Manhole Covers of the World.

You’ll find them all across the world, from Albania, Argentia and Australia to the United States, the Vatican, and Vietnam.

And yet maybe you've never even noticed them beneath your feet, hiding in plain sight. Manhole covers have been part of our world for thousands of years – intensely practical, functional objects, but at the same time featuring an infinite variety of designs, from austere and minimalist to playful and illustrative. This book provides an insight into the fascinating graphic design language of these unique objects, and what they reveal about the societies that produce them.

To maximise contrast and impact and to allow a focus on the essential, the selected manhole covers from 80 countries are uniformly presented as black and white graphics.

Here are some links for ordering the book:

Niggli Counter-Print Waterstones Book and Sons Thames & Hudson Beck

It has also been featured on Creative Boom.