Czech Book Covers of the 1920's and 1930's

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introduction

Sborník Literární skupiny
Closer View

The Book:
Lev Blatny, et al (eds.)
Sborník Literární skupiny

Book Design:
Book cover design by Petr Pistelka (?) for Sborník Literární skupiny (Miscellany of the Literary Group) edited by Lev Blatny, et. al. Vyškov na Moravĕ, Fr. Obzina, 1923.

Design Type:
Poetism

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Nová Oresteia. Tragedie o třech dějstvích
Closer View

The Book:
Arnošt Dvořák
Nová Oresteia. Tragedie o třech dějstvích

Book Design:
Book cover design by Jiŕí Kroha for Nová Oresteia. Tragedie o třech dějstvích (The New Oresteia. A Tragedy in Three Acts) by A. Dvořák. Praha, Čin, 1923.

Design Type:
Poetism

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Pantomima Verše 1922 - 1924
Closer View

The Book:
Vitězslav Nezval
Pantomima Verše 1922 - 1924

Book Design:
Cover design and six drawing by and Jindřich Štyrsky; typography by Karel Teige for Pantomima Verše 1922 - 1924 (Pantomine: Poems 1922-1924) by Vitězslav Nezval. Praha, Ustřední studentské nakladatelství a knihkupectví, 1924.

Design Type:
Poetism

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Satirické verše. Z roku 1924
Closer View

The Book:
Karel Bedrna
Satirické verše. Z roku 1924

Book Design:
Book cover design by Karel Bedrna for Satirické verše. Z roku 1924 (Satirical Poems, 1924) by Karel Bedrna. Praha, V. Vortel and R. Rejman, 1925.

Design Type:
Poetism

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Ulice noci
Closer View

The Book:
John Dos Passos
Ulice noci

Book Design:
Book cover design by Václav Mašek for Ulice noci (Streets of Night) by John Dos Passos. Praha, Čin, 1925.

Design Type:
Poetism

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Mořsky půrvan
Closer View

The Book:
Vladimir Germanovich Lidin
Mořsky půrvan

Book Design:
Book cover design by Karel Teige for Mořsky půrvan (Sea Breeze) by Vladimir Germanovich Lidin. Praha, Aventinum, 1925.

Design Type:
Poetism

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150,000.00  Revoluční epos
Closer View

The Book:
Vladimir Maiakovskii
150,000.00 Revoluční epos

Book Design:
Illustrations by Václav Mašek for 150,000.00 Revoluční epos (150,000.00: A Revolutionary Epic) by Vladimir Maiakovskii. Praha, Vaclav Petr, 1925.

Design Type:
Poetism

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Venuše s červenou parukou. Mysterium-revue o čtrnácti zastavenich
Closer View

The Book:
Otakar Štorch-Marien
Venuše s červenou parukou. Mysterium-revue o čtrnácti zastavenich

Book Design:
Book illustrations by Josef Šíma, typography by Vrastislav Hugo Brunner for Venuše s červenou parukou. Mysterium-revue o čtrnácti zastavenich (Venus with a Red Wig. A Mystery-Revue on the Fourteen Detainees). Praha, Aventinum, 1925.

Design Type:
Poetism

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Film
Closer View

The Book:
Karel Teige
Film

Book Design:
Book cover design and typography by Karel Teige for Film by Karel Teige, volume 1 of the series “Radosti ze života” (The Joys of Life). Praha, Václav Petr, 1925.

Design Type:
Poetism

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Zlatymi řetězy
Closer View

The Book:
Josef Čapek
Zlatymi řetězy

Book Design:
Book cover design and linocuts by Josef Čapek for Zlatymi řetězy (With Golden Chains) by Konstantin Biebl. Praha, Čin, 1926.

Design Type:
Poetism

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Cholera
Closer View

The Book:
Joseph Deltaile
Cholera

Book Design:
Book cover design by Josef Šíma for Cholera by Joseph Deltaile. Praha, Jan Fromek; Odeon, 1926.

Design Type:
Poetism

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Karneval. Romaneto
Closer View

The Book:
Vítězslav Nezval
Karneval. Romaneto

Book Design:
Book cover design by J. Don for Karneval. Romaneto (Carnival: a Novella) by Vítězslav Nezval. Praha, Odeon, 1926.

Design Type:
Poetism

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ReD. Revue Svazu moderní kultury Devětsil
Closer View

The Book:
Karel Teige (ed.)
ReD. Revue Svazu moderní kultury Devětsil

Book Design:
Avant-garde Czech book design sprang from the Devětsil Artistic Union, a highly influential group of avant-garde poets, writers, artists, and designers active from 1920 to 1931. ReD, the most important of Devětsil ’s journals, published work by leading names in the fields of writing, art, and architecture, among them poetry by Mallarmé and Apollinaire; prose by James Joyce; reproductions of art by Arp, Chagall, Kandinsky, Brancusi, Mondrian and El Lissitzky; and articles on the architecture of Le Corbusier, Gropius, and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Design Type:
Constructivism

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Jazz
Closer View

The Book:
Emil František
Jazz

Book Design:
Book cover design by Karel Šourek for Jazz by Emil František Burian. Praha, Aventinum, 1928.

Design Type:
Poetism

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Moderní ruské divadlo
Closer View

The Book:
Jindřich Honzl
Moderní ruské divadlo

Book Design:
Book cover design and typography by Karel Teige for Moderní ruské divadlo (The Modern Russian Theater) by Jindřich Honzl. Praha, Odeon, 1928.

Design Type:
Poetism

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Romance počestného clowna. Sbírka milostné lyriky z let 1925-1929
Closer View

The Book:
Břetislav Mencák
Romance počestného clowna. Sbírka milostné lyriky z let 1925-1929

Book Design:
Book cover design, typography, and illustrations by August Tschinkel for Romance počestného clowna. Sbírka milostné lyriky z let 1925-1929 (Romance of an Honorable Clown: Love Poems 1925-1929) by Břetislav Mencák. Hradec Králové, William Hampl, 1929.

Design Type:
Constructivism

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Líčeni se odročuje. Detektivní komedie o 3 jednáních
Closer View

The Book:
Jiŕí Voskovec ; Jan Werich
Líčeni se odročuje. Detektivní komedie o 3 jednáních

Book Design:
Book cover design by Adolf Hoffmeister for Líčeni se odročuje. Detektivní komedie o 3 jednáních (Court is Adjourned. A Detective Comedy in 3 Acts) by Jiŕí Voskovec and Jan Werich. Praha, Václav Petr, 1929.

Design Type:
Constructivism

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Almanach 1: pro poesil a život 1920-1930
Closer View

The Book:
Stanislav Odvarko (ed.)
Almanach 1: pro poesil a život 1920-1930

Book Design:
Book cover design by Stanislav Odvarko for Almanach 1: pro poesil a život 1920-1930 (Almanac 1 of Poetry and Life 1920-1930) edited by Stanislav Odvarko. Praha, St. Odvarko, 1930.

Design Type:
Constructivism

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Piš jak slysšiš. Kniha interviewů
Closer View

The Book:
Adolf Hoffmeister
Piš jak slysšiš. Kniha interviewů

Book Design:
Book cover design by Adolf Hoffmeister for Piš jak slysšiš. Kniha interviewů (Write What You Hear. A Book of Interviews) by Adolf Hoffmeister. Praha, Družstevní práce, 1931.

Design Type:
Constructivism

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Obytny dům dneška
Closer View

The Book:
Jan Emil Koula
Obytny dům dneška

Book Design:
Book cover design by Ladislav Sutnar for Obytny dům dneška (Residential Building of Today) by Jan Emil Koula. Praha, Družstenví práce, 1931.

Design Type:
Constructivism

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Nejmenší dům
Closer View

The Book:
Oldřich Stary ; Ladislav Sutnar (eds.)
Nejmenší dům

Book Design:
Book cover design and typography by Ladislav Sutnar for Nejmenší dům (The Smallest House) edited by Oldřich Stary and Ladislav Sutnar. Praha, Svaz československého díla, 1931.

Design Type:
Constructivism

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Rudy obchod hrozí
Closer View

The Book:
Hubert Renfro Knickerbocker
Rudy obchod hrozí

Book Design:
Book cover design by Josef Hesoun for Rudy obchod hrozí (The Red Trade Menace) by Hubert Renfro Knickerbocker. Praha, Ĉeska graficka unie, 1932.

Design Type:
Socialist Realism

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Monogamie. Od Masaryka k Russelovi, od Russela socialismu
Closer View

The Book:
Stanislav Kostka Neumann
Monogamie. Od Masaryka k Russelovi, od Russela socialismu

Book Design:
Book cover design by Antonín Smazík for Monogamie. Od Masaryka k Russelovi, od Russela socialismu (Monogamy: From Masaryk to Russell, from Russell to Socialism). Praha, Otto Girgal, 1932.

Design Type:
Constructivism

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Skleněny havelok. Básně z roku 1931
Closer View

The Book:
Vítěezslav Nezval
Skleněny havelok. Básně z roku 1931

Book Design:
Book cover design and typography by Karel Teige for Skleněny havelok. Básně z roku 1931 (The Glass Inverness Cape: Poems from 1931) by Vítěezslav Nezval. Praha, František Borovy, 1932.

Design Type:
Constructivism

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Obráceni kapitána Brassbounda
Closer View

The Book:
George Bernard Shaw
Obráceni kapitána Brassbounda

Book Design:
Cover design and typography by Ladislav Sutnar; drawing on title page by Zdenĕk Kratochvíl for Obráceni kapitána Brassbounda (Obráceni kapitána Brassbounda) by George Bernard Shaw. Praha, Břetislav M. Klika, 1932.

Design Type:
Constructivism

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New York—Zamlženo. Román
Closer View

The Book:
Němeček Zdeněk
New York—Zamlženo. Román

Book Design:
Book cover design by Jindřich Štyrsky for New York—Zamlženo. Román (New York—Fogbound: A Novel) by Zdeněk Němeček. Praha, Nakladatelství Sfinx, B. Janda, 1932.

Design Type:
Constructivism

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Jaroslavu Královi k padesátinám
Closer View

The Book:
Bedrick Vaclavek (ed.) (?)
Jaroslavu Královi k padesátinám

Book Design:
Book cover design and typography by Zdeněk Rossmann for Jaroslavu Královi k padesátinám (For Jaroslav Král on his Fiftieth Birthday) edited by Bedrick Vaclavek (?). Brno, Index, 1934.

Design Type:
Constructivism

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R.U.R.
Closer View

The Book:
Karel Čapek
R.U.R.

Book Design:
Book cover design by František Muzika for R.U.R. by Karel Čapek. Praha, František Borovy, 1935.

Design Type:
Constructivism

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Otvorené okná. Tretia sbierka poesie
Closer View

The Book:
Laco Novomesky
Otvorené okná. Tretia sbierka poesie

Book Design:
Book cover design by Karel Teige for Otvorené okná. Tretia sbierka poesie (Open Windows: Third Poetry Collection) by Laco Novomesky. Praha, L. Mazáč, 1935.

Design Type:
Surrealism

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Veřnjná růže. Básně
Closer View

The Book:
Paul Eluard
Veřnjná růže. Básně

Book Design:
Book cover design by Jindřich Štyrsky for Veřnjná růže. Básně (La Rose publique) by Paul Eluard. Praha, Mánes, 1936.

Design Type:
Surrealism

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Cesta na océan
Closer View

The Book:
Leonid Leonov
Cesta na océan

Book Design:
Book cover design by Jindřich Štyrsky for Cesta na océan (Road to the Ocean) by Leonid Leonov. Praha, Sfinx Bohumil Janda, 1936.

Design Type:
Socialist Realism

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Závis
Closer View

The Book:
lurii Karlovich Olesha
Závis

Book Design:
Designer unknown for Závist (Envy) by lurii Karlovich Olesha. Praha, Melantrich, 1936.

Design Type:
Socialist Realism

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Jarmark umění
Closer View

The Book:
Karel Teige
Jarmark umění

Book Design:
Book cover design and typography by František J. Müller, engraving by Gustave Doré, for Jarmark umění (The Art Fair) by Karel Teige. Praha, F.J. Müller, 1936.

Design Type:
Surrealism

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Vzduch vody
Closer View

The Book:
André Breton
Vzduch vody

Book Design:
Book cover illustration and typography by Bohdan Lacina for Vzduch vody (L’Air de l’ Eau) by André Breton. Praha, Edice RA, 1937.

Design Type:
Surrealism

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Diktátorské boty
Closer View

The Book:
Josef Čapek
Diktátorské boty

Book Design:
Book cover design and illustrations by Josef Čapek for Diktátorské boty (The Dictator’s Boots) by Josef Čapek. Praha, František Borovy, 1937.

Design Type:
Socialist Realism

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Sláva a bída divadel. Režisérův zápisník
Closer View

The Book:
Jindřich Honzl
Sláva a bída divadel. Režisérův zápisník

Book Design:
Book cover design and typography by Jindřich Štyrsky for Sláva a bída divadel. Režisérův zápisník (The Glory and Poverty of the Theaters. A Director’s Notebook) by Jindřich Honzl. Praha, Družstevní práce, 1937.

Design Type:
Surrealism

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Golet v údolí
Closer View

The Book:
Ivan Olbracht
Golet v údolí

Book Design:
Designer unknown for Golet v údolí (The Golet in the Valley) by Ivan Olbracht. Praha, Melantrich, 1937.

Design Type:
Socialist Realism

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Na vzdory jim…
Closer View

The Book:
Mehring Walter
Na vzdory jim…

Book Design:
Book cover design and typography by Zdeněk Rossmann, illustrations by Walter Mehring, for Na vzdory jim… (In Defiance of Them…) by Walter Mehring. Olomouc, Index, 1938.

Design Type:
Socialist Realism

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Civilisovaná žena—Zivilisierte Frau
Closer View

The Book:
Božena Horneková, et al. (eds.)
Civilisovaná žena—Zivilisierte Frau

Book Design:
Book cover design and tyopgraphy by Zdeněk Rossmann for Civilisovaná žena—Zivilisierte Frau (The Civilized Woman), edited by Božena Horneková, et. al. Brno, Jan Vaněk, 1939.

Design Type:
Socialist Realism

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