Menu Design in America, 1850-1985

Until restaurants became commonplace in the late 1800s, printed menus formeals were rare commodities reserved for special occasions. As restaurantsproliferated, the menu became more than just a culinary listing. The designof the menu became an integral part of eating out and as such menus became amarketing tool and a favored keepsake.

Menu Design is an omnibusshowcasing the best examples of this graphic art. With nearly 800 examples, illustrated in vibrant color, this deluxe volume not onlyshowcases this extraordinary collection of paper ephemera but serves as ahistory of restaurants and dining out in America. Inaddition to the menu covers, many menu interiors are featured providing aepicurean tour and insight to more than a hundred years of dining out. An introduction on the history of menu design by graphic design writer Steven Heller and extended captions by culinary historian John Mariani accompany the menus throughout the book. Various photographs of restaurants round out this compendium that will appeal toanyone who enjoys dining out and its graphic and gastronomichistory.

• Nearly 800 stunning examples of menu design Covers
• more than a century of exquisite vintage design

Text in English, French, and German