Bibliography

Dresser's Books
Dresser was a natural propagandist. His writing career began when he was 23 and his publishers were among the most successful of his time. In 1857 his series of articles on 'Botany as adapted to the Arts and Art-Manufacture' appeared in The Art Journal. By 1860 he had published three botanical books, and received his doctorate from Jena University.

The Art of Decorative Design (1862) was his pioneering manifesto. In it Dresser set out his ideas on how designs could be created. Principles of Decorative Design (1873) started out as a series of articles for The Technical Educator, a self-improvement monthly magazine. He wrote, he claimed, for 'the working man'. He regarded Studies in Design (issued in parts, 1874-6), magnificently illustrated in colour, as his most prestigious publication. His book Japan, Its Architecture, Art and Art Manufactures (1882) did much to advance enthusiasm for things Japanese. In Modern Ornamentation (1886) he demonstrated his command of historic and new styles.

Exhibition Book

Michael Whiteway, ed, Christopher Dresser: A Design Revolution, V&A Publications, 2004

In this extensively illustrated book seven leading experts explore the impact of Dresser's innovative work in the context of his contemporaries, affirming his status as the first true professional product designer. Cost £35.00. ISBN: 1 85177 428 9.

Selected Bibliography

Widar Halén, Christopher Dresser, Phaidon, 1990
Harry Lyons, Dresser: People's Designer, 1834-1904, New Century, 1999
Michael Whiteway, Christopher Dresser, 1834-1904, Skira, 2001
Christopher Dresser, Traditional Arts and Crafts of Japan, Dover Publications, New York, 1994
Charlotte Gere and Michael Whiteway, Nineteenth-century Design from Pugin to Mackintosh, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1993
Judy Rudoe, Decorative Arts 1850-1950. A catalogue of the British Museum Collection, British Museum Publications, 1994
Michael Collins, Christopher Dresser 1834-1904, exhibition catalogue, Camden Arts Centre, 1979
Richard Dennis and John Jesse, Christopher Dresser 1834-1904, exhibition catalogue, Fine Arts Society, 1972
Stuart Durrant, Christopher Dresser, 1993
Nikolaus Pevsner, Pioneers of the modern movement, from William Morris to Walter Gropius, 1936