Hardcover. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Presumed first edition, hardcover in illustrative cloth, the binding is shaken with a couple repairs, and sits at a lean, but continues to hold. The book also has bumps to the spine ends and corners, sunning to the spine and head, rubbing with faint foxing to the cloth as well as some foxing to the edges of the text block with heavier foxing to numerous pages. The pages also feel a bit soiled, with wrinkling to several pages, wear to some samples, short tears to a few page edges, and a previous owner's name neatly inked to the front fly leaf. Overall, this is a solid, but Fair only copy.
Published by Breskin Publishing Corp., New York, 1940
Signed
Hardcover. Condition: Fair. 538 p. 30 cm. Numerous colour and b&w illustrations, including tipped-in examples of packaging and labels. Pictorial cloth binding, signed by Rackow. Cloth tabs separating sections. Foxing to edges, sometimes affecting margins. Paper Boxes tab torn. P. 131 has torn edges. Illustrations missing from p. 25, 125, 127, 133, 139, 155, and 245. A few pages sticking. Pieces missing from Plio Ribbon ad on p. 101.Tear in p. 239. Chips in edge of p. 287 & 321. Despite some missing pieces, the Breskin Packaging Catalog provides a captivating look at the packaging industry of the Art Deco era. While the articles may be of interest, the fun advertising in this catalogue will be its main attraction. Even in 2026, there's something appealing about the colours and textures of Williams Box Covering Papers (p. 103), a Sylvania Cellophane ad made from the actual product (p. 111), the cool pastel box cover samples provided by Bradner Smith & Co. (p. 118), and the actual seed envelope included by Baltimore Paper Company (p. 151). Leo Rackow (19011988) was an American illustrator active in New York City from the 1920s to the 1960s, known for his modernist, structured style. He designed covers for such magazines as The New Yorker, created advertisements for clients like Macy's, and produced illustrations for Men's Wear Magazine and other commercial clients.