23 Oct 2021
Reading List
The following is not an exhaustive list, but offers some starting points for learning more about ghost signs, the history of signs and the craft of signwriting. Links are given to those books that have been featured or reviewed on this website. Please search for the titles to find buying options in your location, and always support local bookshops where possible.
If you have any suggested additions then please contact me with details.
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General Primers
These books contain good quality narrative texts that will serve as an introduction to the relevant topics before moving onto anything more advanced. In the case of Advertising & Public Memory, this is aimed at a more academic audience.
Ghost Signs: A London Story (2021) by Sam Roberts and Roy Reed
Ghost Signs: Brick Wall Signs in America (1989) by Wm. Stage
Advertising & Public Memory: Social, Cultural and Historical Perspective on Ghost Signs (2017) eds. Stefan Schutt, Sam Roberts and Leanne White
Signwritten Art (2005) by A.J. Lewery
De la Pub Plein les Murs (2010) by Emmanuel Collet et al [French text]
Les Murs Réclames: 150 Ans de Murs Peints Publicitaires (1986) by Bruno Ulmer and Thomas Plaichinger [French text]
Tekens aan de Wand: Geschilderde muurreclames in Nederland (2012) by J.J. Havelaar and P. Nijhof [Dutch text]
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British, American and Irish Locations
These books are focused on ghost signs, and other forms of (non-painted) historic signage, in locations across the UK, USA and Ireland. They vary greatly in the extent of their narrative content with some almost exclusively image-based.
UK & Ireland Cities
Ghost Signs of Bath (2016) by Andrew Swift and Kirsten Elliott
Ghost Signs of Dublin (2014) by Antonia Hart and Lunn Nalty
Fading Ads of Gloucester (2014) by Chris West
Liverpool Ghost Signs (2012) by Caroline and Phil Bunford
Ghost Signs: A London Story (2021) by Sam Roberts and Roy Reed
Fading Ads of London (2014) by Helen Cox (reprinted in a new edition in 2019 as Fading London)
USA Cities
Fading Ads of Birmingham (2012) by Charles Buchanan and Jonathan Purvis
Fading Ads of Chicago (2019) by Joseph Marlin
Fading Ads of Cincinnati (2015) by Ronny Salerno
Fading Ads of Detroit (2018) by Robert C. Allen
Fading Ads of Milwaukee (2020) by Adam Levin
Fading Ads of New York City (2011) by Frank Jump
Fading Ads of Philadelphia (2012) by Lawrence O’Toole
Fading Ads of St Louis (2013) by Wm. Stage
The Writing on the Wall (2006) by Ben Passikoff
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Other Locations
These books are focused on ghost signs, and other forms of (non-painted) historic signage, in locations beyond the UK, USA and Ireland. They vary greatly in the extent of their narrative content with some almost exclusively image-based. They are in English unless indicated otherwise.
Amsterdam
The Curly Letter of Amsterdam (2016) by Remiro Espinoza and Rob Becker [English and Dutch text]
Argentina
Fileteado Porteño (2005) by Alfredo Genovese [English and Spanish editions available]
Berlin
Karbid: Berlin – From Lettering to Type Design (2013) by Verena Gerlach et al [English, French and German text]
Denmark
Danske Skilte (2018) by Jakob Engberg [Danish text]
France
Anciennes publicités murales (2006) by Marc Combier [French text]
Typos en Liberté (2007) by Marc Combier and d’Henri Mérou [French text]
Italy
Signs of Italy (2015) by James Clough
Kratie (Cambodia)
Hand-Painted Signs of Kratie (2012) by Sam Roberts
Lisbon
Cidade Gráfica: Letreiros e Reclames Lisboa no Século XX (2017) by Rita Múrias [English and Portugese text]
Melbourne
Characters: Cultural stories revealed through typography (2011) by Stephen Banham
Mexico
Bardas de Baile: Mexican Wall Painting (2013) by Patricia Cué
Montreal
Sur les Murs (2012) by Réjane Bougé and Michel Niquette [French text]
Munich
From Asam to Zrenner: Tracing the Legacy of the Munich Sign Painter Karl Blashke (2013) by Oliver Linke [English and German text]
Santander (Spain)
Santatipo: Memoria tipográfica de los rótulos comerciales de Santander (2020) by Federico Barrera Garaña
Shanghai
Uncovered Signs in Shanghai (2020) by The Type [English and Chinese text]
Vienna
Ghostletters Vienna (2016) by Tom Koch [English and German text]
Warsaw
Warszawa: Polish Neon (2008) by Ilona Karwińska [English and Polish text]
West Africa
Chez Bonne Idée: images du petit commerce en Afrique de l’Ouest (1990) by Jean-Marie Gibbal and Denys Riout [French text]
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Sign, Lettering and Signwriting History
These books range in their content, but cover areas of interest to those researching the wider realm of public lettering, including signwriting. They feature historic signs beyond just those painted on walls and other surfaces.
Signs: lettering in the environment (2003) by Phil Baines & Catherine Dixon
London Street Signs (2020) by Alistair Hall
The Art of Street Jewellery (2006) by Christopher Baglee & Andrew Morley
Designage: The Art of the Decorative Sign (1998) by Arnold Schwartzman
Fascia Lettering in the British Isles (1978) by Alan Bartram
Shopfront Elegy (2016) by Vici Macdonald
A Nation of Shopkeepers (1981) by Bill Evans and Andrew Lawson
Signs and Wonders: The Spectacular Marketing of America (1998) by Tama Starr and Edward Hayman
Lettering on Buildings (1960) by Nicolete Gray
Words and Buildings: the art and practice of public lettering (1980) by Jock Kinneir
A History of Lettering (1986) by Nicolete Gray
The English Lettering Tradition: from 1700 to the present day (1986) by Alan Bartram
Neon World (1999) by Dusty Sprengnagel
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General Advertising
Advertising in Britain: A History (1982) by T.R. Nevett
The American Billboard: 100 years (1991) by James Fraser
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Mainly Pictures
These books have very limited, or no, narrative text and will therefore be principally of interest to those seeking visual material related to ghost signs and other forms of historic signage.
Letras Recuperadas (2020) by Juan Nava
Walls (1977) by Deidi von Schaewen
