Since 1943, when Jan Tschichold proposed to honour the most beautiful Swiss books with an annual award, the competition for this title has become very popular and is heard of not only in Switzerland but around the world. A fact that is less well-known is that the title was not awarded between 1946 and 1948 and no books were submitted to it during this time. This gap in the long-standing tradition of the award provided the background for an exhibition, a series of lectures and a research project, that discussed book production and design in Switzerland with a focus on this specific period, but also with regard to the present situation. Text in English, French, German and Italian.