Comment

A beautifully-designed book from Ernst Barenscher’s studio. The dust jacket juxtaposes traditional elements against contrasting disciplined typography and iconography — its colour combination standing out as being of particular merit, if somewhat at odds with the stark interiors. The book itself is bound in brown cloth and foiled and blind debossed in corresponding locations to the typographic titles and symbols on the jacket. The text pages of the publication (128 pages in all) are printed in black and white.

This book explores nine different cultural areas of North America prior to white technology destroying their traditional patterns of life. It portrays native American life and society as a human response to human problems in a natural environment and follows their development in the contexts of climate, food resources, technology, art, religion and other basic concerns.

The book is extensively illustrated with pen drawings by Professor George Tait of the Faculty of Education, University of Toronto. These, combined with a confident command of space and typographic layout make for a rewarding experience throughout the entire publication.

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