Unpacking My Library: Artists and Their Books
Jo Steffens and Matthias Neumann
Yale University Press, 2017
8 x 5.5 inches
Hardcover, 184 pages

This book is an illustrated-book designer’s dream: a book that explores the importance of books in the lives of artists. Unpacking My Library: Artists and Their Books is the third in a series of volumes—all of which I designed—examining the role of reading and book collecting in the lives of ten prominent practitioners in a particular field. Each chapter begins with a portrait of the artist in their libary, photographs of their libary, and an interview about the value of reading and book collecting in shaping their practice. A series of spreads follows, offering close-up images of the artist’s bookshelves and affording readers the intimate ability to browse a sampling of each book collection directly. Each chapter concludes with a ‘top ten’ list of beloved books, including thumbnail images of each cover.