Core77

Core-contributor Amos Klausner has put together a new book entitled Heath Ceramics: The Complexity of Simplicity, and is it ever a beaut.

The book opens with "A New Beginning" spread from Robin Petravic and Catherine Bailey (who purchased the company in 2003), and then Klausner takes the reader back to the beginning, tracing the history of the company that Edith Heath created in the mid-40s. After that, the images and essays come fast and furious, with stunning photography and a clever use of papers and varnishes. (Money shots are printed on coated; process shots on uncoated.) Indeed, the process photos are worth the price of the book alone, but the whole thing has been so well put together that you'll want to savor it all. Essays are from everyone from Steven Skov Holt & Mara Holt Skov (love that!) and Agnes Bourne, to Yves Behar, Rob Forbes and Alice Waters. This is a labor of love, and the photos in the final section of the people who have worked and still work at Heath is a wonderful testament to the power and pride of a durable and honest design icon. For the collector, design fan, or lover of books in general, this is most highly recommended.