In 1949, Walter and Eva Neurath founded Thames & Hudson with a clear aim: to make art and scholarship more accessible through independent publishing that was prepared to risk being ahead of the curve. Seventy-five years later, their original vision of creating a “museum without walls” still resonates. As well as publishing beautifully designed and produced books in collaboration with the world’s leading artists, writers, museums, cultural institutions, and fashion houses, Thames & Hudson continues to evolve and innovate, remaining relevant and reflecting the times we live in.
This special publication, divided into three chronological chapters, provides a comprehensive view into the company’s history. An introduction and three essays by historian Anna Nyburg take us from its origins in Vienna on the cusp of World War II to the 1960s and a change in management, and to the new millennium and beyond. Thames & Hudson’s rich output of groundbreaking and award-winning titles—ranging across the subjects of art, archaeology and architecture, history, design, photography, and fashion—is celebrated in stunning pictorial spreads, as beautiful and compelling as the books themselves.
The Art of the Book will be a valuable resource for those interested in the history of bookmaking and T&H’s impact over the years, and a must-have for collectors, enthusiasts, and anyone with an appreciation for the art and evolution of publishing.
Contributors
Anna Nyburg
Other
Anna Nyburg is an honorary lecturer at Imperial College London. Following her PhD research on the history of refugee art publishers in Britain, she has published widely on the subject, and coproduced a film on refugee designers (2017). She is a committee member of the Research Centre for German and Austrian Exile Studies, University of London, and is the author of Émigrés: The Transformation of Art Publishing in Britain.
