Kevin's Holiday Gift Picks!
Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Houses by Dominic Bradbury. “A groundbreaking global survey of the finest mid-20th-century homes - one of the most popular styles of our time. A fascinating collection of more than 400 of the world's most glamorous homes from more than 290 architects, the Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Houses showcases work by such icons as Marcel Breuer, Richard Neutra, Alvar Aalto, and Oscar Niemeyer alongside extraordinary but virtually unknown houses in Australia, Africa, and Asia. A thoroughly researched, comprehensive appraisal, this book is a must-have for all design aficionados, Mid-Century Modern collectors, and readers looking for inspiration for their own homes.” Published by Phaidon. $ 150.00
MGM Style: Cedric Gibbons and the Art of the Golden Age of Hollywood. " MGM Style is an overview of the career and achievements of Hollywood’s most famous art director. Cedric Gibbons was the supervisor in charge of the art department at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studios from its inception in 1924 until Gibbons chose to retire in 1956. Lavishly illustrated with over 175 pristine duotone photographs, the vast majority of which have never before been published, this is the first volume to trace Gibbons’ trendsetting career. At its height in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Gibbons was regularly acknowledged by his peers as having shaped the craft of art direction in American film; his work was recognized as representing the finest in motion picture sets and settings. Gibbons and his associates constructed the villages, towns, streets, squares and edifices that later appeared in hundreds of films, and whose mixed architecture stood in for army camps and the wild west, Dutch New York and Dickensian London, ancient China and modern Japan. Inspired by the work of Le Corbusier and the Bauhaus masters, as well as the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris and Frank Lloyd Wright’s experiments with open planning, Gibbons championed the notion that movie decor should move beyond the commercial framework of the popular cinema" Published by Lyons Press. $ 45.00
Scala Cinema 1978-1993 by Jane Giles & Stephen Woolley. " The most infamous and influential of all British cinemas, the Scala’s iconic programs tell their own unique story about culture and society between 1978-1993, a post-punk / pre-internet period of significant change. The Scala rose from the ashes of a defunct socialist collective on the site of an ancient concert hall and theatre in London's West End. Pushed out of its premises by the arrival of Channel 4 television in 1981, the Scala moved to the Primatarium, a former picture palace and one-time rock venue within spitting distance of north London's King’s Cross station. An exceptionally atmospheric repertory cinema with its mysteriously rumbling auditorium and resident cats, people traveled to the Scala from all over the country to have their minds blown by its alchemical mix of Hollywood classics and cult movies, horror, Kung Fu, LGBT+, animation, silent comedy, Psychotronic and unclassifiable films, combined with live gigs and music club nights. Over a million people went through the doors of the Scala, and its reputation spread far and wide. A lone operator, the Scala closed down in 1993 following a perfect storm of lease expiry, the ravages of the recession… and a devastating court case. 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of the first Scala program and 25 years since the cinema's closure, an ideal time to take stock of a legacy which includes many of today’s most exciting filmmakers, who’ve credited the Scala’s influence on their work. Scala Cinema 1978-1993 features the complete collection of all 178 monthly programs plus photographs and ephemera. It is also an in-depth and often outrageous time-traveling history uncovering its deep roots and taking the reader behind the scenes of the Scala. The book will appeal to anyone interested in film or the story of the 1980s." Published by FAB Press. $ 99.95
East German Modern. " This visually arresting tour through the former East Germany shows the best examples of modernist architecture still standing there today. The buildings constructed in East Germany after the Second World War are often dismissed as drab, Soviet-style, prefabricated blocks of cement. But the architecture of the German Democratic Republic was created with an eye toward modernity and efficiency, and heralded the birth of a new country and a new economic and social system. Hans Engels has traveled throughout East Germany to photograph iconic modernist buildings that survived demolition. From movie theaters, high-rises, and restaurants to museums, convention centers, and transit stations, these buildings have all stood the test of time. While the philosophy that drove their design may be outdated, their retro appeal is stronger than ever." Published by Prestel. $ 50.00
Stories on Rye: A Collection of Memories Shared at Canter's Deli Since 1931. "Stories on Rye collects more than 100 stories from the famed LA deli’s patrons and employees, capturing their experiences and memories at Canter’s since it first opened in 1931. Gina Canter’s beautiful illustrations celebrate both the place and its patrons, as voices from the past join the present, to demonstrate that nostalgia can be very much alive. Like the Canter’s booths that have welcomed movie stars and presidents alongside countless everyday people, the book contains a vast range of memories. Most significant, perhaps, is its connection to the Jewish heritage, such as the holocaust survivor who reunites with her family at Canter’s after being separated for over 40 years. Hilarious, touching and perhaps a little magical, Stories on Rye are a testament to the human spirit, and to a restaurant that shares its legacy with each of its patrons.Published by Pomelo & Co. $ 30.00
Holiday: The Best Travel Magazine that Ever Was. "The first book on magazine sensation Holiday, which between 1946 and 1977 was one of the most exciting publications in the world. Renowned for its bold layouts, literary credibility, and ambitious choice of photographers and artists, Holiday portrayed the romance of travel like no other periodical. At Holiday magazine's peak, urbane editor, Ted Patrick, and visionary art director, Frank Zachary, invited postwar America to see and read about the world. On the journey, readers joined the magazine's renowned roster of talent. Some of the most celebrated writing by Jack Kerouac, Ernest Hemingway, Graham Greene, Joan Didion, Truman Capote, Colette, and E. B. White (his piece "Here Is New York" was commissioned for Holiday in 1949) first appeared in its pages. Henri Cartier-Bresson documented a breathtaking Paris and other cities; Slim Aarons captured the glamour of travel around the world; and Al Hirschfeld and Ludwig Bemelmans contributed showstopping illustrations of places and personages.Pamela Fiori writes about the magazine's history, giving it context during the era of the jet age, world turbulence, and the rise of Madison Avenue advertising. Holiday was a vibrant original, inspiring travel magazines that followed and leaving glorious photography and art as well as thought-provoking journalism in its wake. Published by Rizzoli. $ 85.00
NFL 100: Century of Football. "Timed to coincide with the National Football League’s 100th anniversary, NFL 100 celebrates the history of America’s most popular and highly watched sport. From its humble beginnings in Canton, Ohio, to its emergence as a sport cherished by millions, all the key moments and famous athletes are honored within the pages of this handsomely produced book. In addition to the lively text, and action and portrait photography, the story of the game and the context in which it grew are animated by original lists, charts, creative statistics, and infographics, along with beautiful photos of the evolving equipment and artifacts essential to the story of the sport. A perfect gift, NFL 100 will be cherished by every football fan, new or old." Published by Abrams. $ 50.00
Stephen Wilkes. Day to Night. " If you were to stand in one spot at an iconic location for 30 hours and simply observe, never closing your eyes, you still wouldn’t be able to take in all the detail and emotion found in a Stephen Wilkes panoramic photograph. Not only does Wilkes shoot over 1,500 exposures from a fixed angle, he also distills this visual information afterward in his studio, painstakingly composing selected frames into a single image.Day to Night presents 60 epic panoramas created between 2009 and 2018, shot everywhere from Africa’s Serengeti to the Champs-Élysées in Paris, from the Grand Canyon to Coney Island, from Trafalgar Square to Red Square. Each composition is a labor of love as well as patience. Wilkes waited more than two years to gain permission to photograph Pope Francis celebrating Easter mass in the Vatican, ultimately producing a vivid tableau in which the pontiff appears 10 times. The book also features extraordinary details―works of art in their own right that highlight the stories contained within each image. A bride makes her way through Central Park; in Tanzania, zebras gather around a near-invisible watering hole during a drought; in Rio de Janeiro, surfers come and go while a man holds a sign reading “No more than two questions per customer.” “It is exactly these small stories, these details, that draw people into the photographs,” says Wilkes. Once discovered, these mini narratives lend each composition a personal, candid feel." Published by Taschen. $ 150.00
Michael Jang: Who is Michael Jang. "San Francisco–based photographer Michael Jang spent nearly four decades working as a successful commercial portrait photographer. Unbeknownst to the world, however, he was simultaneously assembling a vast archive of thousands of remarkable images documenting, variously: college days, Hollywood celebrities, would-be weather presenters, San Francisco street scenes, his family, Bay Area punks and adolescent garage bands. Jang revealed nothing of his ever-expanding, eclectic archive for almost 40 years until 2001, when he submitted a number of images for consideration to San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art. Jang’s work attracted immediate acclaim, and for the past decade he has continued to unveil his considerable oeuvre in national and international exhibitions and monographs. The photographer’s first major monograph, Who Is Michael Jang? highlights Jang's most important bodies of work. Introduced by his longtime collaborator and SFMOMA curator emerita of photography, Sandra Phillips, this volume offers readers a long-overdue introduction to Jang’s incredible images." Published by Atelier Editions. $ 65.00
French New Wave: A Revolution In Design. “The French New Wave is one of the most important movements in the history of film. Its fresh energy and vision changed the cinematic landscape and it has had a seminal impact on pop culture. The poster artists tasked with selling these Nouvelle Vague films to the masses were at the forefront of a revolution in art, graphic design and photography. This volume is a visual celebration of their explosive and groundbreaking poster art. Featuring posters from several countries, the diverse imagery for films like Breathless, Fahrenheit 451 and Le Mepris is accompanied by biographies on over 100 artists, photographers and designers – the first time many of those responsible for promoting and portraying this movement have been properly recognized.” Published by Reel Art Press. $ 59.95
Jacques Tati: Complete Works. " Oscar-winning French filmmaker/performer Jacques Tati, one of the most important figures in the history of cinema, is the subject of this comprehensive and long-overdue tribute to a singular artistic genius. Made with the support of Tati’s rights holders Les Films de Mon Oncle, who allowed unprecedented access to his archives, and designed by M/M (Paris), this stunning five-volume publication gathers original essays, interviews, and screenplays, plus hundreds of photographs, stills, letters, sketches, notes, and production materials." Published by Taschen. $ 225.00
Rick Baker: Metamorphosis. " This deluxe two-volume set explores seven-time Academy Award-winner Rick Baker's 40-plus-year journey as a special makeup effects artist. Features a foreword by John Landis, a preface by Peter Jackson, and an introduction by Rick Baker. Rick Baker: Metamorphosis chronicles the career of the legendary special effects and makeup artist, best known for his creature effects and designs. This deluxe, two-volume set, replete with more than 1,600 four-color images and original sketches, covers the makeup artist's forty-plus-year journey, from his early days as a young "monster maker," creating body parts in his parents' kitchen, to his more than seventy film and television credits, which resulted in seven Academy Awards, one Emmy, and three BAFTAs, among numerous others. From the gory zombies of Michael Jackson's Thriller and the staggeringly lifelike Bigfoot in Harry and the Hendersons to the creative builds in Men in Black and the groundbreaking effects in An American Werewolf in London, Rick Baker's special effects, makeup, and prosthetics count among some of Hollywood's most enduring legacies. Published by Cameron Books. $ 250.00
Decline of Mall Civilization by Michael Galinsky. "In 1989, I was a sophomore at NYU when I took my first photo class, “Color Printing”. My teacher was awesome and our first assignment was to watch the film “River’s Edge“. At the time, I was dating a girl who went to Stony Brook and I’d take the Long Island Railroad out to see her every other weekend. One weekend, shortly after I had started the class and had to find a subject for my class project, I happened to go to the Smith Haven Mall with her and immediately knew I’d found a place to shoot. I was a Religious Studies major who took a lot of anthropology and sociology courses, which helped me to think of the the mall in complex ways. I was especially interested in considering the mall as something of a privatized public square. While I focused on the people, I thought about the way that they interacted with each other and the space. The teacher loved the work and encouraged me to continue it that summer. So my friend Sebastian and I packed ourselves in his Corolla station wagon and we hit the road without any real plan at all. Our first stop was Columbus Ohio. We stayed with my aunt but we didn’t find a mall. We then hightailed it to Detroit where we hit the jackpot with the Woodfield Mall. It’s a beauty and there are probably a dozen in the book from that one. Next stop was Chicago- then South Dakota, and on and on. All in all, we hit about 15 malls. We got some great images but it wasn’t really their time. By 1989, the “Pictures Generation” – with its focus on more constructed and deconstructed images – had pushed street photography out of the galleries. They were doubling down on big ideas and conceptual work. I went on to take a couple other photo classes, but turned my attention to making music and making films. I shot a lot of images, but my main outlets for them were fanzines and album covers. I moved on to making films. In 2010, I re-discovered these slides and the rest is history." Published by Rumur. $ 52.00
