The Ice Palace that Melted Away:  How Good Design Enhances Our Lives by Bill Stumpf is a 168-page softcover first published in 1998, this copy is the first University of Minnesota Press Edition published in 2000.  The cover has some small creases and there is some dogearing inside.  The condition is good.

Book Summary

In this incisive book, Bill Stumpf argues that good design is not about fashion but about quality of life.  An elaborate ice palace was built in St. Paul in 1992, and for Stumpf, this castle symbolizes a sense of community and love of play that has been lost in the wake of America's quest for speed and efficiency.  Among his pet peeves are cramped airplanes, run-down taxis, malls, burglar alarms, and grocery bags without handles.  Things don't have to be this way, he assures us, as he offers many whimsical and practical alternatives.