CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 1/2/2020

'Objects of Desire: Surrealism and Design' is itself a powerful object

As the sole distributor of more than 1,200 new books per year, published by dozens of superb, often groundbreaking and highly design-conscious publishers, it would be hard to pick "the best" of 2019. But when it comes to highlighting the most unexpectedly, understatedly gorgeous, one book does come to mind. Perfectly printed on deluxe, creamy matte paper and filled with scholarly essays alongside 500 color reproductions of Surrealist art and design objects in dialogue, Objects of Desire: Surrealism and Design, 1924–Today from world-renowned Vitra Design Museum is fascinating and enlightening in and of itself. But it's the understated yet absolutely unique exterior that brings this book to the next level. It's a sort of miracle of book design, wherein the gold-stamped, bright red, linenbound cover blends seamlessly with its monochromatic red page edges while an undulating, sculptural, beveled ridge on the front cover effortlessly references Salvador Dali's iconic 1938 "Mae West Lips Sofa" (not to mention Studio65's 1970 takeoff, the "Bocca" sofa, pictured opposite a Dali work on paper on the spread above.) If you're a book nerd, this one's truly sexy.