Steidl, 2010 Contributions by David Bailey, Lewis Baltz, François-Marie Banier, Tacita Dean, Jim Dine, William Eggleston, Joakim Eskildsen, Robert Frank, Günter Grass, Amanda Harlech, Roni Horn, Karl Lagerfeld, June Leaf, Diana Michener, Robert Polidori, Ed Ruscha, Fazal Sheikh, Dayanita Singh, Klaus Staeck, Joel Sternfeld, Juergen Teller Cover art by Jim Dine Design by Sarah Winter 160 pages 17.7 × 23.4 cm Hardcover with a cloth bookmark ISBN 978-3-86930-024-5
‘My best moments in recent years, the moments when I least regret my choice of profession, are when I am working with Steidl.’ —Lewis Baltz
Concentric Circles is a chronicle of German printer and publisher Steidl, renowned for its photobooks and literature list including Nobel Laureates Günter Grass and Halldór Laxness. The book takes us behind the bustling scenes at Steidl, revealing the surprising realities of bookmaking and the personality of Gerhard Steidl, founder of the company in 1969 and described by The New Yorker as ‘the printer the world’s best photographers trust most’. The chronicle’s first section ‘Daily Circles’ is a log of life at Steidl in 2008 and 2009, full of unexpected details and anecdotes: an urgent fax from Karl Lagerfeld about an upcoming Chanel project, problems on press with Roni Horn’s new book, Günter Grass recalling his visit to Giorgio Morandi’s studio more than half a century before… The second section ‘Artistic Circles’ contains in-depth interviews with photographers including Robert Frank, Dayanita Singh, David Bailey and Robert Polidori, exploring their experiences at Steidl.