The literature of art traditionally concentrates on the fine arts and, to a lesser extent, the applied and decorative arts. There is a vast amount of spadework to be done in researching the history of design (especially 20th century design). Often, periodical articles or exhibition catalogues are the only source of published documentation. Since exhibitions are dealt with in another section of the journal, here I shall look at some recent books. I have further limited this selection to exclude architecture and the graphic arts. I have chosen books which are visually stimulating and of use to the practical designer as well as works of a more academic approach.