The Casual Optimist

Books, Design & Culture

April 19, 2013
by Dan
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Something for the Weekend

Making Bird Noises — Dwight Garner profiles novelist John Le Carré, for the New York Times: In his lesser books, le Carré’s prose can thin out perilously, but at his best, he’s among the finest writers alive. There’s a reason … Continue reading

December 21, 2012
by Dan
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Something for the Weekend

Minimal Realism — The first part of a Charley Harper retrospective at Codex99 (via Coudal): Commercial ad work proved difficult for Harper. He was frustrated illustrating the “happy housewife” and began to tire of realism altogether, stating that it “revealed … Continue reading

February 29, 2012
by Dan
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Midweek Miscellany

Elegant Simplicity — A nice profile of book designer David Pearson at Spitalfields Life: On the basis of “Penguin By Design,” David was given the job to design the covers for Penguin Great Ideas, an experimental series of low-budget books … Continue reading