Books published by publisher Die Gestalten Verlag GmbH

From Atticus, the altruistic astronaut, to Zooey, the zonked zombie, this book revamps the ABCs. C is for Cat? D is for dog? Not in this book! Here, Colossal Cornelius captures his companions with his camera and Daisy the diver dares a death-defying dip with dinosaurs. In Alphabetics, each of the alphabet's twenty-six letters is depicted with an awesome alliteration--not to mention an illuminating illustration--that will captivate and stimulate young minds. Although the lettered tales are meant to be humorous and fun, they also serve a commendable purpose. Complex words are introduced to expand children's vocabularies and linguistic horizons. The book includes a glossary so that readers can look up any terms that are unfamiliar to them.

Time is precious. The world is waiting. Rediscover yourself. The Great Alone is the epic adventure of a relatable explorer. Why does a 44-year-old father leave his family for six months to walk 4,286 km across America on the Pacific Crest Trail? What effect does it have on his marriage? on his children? and on himself? Following his ­intuition, Tim Voors decided to embark on a life-changing hike, feeling alive, being afraid, pushing through pain, confronting emptiness and starting a passionate romance with the wilderness. Tim Voors takes us through the physical, mental and spiritual journey he experienced on this epic hike. Climb into his backpack as he takes you through deserts, mountains, forests and raging rivers, where he forges magical friendships, rediscovers who he used to be, and implements those lessons on returning home.

Imaginative comparisons help children comprehend various units of measure. How fast is 120 kilometers per hour? How heavy are 4 tons? How loud are 150 decibels? Units of measure are abstract--until, that is, they are contrasted with other quantities. The entertaining juxtapositions in How Big is Big? How Far is Far? make dimensions and measurements more comprehensible for children. The book features amusing comparisons that make units of length, distance, weight, speed, volume, and time easier to grasp. The Queen of England's crown, for example, weighs more than 100 portions of cotton candy. Some babies can cry as loud as a jet fighter sounds when it takes off. When the world's oldest living tortoise was born, there were no electric lights, telephones, cars, or airplanes. How Big is Big? How Far is Far? is full of amazing facts for children thirsting for knowledge. Intelligent and witty illustrations by Jan Van Der Veken help young readers better understand how large, far away, heavy, loud, or old something actually is when they come across a unit of measure.

Edgar Allan Poe is widely recognized as one of the greatest American writers of short stories and poems and acknowledged as the inventor of detective stories, greatly influencing the modern thriller. A master in creating characters and plots that send shivers down your spine. His dark, gothic, and horrifying tales and poems of mystery and imagination now come to life in this book, featuring artworks by eminent international designers. POE contains ten short stories including his celebrated masterpieces, “The Pit and the Pendulum”, “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Black Cat” as well as poems including “The Bell” and “The Raven”, certainly Poe’s best known work and arguably one of the most popular poems ever written. The familiar works and thrilling stories are heightened by elaborate illustrations by contemporary designers such as Jen Ray, Jens Harder, Vania and others.

In Andersen, Gestalten presents an illustrated selection of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. As in Gestalten’s other successful Illustrated Fairy Tales books, the original texts of traditional stories including classics such as “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” and “The Snow Queen” are combined with contemporary visuals by artists from around the world. Featuring very different styles, the book is not only conceived for design-conscious adults, giving the chance to rediscover familiar fairy tales in a new way. It is also made to be read and enjoyed together with children.

Following their first publication, the acclaimed "Benzin, Young Swiss Graphic Design," Swiss editors and designers Michel Fries and Thomas Bruggisser have now approached 12 single-minded European designers with a very tempting offer: complete artistic freedom to create and design an entire chapter in "Super - Welcome to Graphic Wonerland," a welcome carte blanche to explore the weird and wonderful recesses of their own minds. United in this vision, the participants (e.g. Goldenmasters, Lis/Rev, Matthias Schweitzer, Reala) display surprising, hidden talents - even Norm reveal a decidedly playful side. From concept art (a pre-tourism embassy round-up by Abake), via an exquisitely illustrated list of alternative Top Tens (Reala) to photographs of a well-thumbed notebook (roughly edited by covering painfully intimate passages with hands), every project tells its own story. Featuring a sharp selection of intensely personal, peripheral, expansive and edgy projects between illustration and graphic design, Super's 336 pages race through styles, paper types and techniques like there's no tomorrow.

23 fairy tales are lovingly illustrated by Gestalten favourites (see list below). Childhood friends such as Hansel and Gretel or Cinderella are featured in addition to less well-known but no less wonderful protagonists. The visual updates underline the relevance and timeless language of these all-time classics. These new images will delight all ages. Each and every one of the illustrations was drawn with a loving, magical touch and infused with that secret yearning for bygone innocence and simplicity. Some are painstakingly drawn, some roughly sketched; others are madly detailed, cartoony, playful, romantic, imaginative, captivating, dark, trendy, stylised, strange, psychedelic, impish or enigmatical. Each and every chapter opens up a new realm of magic and colour, and readers will be tempted to skip ahead to rediscover more fairy lands. Masterfully executed, convincing and extraordinarily fun, this classical hardcover volume will make an ideal present for (god)children, their parents or even yourself. Bookmark included. Featuring: Åbake, Christian Montenegro, Deanne Cheung, Bastien Aubry (Silex), Rilla Alexander (Rinzen), Judith Zaugg, A-Linha, Dead Chickens, Kytarow, etc., etc.

Building on the success of Grimm, dgv is publishing an illustrated selection of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen in commemoration of his 200th birthday in 2005. As in Grimm, the original texts of the traditional stories are combined with contemporary visuals – a mix that proved to be popular with a broad general audience from children to grandparents. The Andersen book contains 11 fairy tales including classics such as "The Ugly Duckling", "The Emperor’s New Clothes" and "The Snow Queen", which is actually seven stories in one. A different international designer has lavishly illustrated each one so that every two-page spread in the book features at least one image. Featuring very different styles, the book is not only conceived for design-conscious adults, but also made to be read together with children. Andersen gives readers the chance to rediscover familiar fairy tales in a new way and it makes an ideal gift.