This is the sort of book I could have cranked out in my sleep. As a graphic designer who collects this period, my knowledge of the field certainly eclipses the author’s, judging by the text. In my hands, the scant copy would have been better written, researched and more substantial. But there would have been no surprises in it for me. As such, I appreciate the effort by Ms. McKnight-Trontz. The formatting of the tome is good with thick, coated paper and a substantial number of pages.

Repro is acceptably crisp and the best thing about this book, beyond the large number of entries, is the thematic organization of the work. The visual tropes inherent in the covers are grouped together, making a nice, logical flow of design images that crosses music genres and styles with no regard for the musical component of the package. Yes, I would have done it better, but that’s not to say this is a waste of one’s time and money. In any case, with this tome so heavily remaindered, just be glad that someone did it first, since there probably won’t be a volume 2 any time soon.