Text by Julius Panero. A surprisingly whimsical reference book for designers giving all kinds of useful measurements based on the human body, from the best heights for chairs, tables and kitchen cupboards to the amount of space required to kiss a lady's hand. The third edition was originally published 1962 (this is a 1977 reprint), but the first edition dates back to 1948.

Nino Repetto's drawings are terribly clever and witty. Stylized blob people illustrate the space requirements for all kinds of residential and commercial applications and graphically demonstrate the pitfalls of bad design -- they get crushed by file cabinet drawers, fall down stairs, and smash through plate glass windows.

A real charmer of a book, even if you're not an interior designer.