『The Whole Universe』
"The Universe" is a book comprised of numerous theories, essays, and illustrations covering the physical principles that make up the universe. I'm introducing this book for its design, rather than its content. At first glance, it exudes a powerful "Wow! This book is amazing!" The fact that this design was designed 40 years ago (1979) leaves me speechless. Its design is on a whole other level than conventional physics books, creating a sense of experiencing the universe through its atmosphere alone. The first and second most striking impression is the sheer blackness! Black! Every page (even the margins) is black, creating a sense of the universe itself. The way the letter spacing and line spacing of the letters within this universe are distorted by the distortion of space caused by gravity truly evokes the feeling of gravity's presence within the book. It's truly remarkable how the book, in a pre-digital age, manages to convey elements difficult to convey through the medium of a book, using its ingenious design. The aura of Kohei Sugiura is strongly felt.
In addition to the content of the book, the image of the galaxy and the image of the constellations intersect on the spine of the book depending on the direction in which the book is opened, which also acts as a character of this book.
