I came across this in a bookshop but ordered in through amazon as it was cheaper. Taschen makes a lot of quality titles and this is no exception, the book itself is well presented with a transparent plastic cover with just text on it. They seem to have shown their love of design with the book so that the interior layout becomes thoughtful and interesting to look at as much as the many featured designers. I hesitate to use the term when artist seems more appropriate for most of them. I'm surprised this one hasn't gathered reviews from the same people who like titles such as 'the picture book' and 'illusive' as tools to inspire them.
Despite the name graphic design the work inside is really exciting and artistic. A caveat for the purists, though - it is graphic design and more often than not there are clients so if you hate seeing art which has a brand name somewhere on it then this might not be for you. All of the graphic designers featured talk a little about their work, even if some of them are vague about the details. One piece was advertising a pill which supposedly increased breast size in women and yet the designer considered himself an ethical designer, another who claims to be against exploitation nevertheless designer a logo for the big brother reality tv show... well what can you say to that?
Its a big book and there's a wealth of inspirational material, as its graphic design and not just illustration its most suitable for people who are interested in the look of text in pieces and some of the artwork (I think I can use that term) uses text in the most amazing ways while communicating a message.
I think for almost anyone interested in art/illustration/graphic design in whatever order, this would make an excellent addition to your library. Probably make a good coffee table book but I like my copy far too much to leave it out for other people!