The Art of the Book: 75 Years of Thames & Hudson
For 75 years, Thames & Hudson has defined what high-quality illustrated publishing can be. Its books are recognised for their editorial depth and for the care with which they are produced. Each title reflects a considered balance between content, design and material.
The Art of the Book, created to mark its 75th anniversary, captures that approach. It collects a wide range of works that demonstrate how the physical qualities of a book shape the way readers experience art, culture and ideas.
For that, the printed book remains a deliberate choice. It offers a level of permanence and engagement that digital formats cannot replicate. For visual art publishing, this is particularly important. The integrity of the image, the flow of the layout and the tactile quality of the page all contribute to how the work is understood.
Material as part of the editorial process
For illustrated books, paper selection is integral to the editorial outcome.
Publications like The Art of the Book require a surface that can carry diverse content, from fine art reproductions to photography and typography, while maintaining consistent colour fidelity, detail and readability.
Across the publication, the interplay between image and text is carefully controlled. Vivid artworks, such as David Hockney’s landscapes, retain their colour intensity and detail, while adjacent text pages remain clean and highly readable. This balance relies on a paper surface that minimises glare while preserving contrast and saturation, ensuring a consistent viewing experience from page to page.
Magno Matt is designed to support these requirements. Its coated surface allows images to be viewed clearly in different lighting conditions. It delivers the print contrast and definition needed to reproduce detail with precision. The result is a natural reading experience that supports long-form engagement without visual fatigue.
Considerable time was spent in agreeing on the right paper stock to bring the editorial vision to life. The paper plays an essential role, carrying everything from richly detailed imagery to more contemplative text pages with clarity and coherence.
Magno Matt was chosen for the main entries for its tone and tactility, reliability on press and ability to hold wonderfully rich blacks.
The choice gave us confidence that the book would feel unified and fully realised as a whole – and would be a pleasure for the reader to browse, read and hold.
Thames & Hudson
Consistency across complex productions
A 75th anniversary publication from a leading publisher brings together a variety of visual styles and printing demands. Maintaining consistency across such a project is critical.
Next to fine colour work, the book demonstrates careful handling of monochrome imagery and text-led pages. Archival photography retains its tonal depth and detail, with clear separation across shadows, midtones and highlights. Typography sits cleanly on a calm, non-reflective surface, supported by generous white space and a well-paced layout.
In achieving this, the paper must behave predictably during printing and converting, ensuring stable runnability and uniform results across the entire print run.
Magno Matt is engineered with this in mind. Its performance supports reliable processing and consistent output, enabling publishers and printers to focus on flawless execution.
With complex illustrated titles like The Art of the Book, it’s important to balance colour, density and detail simultaneously. The paper needs to do justice to each of these elements in balance, enabling depth in the imagery while keeping edges crisp and text beautifully defined.
Thames & Hudson
Enabling the publisher’s vision
Thames & Hudson’s strength lies in its ability to combine editorial ambition with production discipline. Its books are designed to endure, both as cultural references and as physical objects.
In this process, Sappi’s role is to provide materials that perform as expected, every time. By ensuring consistency in print performance, paper becomes a stable foundation for the realisation of creative decisions.
This approach reflects a broader principle across Sappi’s graphic paper portfolio: reducing uncertainty in production and supporting predictable, high-quality outcomes.
A lasting format
The Art of the Book offers more than a retrospective journey to modern bookmaking. It is a statement about the continued relevance of print in a changing media landscape.
As publishers navigate evolving formats and audience expectations, the fundamentals of bookmaking remain. Material selection, technical precision and understanding of the reader experience define the outcome.
In celebrating its 75th anniversary, Thames & Hudson demonstrates that the printed book remains a powerful medium. Supported by the right materials, it continues to offer lasting engagement and credibility.
For a book celebrating 75 years of illustrated publishing, quality and attention to detail matter across every decision, from the font choices to the paper.
Thames & Hudson
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