Charlotte Perriand: Complete Works. Volume 3: 1956 - 1968 (Volume 3) Hardcover – July 15, 2017

The first volume of this series of 'Charlotte Perriand, the Complete Works' dealt with the first 37 years of her life, the realization of her talent and the influence of Le Corbusier on her work. This volume, which I pre-ordered late in 2014 has, again, exceeded my expectations. This, Volume Two covers the next 15 years of her life, arguably the most productive in any designer's career. The time she spent in Japan and the Far East shaped the rest of her career as she struggles to justify the 'machine for living, with vernacular form and organic materials. So much detail is revealed here which is left out of virtually every other publication on her life and work. It is gratifying to at last be able to see the full threads of her design process and the visual documentation of her influences from other cultures. The biographical information included in this series is an unexpected bonus as most books of this type are long on design but short on biographical context. There is so much material here, [over 520 pages and hundreds of illustrations], that it has taken me some time to get through it all. I believe that this will become the go-to reference on Charlotte Perriand for generations to come. This is truly the best value in a design book that I have found for some time. The fact that it is being offered in installments gives me a great deal to look forward to. When can I sign up for Volume 3?

Ms. Perriand is mostly known for her collaborations with Corbusier, but this biography provides moredepth beyond her years of only working with Corb, relaying her interesting stories of working in Savoie at Meribel, herliving in Japan during the War and the influence of asian cultures on her design work. A must read for young designerssearching for their own career path.

It should be noted that this volume is Charlotte Perriand: A Life of Creation -- published in France in 1998 -- is the first major English-language volume on her career and personal history. It is her autobiography published before her death. It is Immediate and matter of fact, the text echoes Perriand's own direct character; the dozens of black-and-white photographs are for the most part drawn from her own archive..I have not read this volume yet, but did not recognize it because Amazon did not put a description.