerce and Industry and Economic Value of Design, the book demonstrates Heskett’s passionate interest in exploring the relationship of design and making with economic value across the entirety of human history. Featured texts include, What is Design, Chinese Design: what can we learn from the past?, The ‘American System’ and Mass Production, The Industrial Applications of Tubular Steel, Creative Destruction: the nature and consequences of change through design, Reflections on Design and Hong Kong, besides many others.