As eclectic as his personality and as vivid as the bookshelves in his office – and by no means limited to students – Hank Richardson, President of Portfolio Center in Atlanta, GA shares with us a comprehensive and varied reading list. Enjoy.
As eclectic as his personality and as vivid as the bookshelves in his office – and by no means limited to students – Hank Richardson, President of Portfolio Center in Atlanta, GA shares with us a comprehensive and varied reading list. Enjoy.
Sheesh Hank. That's fine for today, but what am I going to read tomorrow??
On Sep.14.2006 at 10:08 AMJAMA? I tried to read one of their articles some time ago. Rather than reading it, it turned out to be more of a flip-through-the-pages-rather-quickly journal.
Nice covers though.
On Sep.14.2006 at 04:30 PMAtlas Shrugged and Finnegans Wake?
When's school start again?
(Oddly enough, I have been dipping into the Wake lately, with the help of an unabridged audiobook[who knew?] that has revealed it helps greatly if you imagine reading the whole thing in a thick Irish accent.)
On Sep.14.2006 at 05:17 PMAnyone who can add Reiner Maria Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet" to a book list for designers deserves a bottle of virtual champagne! Very astute writing for those that want to have Soul with their Style. Thanks...
On Sep.15.2006 at 08:43 AMThis is awesome. I've only seen a variation of this in a fugly email format but the thumbnails really breathe some life into this list!
Hank also likes James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" he would beat me if he knew I started it and didn't finish it ... but I will one day.
** Love Campbell's "The Power of Myth"
On Sep.15.2006 at 11:35 AMOh dang how I miss having access to that marvelous library. Many thanks to Hank for infusing our education with so many gorgeous WORDS. It added a much needed depth and meaning to what we were doing.
On Sep.15.2006 at 01:05 PMGreat to see some old friends (like Rilke); and I'm inspired to take some time and find a few new ones. Thanks!
On Sep.15.2006 at 07:48 PMi can't be the only one who looked at the list, then went back and decided which covers i liked the best, can i?
(just for the record, it was false flat)
On Sep.15.2006 at 10:23 PMAnyone who can add Reiner Maria Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet" to a book list for designers. . .
It’s been a while (25+ years) but I didn’t care much for it. I did, however, find the following paragraph worth the time of reading the book:
Let us agree on this matter. The lid of a tin, of a sound tin, whose edges are no more dented than its own—such a lid can have no other desire than to be upon the tin; this would be the utmost it could imagine for itself, an unsurpassable satisfaction, the fulfillment of all of its desires. Indeed, is there not something ideal in reposing evenly against the small projecting rim, after being patiently and softly turned to fit it, and feeling its penetrating edge within you, elastic, and just as sharp as your own edge is when you lie alone? But, alas, how few lids there are that can appreciate this! Here it is very evident what confusion has been wrought among things by their association with people. For human beings—if it can be permitted to compare them just in passing with such tin lids—fit their occupations most badly and with no good grace. Partly because in their haste they have not found the right ones, partly because they have been placed upon them awry and in anger, partly because the corresponding edges have been distorted, each in a different way. Let us be honest: their chief thought is, as soon as they get a chance, to jump down and roll around and make a tinny noise. Whence, otherwise, come all these so-called amusements and the noise they cause?
On Sep.16.2006 at 12:57 PMEvery time I read (let us be honest, attempt to read) one of Stephen Hawking's books, I find myself staring up at the sky, trying to comprehend what I've just read, muttering, "Holy crap."
I can't make it through the books easily, I have to re-read each passage several times and frankly only then have the vaguest notion of what I've read.
They do, however, infuse me with an incredible curiosity and a need to know. I like being curious, it leads to interesting adventures.
On Sep.16.2006 at 02:11 PMKevin,
This is a good time for audio books. Hawking’s writing is easier to listen to than to read. (Don’t worry. His aren’t usually the “read by the author” variety.)
On Sep.16.2006 at 06:26 PMPlease, please, please, let's make this a regular feature on Speak Up. And let's have the "subject" pen a quick 1-sentence write-up of each book. Maybe we should add music/movies, too?
Everyone loves these kinds of lists; you get tips about unfamiliar materials and different takes on familiar works.
Who's with me?
On Sep.16.2006 at 07:15 PMYum. Those are certainly some tasty books there. Makes me want to curl up with a cup of coffee and bury my nose in type.
On Sep.16.2006 at 10:22 PMJason, no matter how much we would want to, men do not curl up with cups of coffee. I'm sure it's written here somewhere.
On Sep.17.2006 at 08:52 AMMiller Lite has to be one of the weakest beers on the planet. It tastes like stale water. But the campaign is a prime example of how celebratory we are in being dumb-dumb Americans. Who ever knew poor taste could be sold so poignantly?
(dumb-dumb American is taken from my Anthro 101 Prof on the first day of college 1993)
Please, please, please, let's make this a regular feature on Speak Up. And let's have the "subject" pen a quick 1-sentence write-up of each book. Maybe we should add music/movies, too?
I think that's a great idea namely because graphic design is interdisciplinary - one of the main reasons I became a designer.
On Sep.17.2006 at 05:04 PMOh Hank, I forgot to mention "The Phantom Tollbooth!" Only the greatest book on creativity and the imagination on the planet. For everyone needing a quick boost, this is it. I can't wait to check out "The Power of Myth", and I will miss THE library when I'm gone.
On Sep.17.2006 at 05:38 PMthanks for the list...
i might add one of my latest favorites:
Christopher Alexander's "Notes on the synthesis of form"
happy reading... the fall is the best time of the year to get lost in your favorite book,
valentina
On Sep.18.2006 at 12:47 AMthanks for the list...
i might add one of my latest favorites:
Christopher Alexander's "Notes on the synthesis of form"
happy reading... the fall is the best time of the year to get lost in your favorite book,
valentina
On Sep.18.2006 at 12:47 AMGreat list, glad to see Daniel Pink on the list. Truly enjoyed reading "A Whole New Mind." Friedman's tome on the state of the world is 500+ pages that shouldn't be missed by any one working in the 'digital' world.
On Sep.18.2006 at 12:42 PMMy favorites:
A Whole New Mind
The Power of Myth
anything by Marshall McLuhan
From Lascaux to Brooklyn
and one that I believe every HUMAN BEING should read:
Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl.
Hank's library is amazing and his philosophy about design is a constant source of inspiration...that he continues to push students to ASK QUESTIONS, to consider the possibilities, to *wonder*...truly makes you realize that good design, compelling design, smart design comes from those of us that have a curiosity and desire to figure out what LIFE is about...what the nature of passion is...all of those fabulous, meaty questions that keep you up at night.
On Sep.18.2006 at 11:06 PMMy favorites:
A Whole New Mind
The Power of Myth
anything by Marshall McLuhan
From Lascaux to Brooklyn
and one that I believe every HUMAN BEING should read:
Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl.
Hank's library is amazing and his philosophy about design is a constant source of inspiration...that he continues to push students to ASK QUESTIONS, to consider the possibilities, to *wonder*...truly makes you realize that good design, compelling design, smart design comes from those of us that have a curiosity and desire to figure out what LIFE is about...what the nature of passion is...all of those fabulous, meaty questions that keep you up at night.
On Sep.18.2006 at 11:06 PMKevin S summed up exactly how I feel about reading Hawking's books! I want to understand it all so desperately...
On Sep.19.2006 at 03:05 PMWall Street Journal is MUST read material. Get it -- read it! It's addictive.
If you're not reading WSJ, you're not watching America. Almost like not watching TV. You're ignoring "YOU’RE audience."
We need to stay in touch with our audience if we're to be credible and relevant. (Not everyone in the U.S. has Internet, either -- GASP!).
Don't ignore the elephant in the room for your personal beliefs, either. The writers on art, finance and technology for WSJ are *THE BEST* writers in America.
Very influential, too. The No. 2 paper in the U.S. (subscription wise) behind USA Today. according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
And last time I checked, people still read newspapers (DOUBLE GASP!) more than they access the Internet. Something about income levels and minimum wage. ( Not supported by WSJ editorials. )
You'll learn from WSJ. Learn as much as you can. If you're not learning you're dying.
And along those lines: If it's not one thing, it's your mother.
'Nuff said.
Respectfully,
On Sep.19.2006 at 10:20 PMI used two pieces from Rainer Maria Rilke in my wedding ceremony that I wrote for my wife and I. People I barely knew or that had never heard of Rilke were happily crying. And 6 months later I dragged my wife to Atlanta and Portfolio Center. We still read through his work when I have a little down time between quarters, it keeps us inspired.
Thank you for the comprehensive and ecclectic book list Hank!
On Sep.20.2006 at 10:50 AMI give serious props to anyone who can muddle through Finnegan's Wake. My Joyce seminar professor in college (brilliant guy named Austin Briggs who was also old friends with John Updike) regarded it as the most evolved piece of literature ever printed as the other members of my class struggled to understand his appreciation for it...the guy was a human non sequitur. Long story short, I definitely wrote better papers on Ulysses and Portrait of the Artist.
I think I'm gonna pick up that Grid Systems book.
On Sep.20.2006 at 11:14 AMi keep hearing that friedman is clueless. not sure i'd spend money on that book!
On Oct.09.2006 at 12:10 AMAizan,
Thanks for sharing that second-hand opinion. You brought my attention to a book that I missed in the first scan of the article. It looks intriguing.
Anything specific you care to share?
On Oct.09.2006 at 03:00 AM
Nice list...several familiar books there that I "borrowed" during the Portfolio Center days. Just finished the second of Gladwell's books on the 3 train last week. Really enjoyed both of them, especially the Paul Revere story in The Tipping Point and the car salesman and New Coke stories in Blink.
On Sep.14.2006 at 10:05 AM