Never Leave Well Enough Alone

by Raymond Loewy

Overview

Never Leave Well Enough Alone, first published in 1951, is the classic introduction to modern industrial design by the 'father' of the movement - Raymond Loewy. Loewy (1893-1986) was responsible for transforming thousands of everyday objects into streamlined masterpieces, many of which are still popular and in-use in daily life today. Examples include corporate logos; packaging for Lucky Strike cigarettes and Pepsodent toothpaste; Studebaker and Greyhound automotive and bus design; buildings and household furnishings; and appliances such as toasters and refrigerators. This new reprint edition is formatted to Loewy's original design of 6 inches by 7 inches - his first foray into book design; and is illustrated throughout with drawings and photographic examples of his work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781088145135
Publisher:	Pathfinder Books
Publication date:	05/15/2023
Pages:	466
Sales rank:	532,556
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

	Introduction to the Johns Hopkins
	Edition	xiii
Part 1
Chapter 1	Corporal Loewy	3
Chapter 2	Adolescence	15
Chapter 3	Sex and Locomotives	39
Chapter 4	Fashion Illustrator	51
Chapter 5	The Crusade	65
Part 2
Chapter 6	The Duplicating Angel	81
Chapter 7	Skyscraper Office	91
Chapter 8	American Cooking	99
Chapter 9	Penthouse Studio	115
Chapter 10	The "Me Too" Boys	125
Chapter 11	From Toothpicks to Locomotives	133
Chapter 12	Big Business	145
Chapter 13	Michael and Venise	161
Chapter 14	Viola Erickson	165
Chapter 15	Preparations for Postwar	179
Part 3
Chapter 16	The National Widget Company	187
Chapter 17	The Chrome and You	207
Chapter 18	Industrial Design and Your Life	233
Chapter 19	Case History	257
Chapter 20	The MAYA Stage	277
Chapter 21	The Borax Plague	287
Chapter 22	Design and Psychology	295
Chapter 23	Automobile Body Styling	305
Chapter 24	Reader Rides Again	321
Chapter 25	Keeping Fit	349
Chapter 26	Where To?	369

Editorial Reviews

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

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

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

A great resource for the auto buff as well as aficionados of industrial design.
—Cruise-In.com

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

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

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

From the Publisher

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.

Avanti Magazine - Paul Regna

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

A great resource for the auto buff as well as aficionados of industrial design.

Cruise-In.com

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

"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

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