Search results

Unique in the histories of typography and street fashion, the lettering that is the subject of this book remains without attribution: an iron-on typeface created anonymously and passed down over decades and across subcultures. As more than 300 richly layered illustrations in the book reveal (including previously unseen imagery from personal archives), this particular blackletter typeface, bold and imposing, decorates the fabric of the most influential music and fashion subcultures of the last half-century. With roots dating back to the first calligraphic forms, the letters evolved from embellished military flight jackets and sports uniforms in the early part of the twentieth century to become omnipresent from the 1960s onward in youth movements in New York City. The heat-pressed letters appeared on the shirts of punks, rockers, street gangs, B-Boys, disco dancers, musicians, Hollywood actors, female skipping troops and more, through to the streetwear and catwalks of the last decade. With contributions from insightful voices in the fields of music, fashion, and typography, this book provides a unique thread through the subcultural landscape of the last fifty years, exploring the visual branding of the outsider and the resurgence of analog typography, presented through a layout and design that echo the frenetic history of the letters themselves

"A bold guide to how we must re-envision citizenship if American democracy is to survive The United States faces dangerous threats from Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, terrorists, climate change, and future pandemics, but the greatest peril to the country comes not from abroad but from within, from none other than ourselves. The question facing us is whether we are prepared to do what is necessary to save our democracy. The Bill of Obligations is a bold call for change. In these pages, New York Times bestselling author Richard Haass argues that the very idea of citizenship must be revised and expanded if American democracy is to endure. The Bill of Rights is at the center of our Constitution, yet our most intractable conflicts often emerge from contrasting views as to what our rights ought to be. As former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer pointed out, "Many of our cases, the most difficult cases, are not about right versus wrong. They are about right versus right." Rights alone, however, do not provide a strong enough foundation for a democracy to succeed in the twenty-first century. But there is a cure: to place obligations on the same footing with rights. The ten obligations that Haass introduces here are essential for healing our divisions and safeguarding the future of our country. These obligations re-envision what it means to be an American citizen. They are not a burden, but rather commitments that we make to fellow citizens and to the government to uphold our democracy and fight back against the growing apathy, anger, selfishness, and division that threaten us all. Through an expert blend of civics, history, and political analysis, this book illuminates how Americans can rediscover and recover the attitudes and behaviors that have contributed so much to this country's success over the centuries. As Richard Haass argues, "We get the government and the country we deserve. Getting the one we need, however, is up to us." The Bill of Obligations gives citizens across the political spectrum a plan of action to achieve it"--