Sunday, 9:00am
1 November 2026
Books received #66
Alfie Hicks
Tom Hicks
Lars Harmsen
Andreas Ruhe
Book design
Photography
Posters
Typography
Four titles: Black Country Type II; Women’s Rights are Human Rights; Slanted Experimental Type 4.0; and Having a Wonderful Time: Postcards that tell a story
In the latest edition of ‘books received’, the Eye team looks at Tom Hicks’ photographic study of the landscape of type in the Black Country of England; a poster-book highlighting work centred around the rights of women; Slanted‘s continued exploration of innovative typography; and a peek at postcards that tell stories.
Black Country Type II (The Modernist). By Tom Hicks. Foreword by Robert Plant. £40
Photographer Tom Hicks continues his exploration of the post-industrial atmosphere and aesthetics of England’s Black Country. With a brief foreword by English singer, songwriter and Led Zeppelin co-founder Robert Plant, who grew up in the area, the book offers a vibrant view into area’s landscape with a range of visuals – architectural features, observations, words and typographic signage.
A spread from Black Country Type II featuring photography by Tom Hicks. Above. The cover for Black Country Type II. Design: Alfie Hicks.
A spread from Black Country Type II.
Designed by Alfie Hicks, the images were taken between 2023 and 2026 during Tom Hicks’s walks and cycle rides through the region.
Cover of Women’s Rights are Human Rights. Design by Set Margins’ in collaboration with curator Elizabeth Resnick.
Women’s Rights are Human Rights: International Posters on Gender-Based Inequality, Violence and Discrimination (Set Margins’). Introduced and curated by Elizabeth Resnick, with texts by Resnick and Steven Heller. Design: Set Margins’ in collaboration with Resnick.
Design educator, writer (and regular Eye contributor) Elizabeth Resnick (see Eye 110, Eye 108 and Eye 105) has curated this poster-book that focuses on global perspectives of artists’ activist posters. The 224-page softcover book, featuring 100 tear-out posters, divides the poster artwork into three sections: gender-based inequality, violence and discrimination.
A spread from Women’s Rights are Human Rights. showing the caption to the previous poster on the left and the poster #youtoo designed by Anna Korolovsky on the right.
Each section shows striking examples from a variety of artists such as Anita Kunz, Charutha Reghunath (see the Eye blog), David Plunkert (see ‘Books received #43’), Joe Scorsone & Alice Drueding, Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, Zhang Yong and many more. From posters that bring up the gender wage gap, to domestic abuse, to the marginalisation of women, the collection demonstrates how graphic design can make social injustice visible and impossible to ignore.
A spread from Women’s Rights are Human Rights.
Slanted experimental type 4.0
Slanted experimental type 4.0 (Slanted Publishers). Edited by Andreas Ruhe, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund, Lars Harmsen, Slanted Publishers. €22
Slanted experimental type 4.0 marks the fourth instalment in the German publisher’s ongoing exploration of typography, showcasing examples that use experimentation, investigation into new forms, processes and possibilities in type design.
A spread from Slanted experimental type 4.0. Above. Cover with hot-foil embossing.
Developed in collaboration with students from Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts, under the direction of Slanted’s Lars Harmsen and Andreas Ruhe, the publication brings together new typographic projects that challenge conventional design processes. With a softcover featuring hot-foil embossing, the nearly 300 pages explore approaches ranging from AI-generated to experimental typefaces to variable typography, with a focus on unconventional methods.
A spread from Slanted experimental type 4.0.
Having a Wonderful Time: Postcards that tell a story (Redstone Press).
Edited by Julian Rothenstein. Introduction by Julian Barnes. £25
The humble postcard has long fascinated historians, writers and artists. (See ‘Fashionable chaps’, about Tom Phillips’ book of menswear postcards.)
Having a Wonderful Time brings together 36 contributors, including Chloe Aridjis, Geoff Dyer, Mark Haddon, Iain Sinclair, Akshi Singh, Will Eaves and Sarah Waters, with original stories inspired by postcards that range from the intriguing to the the quietly unsettling, revealing what can be hidden behind a seemingly ordinary holiday greeting.
Spread from Having a Wonderful Time. One of a sequence of eleven unsettling postcard texts by the late J. G. Ballard.
With an introduction by Julian Barnes, Having a Wonderful Time is yet another impressive addition to Julian Rothenstein’s admirably independent publishing venture Redstone Press, which launched in 1986, 40 years ago.
Tragedy in paradise. Another Ballard spread from Having a Wonderful Time.
Eye editors, London
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