A Box of Bubbles: revisit the definitive monograph of a maverick design legend

Having designed artwork for Ian Dury and The Blockheads, Hawkwind, and Elvis Costello, to name a few, Barney Bubbles' graphic genius was closely linked to the British independent music scene, which took the country by storm in the 1970s and 1980s. And now, with a re-release from publishers Volume, readers are able to appreciate his remarkable legacy like never before.

Titled A Box of Bubbles, this celebration of Bubbles' work is an updated special edition of Paul Gorman's previous monograph about the designer, The Wild World of Barney Bubbles. Limited to just 500 copies - which is selling fast, there's a live tracker counting down the remaining stock on the publisher's website - this edition is presented in a clothbound pink solander box.

Spread from A Box of Bubbles monograph showing Barney Bubbles' iconic yellow and black portrait artwork on bright green background, displayed in an open book with a small photograph insert in the upper right corner

Spread from A Box of Bubbles monograph showing two versions of Barney Bubbles' Pay Attention poster design, one with textured background and one in stark black and white silhouette

As well as featuring a screenprint design taken from Bubbles' legendary artwork for Ian Dury and The Blockheads' smash hit single 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick/ There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards', this edition also includes a folio of exclusive reproductions of selected Barney Bubbles ephemera.

According to the publisher, these reproductions include: "a 'Dome Sweet Dome' geodesic dome; a make-your-own pyramid printed on reflective foil stock; a 'Hankie Pantie' screen-printed cotton handkerchief; a high-gloss 'Do It Yourself' three-colour sticker; and a stunning twenty-one piece reproduction of Bubbles' 'Galactic Tarot' set."

Open pages from A Box of Bubbles monograph showing Barney Bubbles' graphic design work including an elephant illustration and vibrant abstract compositions with patterns and typography

Pages from A Box of Bubbles monograph displaying Barney Bubbles' graphic design work including album artwork, promotional materials and design studies featuring bold typography and silhouettes

Released to coincide with what would have been Bubbles' 80th birthday on July 2022, A Box of Bubbles will be a welcome update for readers who missed the chance to pick up The Wild World of Barney Bubbles, which was originally published in 2008. Containing hundreds of rare and previously unpublished photographs, working sketches, notebook pages and original artworks, this revised edition also contains an essay by American designer Clarita Hinojosa.

Sixteen new pages of rare material painstakingly retrieved by the author, together with five specially re-created pieces of Bubbles memorabilia, complete the release. Packaged in a specially designed outer box and bound in contrasting white cloth, each one is individually numbered and signed by author Paul Gorman to cement A Box of Bubbles as a truly covetable celebration of one of the greatest creative minds in design history.