Two books on the Soviet era that have found places on Stella's bookshelf are Soviet Bus Stops and Window-Shopping Through the Iron Curtain. "I never tire of looking at the amazing bus stops. The author/photographer spent several years in ex-Soviet Union tracking down suitably interesting bus stops in amazing nowhere places. Alongside the fascinating images, there’s a nice essay about the design and building of these bus shelters. The fascinating thing about the Soviet era bus stops is their individualistic nature, compared with the larger prescribed buildings of this period. They reflect the whims of their architects and the personalities of their local communities - many incorporate regional folk design in their decorative elements (eg. colourful mosaic tile-work). A perfect book for the Soviet era architecture/design/aesthetic enthusiast. Window-Shopping Through the Iron Curtain is another gem. With images that at a glance look like the 1950s, it’s incredible that many of these photographs reflect the shop displays of the 90s. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, the lifting of the curtain and an increasing global economy it’s unlikely that such great examples of display, typography and retailing exist now. A wonderful reminder of what the visual differences were between East and West. For a New Zealand comparison, have a look at Steve Braunias and Peter Black’s The Shops. If you’re lucky you may have a shop like some of these just round the corner. There’s good ’bad’ design everywhere once you start looking. "