book

The 50 Greatest Designers: The People Who Have Created Our Environment Hardcover

  • Writen by Tom May
  • Publisher Arcturus Publishing Limited
  • ISBN 9781398828193
  • Publication Date 2025

Discover the 50 greatest designers and their incredible achievements in this spectacular hardback guide, richly illustrated with full-colour images throughout.

Selected by award-winning design journalist, Tom May, this beautifully illustrated book examines the achievements of 50 of history's greatest designers: the men and women who have influenced the way we live by creating everything from furniture to household goods and decorative objects to cars and motorbikes, airplanes, signage, sports equipment and much more.

These inspiring personal stories provide a fascinating overview of design history: the ways that style has married with technical innovation; how historical contexts have fuelled design choices; and what role design plays as we try to move away from excessive consumerism towards a more sustainable future.

Featured designers include:
• William Morris: English textile designer and key figure in the Arts and Crafts movement
• Gunta Stölzl: German textile artist and one of the most outstanding members of the Bauhaus.
• Eileen Gray: Irish architect, furniture designer, and pioneer of the Modern Movement in Architecture
• Charles and Ray Eames: Married couple, most famous for their iconic Eames chairs
• Art Sims: African-American graphic designer, best-known for his film posters such as for Spike Lee's movies such as "Do the Right Thing" and "Malcolm X".
• James Dyson: British industrial designer and inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner

Perceptive and informative, this guide makes a fascinating introduction to the way design has become such an integral part of what we are and do.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The 50 Greatest series brings together highly visual reference guides, each exploring 50 of the most influential figures across a certain discipline. These rich biographical profiles outline their key achievements, influences and impact on the industry, accompanied by stunning full-colour photography.

Suggested Books


Bill Gates is one of the most transformative figures of our age. In Source Code he takes us back to his beginnings.

He describes with candour his childhood in Seattle, the centrality of family – his close relationship with his card-playing grandmother and his demanding but caring parents – his struggles to fit in, his rebelliousness, his first deep friendships and the impact of losing his closest friend.

We see Gates’s extraordinary mind developing, the restless teenager who discovered a love of coding and computing at the dawn of a new era and felt that ‘by applying my brain, I could solve even the world’s most complex mysteries’. We see the earliest signs of his phenomenal business acumen, which led him to drop out of Harvard at the age of 20 to devote all his energies to Microsoft, the company he started with his childhood friend Paul Allen. He writes about his first involvement with three Steves – Jobs, Wozniak and Ballmer – who would play a crucial role in so much that followed.

The book ends in the late 1970s when Microsoft, still with only a dozen employees, signed its first deal with Apple. The deals would go on and Microsoft would grow unimaginably. Yet Gates never forgot his mother’s reminder that he was merely a steward of any wealth that he gained. This warm and inspiring book, Bill Gates’ origin story, allows readers to understand his energy and ambition – and to see how he sets himself in the world.

An encyclopedic collection of children's questions answered by experts

Children ask the best questions – and this book has the answers!

This timeless encyclopedia covers children's favourite topics, all in a friendly, easy-to-read Q&A format, perfect to dip into and browse. If your child is always asking questions, from "how do aeroplanes fly?" to "why do tigers have stripes?" and "what's inside a black hole?", and everything in between, this is the book for them. Shaped by children's interests and their insatiable curiosity, this is a book that children will read again and again.

Alongside the children's questions and the expert answers are beautiful illustrations, photographs, and diagrams to bring every topic to life in rich detail and with perfect clarity. 1,000 Curious Questions is essential reading to encourage curious kids to keep questioning the world around them.

From bloodthirsty battles and rebellious revolutions, to curious coincidences and unfortunate accidents - 100 Events That Made History has it all!

Get ready for a historical rollercoaster ride as 100 Events That Made History brings the major moments of the past to life in an unforgettable way. Get the lowdown on events that have changed the course of history and shaped the modern world. Find out why Ivan became so terrible, why a sandwich was fatal for Archduke Ferdinand and more of history's key moments.

Incredible photography and colourful illustrations make 100 Events That Made History a perfect project helper for young history lovers.

TV's Paul Hollywood conveys his love of bread-making in this collection of fantastic recipes.

He reveals all the simple techniques you need to make this staple food and shows you that baking bread is far easier than you could possibly have imagined. 100 Great Breads features a wide range of recipes, from a basic brown and white loaf to savoury and sweet, Mediterranean, traditional and ancient breads.