George Salter
Encyclopedia
George Salter born Georg Salter, was an originally German, and from 1940 onwards US-American designer and set designer. He revolutionized cover design for books. He claimed world wide fame for his design for Alfred Döblin
s Berlin Alexanderplatz
.
, the child of a Hamburg musician. In the year of his birth, his parents converted from Judaism to Christian faith. With his parents and three siblings he moved to Berlin. After finishing school and serving in the military, he studied in the art craft school in Berlin. 1921, he began work as set designer. Starting in 1927, he started working as designer for the publisher Die Schmiede.
Salter taught at the Municipal Art School in Berlin
in the early 1930s, where he taught designer Hans Barschel. In November 1934 Salter emigrated to the US and started living in New York, where he immediately began to design book jackets for US publishers. He created the covers for Carl Zuckmayer
s The Moons Ride Over (1937) and William Shirers Berlin Diary (1941), among others. In 1938, he started leading the design department of Mercury Publications
, and in the decade that followed, designed 185 book covers and around 30 magazine covers.
Salter was married to Agnes O'Shea and had one daughter, Janet. He died in New York City
in 1967.
Alfred Döblin
Alfred Döblin was a German expressionist novelist, best known for the novel Berlin Alexanderplatz .- 1878–1918:...
s Berlin Alexanderplatz
Berlin Alexanderplatz
Berlin Alexanderplatz is a novel by Alfred Döblin, published in 1929. The story concerns a small-time criminal, Franz Biberkopf, fresh from prison, who is drawn into the underworld. When his criminal mentor murders the prostitute whom Biberkopf has been relying on as an anchor, he realizes that...
.
Life
Georg Salter was born in BremenBremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, the child of a Hamburg musician. In the year of his birth, his parents converted from Judaism to Christian faith. With his parents and three siblings he moved to Berlin. After finishing school and serving in the military, he studied in the art craft school in Berlin. 1921, he began work as set designer. Starting in 1927, he started working as designer for the publisher Die Schmiede.
Salter taught at the Municipal Art School in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in the early 1930s, where he taught designer Hans Barschel. In November 1934 Salter emigrated to the US and started living in New York, where he immediately began to design book jackets for US publishers. He created the covers for Carl Zuckmayer
Carl Zuckmayer
Carl Zuckmayer was a German writer and playwright.-Biography:Born in Nackenheim in Rheinhessen, he was four years old when his family moved to Mainz. With the outbreak of World War I, he finished school with a facilitated "emergency"-Abitur and volunteered for military service...
s The Moons Ride Over (1937) and William Shirers Berlin Diary (1941), among others. In 1938, he started leading the design department of Mercury Publications
Mercury Publications
Mercury Publications was a magazine publishing company, owned and operated by Lawrence E. Spivak, which mainly published genre fiction in digest-sized formats. The focus of Spivak's line was on detective and mystery stories and novels, but it also included magazines about humor, fantasy, and true...
, and in the decade that followed, designed 185 book covers and around 30 magazine covers.
Salter was married to Agnes O'Shea and had one daughter, Janet. He died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1967.
Literature
- Thomas S. Hansen: Classic Book Jackets. The Design Legacy of George Salter. Princeton Architectural Press, New York: 2005