For an indespensible on design history, keep an eye out online and in used bookstores for vintage copies of the publication Mobilia, like this one in my library (scan of back cover pictured above, front cover pictured below) from October, 1961, edited by iconic Danish lighting designer and architect Poul Henningsen. Mobilia was, according to the masthead, "the independent Scandinavian periodical for applied art, in particular furniture." Each issue had text  in Danish, English, German and French. The magazine surveyed textiles, furniture, jewelry design and more and featured indutrial design drawings, photographs, essays and interviews with designers talking about their crafts.
 
What I really love about Mobilia is that it is written and edited by designers who have since become bold-faced names in the narrative of 20th century design like Danish cabinetmaker extraordinaire Edvard Kindt-Larsen and his wife Tove. (OK, maybe only a bold-faced name to design history nerds, but defintiely one to look out for! The textile below is a design by Tove.) This is also true of Habitat, the Brazilian publication started by Lina Bo Bardi and Domus, the Italian publication edited by Gio Ponti. These publications open a window into a community of makers who were discussing work in a huge range of materials, their inspirations as well as design theories and heady philosophical ideas about the impact design and architecture could have on culture. They all offer a stellar firsthand look at this game-changing era in design.
 

2 Comments