Najpiękniejsza książka... Próba krytycznego ujęcia konkursów poświęconych książce

An article inspired by Czech review exhibition The Star Circle (Z hvězdykruh) presenting books awarded in editorial competitions of five countries: the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland. The author emphasizes the importance of book functionality and aesthetics, analyzes issues related to the criteria for evaluating design and production quality as well as the procedures used by jurors in competitions of various countries. One points out that the accumulated achievements of the annual competitions constitute a potential, interdisciplinary research material for book scholars, designers and printers, as well as an important source of examples and information about the quality of print and book-binding solutions.