Big, Thick and Yellow
Phaidon Design Classics - The 999 ultimate design classics

This beautifully illustrated three-volume set representing 999 industrially manufactured products. A MUST-HAVE for those who appreciate the finer things in life and are interested the history of taste and culture. From safety pins to clothes pegs, from the Rubik's Cube to Hasselbald cameras, the editors have done an excellent job in highlighting the constitution and evolution of design. At US$175, its quite an investment so to help you out, Phaidon has launched a flash website

http://www.phaidon.com/designclassics/
Find out what Philippe Starck, Terence Conran, Marc Newson has to say. Sample spreads featuring Zhang Xiaoquan's elegant pair of Chinese bonsai scissors from the early 1600s, still in production today, to Jasper Morrison's Brunch Set (2003) are also available. The collection comes in a specifically commissioned carrying unit exclusively designed by Konstantin Gricic.