Book of the day > The Ceramic Presence in Modern Art. Yale. “This lushly illustrated volume is the first comprehensive examination of postwar ceramic sculpture alongside other fine art of the period. The catalogue features more than 80 objects by leading 20th-century ceramicists, including John Mason, Ken Price, Lucie Rie, and Peter Voulkos. Essays consider the art in connection with renowned paintings, sculptures in other media, and works on paper, by artists such as Willem de Kooning, Isamu Noguchi, Mark Rothko, and Ed Ruscha. Juxtaposing ceramics with non-ceramic works, both visually and conceptually, and examining the visual, historical, and theoretical affinities among the objects, the authors demonstrate that the finest ceramics share the formal sophistication of the most celebrated artworks of the postwar period. As ceramics increasingly are recognized as integral to the wider field of contemporary art, this book offers new opportunities for understanding this important medium.”

Book of the day > Viviane Sassen: Umbra. Prestel. “This latest book by Viviane Sassen, one of the world's most acclaimed photographers, explores the concept of shadow in a series of stunning images. Based on an award-winning exhibition, Viviane Sassen's new book focuses on a common theme in her photographs: shadow. In this book she leads us through a series of thought-provoking takes on the concept--shadow as metaphor for anxiety and desire; as a symbol of both memory and hope for the future; and as an evocation of imagination and illusion. Sassen's work is renowned for its deft interplay between realism and abstraction. Here that characteristic emerges in the dramatic use of light, shadow and color, as well as the adroit cropping of images and interventions on the prints. This lovely book brilliantly accentuates Sassen's contrasting color schemes to reinforce the idea of shadow creating an enthralling tactile and visual experience.”

Happy New Year! Book of the day > Jason Schmidt: Artists II. Steidl. “Artists II is the second volume of Jason Schmidt's ongoing photographic documentation of today's most significant artists. From young to old creative forces, emerging to career-peaking, world-famous or as yet unknown, Schmidt's images, captured over a period of twelve years, are an incisive look into the art world of today. Artists II depicts 166 artists, including John Baldessari, Ai Weiwei, Glenn Ligon and Cindy Sherman, in their studios or work environments, showing the practitioners in their most intimate moments—in the process of creation. A revealing text by each artist accompanies his or her portrait; some are literal descriptions of the encounter, others are poetic or enigmatic. Situated between portraiture and landscape, Schmidt's photographs show art and artist in constant transformation, and form a comprehensive archive of contemporary artistic practice.”

The books of the day are: Lee’s Staff Gift Picks!  Lee’s picks are: William Eggleston: The Democratic Forest (@steidlverlag), Both Sides of Sunset: Photographing Los Angeles (@metropolisbooks), The Soviet Photobook 1920-1941 (@steidlverlag), Dennis Feldman: Hollywood Boulevard, 1969-1972, Alec Soth: Songbook (@littlebrownmushroom), Hippie Modernism: The Struggle For Utopia, The Collected Hairy Who Publications 1966-1969 (@matthewmarksgallery), Pictures of Hell by Mark Ruwedel (@galleryluisotti), Tamara Shopsin: What Is This? (@the.ice.plant), Out of Sight: The Los Angeles Art Scene of the Sixties.

We’re open until 5 today!

See (or buy) Lee's picks here and see everyone's staff picks here.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The books of the day are > Whitney’s Staff Gift Picks! See these and more on the “2015 Staff Holiday Picks” page at arcanabooks.com. Whitney’s picks are: An Uncommon Archive (T. Adler Books), The Fabric of India (Victoria & Albert Museum), Both Sides of Sunset: Photographing Los Angeles (@metropolisbooks), Mina Stone: Cooking For Artists (Kiitosan), Enchanted Lands by Sabrina & Roland Michaud (Prestel), Pettibon Surfers, 1985-2015 (@DavidZwirnerBooks /Venus Over Manhattan), William Eggleston: The Democratic Forest (@steidlverlag), The Miró Eye: Photographs by Jean-Marie del Moral (La Fábrica/Fundacio Pilar/Joan Miró a Mallorca/Sucessió Miró/Fundació Joan Miro), Beloved Dog by Maira Kalman (Penguin Press), George Shiras: In the Heart of the Dark Night (@EditionsXavierBarral), This Is the House That Jack Built (@SteidlVerlag).

See more about (or buy!) Whitney’s picks here and see/buy everyone’s picks here!

The books of the day are > STEVE’s picks! Steve’s choices for best holiday gifts are: Baron Wolman: Groupies (ACC Editions), Black Dolls: Unique African American Dolls, 1850-1930 (Radius Books), Both Sides of Sunset: Photographing Los Angeles (Metropolis Books @metropolisbooks), Brigid Berlin: Polaroids (Reel Art Press, @reelartpress), Brodsky & Utkin (Princeton Architectural Press),

Burt Glinn: Cuba, 1959 (Reel Art Press, @reelartpress), Charlie Chaplin: The Keystone Album - The Invention of the Tramp (Editions Xavier Barral, @editionsxavierbarral), Jona Frank: The Modern Kids (Kehrer Verlag), Joseph Cornell: Wanderlust (Royal Academy of Arts), Kevin Harry: KH1 & KH2 / KH Zines  (@kevinharry), Louis Stettner: Penn Station, New York (Thames and Hudson, @thamesandhudson), Parchman Farm: Photographs & Field Recordings, 1947-1959 (Dust To Digital, @dusttodigital), The Book Cover in the Weimar Republic (Taschen, @taschenbooks).

See more about (or buy!) Steve’s picks here and see/buy everyone’s picks here!

Book of the day > Fanatic Wars by Marcel Rius. Trilce Ediciones S.A. de C.V “For a long time, Marcel Rius, a self-taught photographer, visited Star Wars fans in their homes, where he portrayed them with and without their costumes obtaining a shocking contrast between the ordinary backgrounds and the crafty, laborious individual transformations.  Moreover, he accompanied them to conventions, movie premieres and all kinds of events gathering testimonies with the intention of capturing the different motivations behind collections and outfits. That way we come to the conclusion that for authentic fans dressing up as their favorite Star Wars character is more than just a hobby, it's the opportunity to become someone else, someone that reunites their noblest aspirations, the virtues and strengths they have always dreamt of.”

The books of the day are > SAM’s Holiday Gift Picks! Sam's picks are: Salt and Silver (@mack_books), Images of Conviction: The Construction of Visual Evidence (@editionsxavierbarral), When I was a Photographer by Felix Nadar (MIT Press), Tav Falco: An Iconography of Chance (Elsinor Press), Jacob Riis: Revealing New York's Other Half: A Complete Catalogue of his Photographs (@yalebooks), The Altering Eye: Photographs From the National Gallery of Art (@thamesandhudson), Derek Boshier: Rethink/Re-entry(@thamesandhudson), Mark Bradford: Scorched Earth (@prestel_usa), Photography is Magic by Charlotte Cotton (@aperturenyc, @pimcharlottecotton), José Parlá: Segmented Realities (Damiani).

Read more about Sam's picks here and see everyone's holiday staff picks here.

The books of the day are > Kevin’s picks! Airline Visual Identity 1945-1975, Denis Freppel: Architectures de Los Angeles, 1880-1940, Desirée Van Hoek: Skid Row , Level -1: Contemporary Underground Stations of the World , Beatles: Photos From The Set Of Help!, E.O. Hoppé: The German Work 1925-1938, Hirschfeld: Century, JR: Can Art Change The World?, Wayne Thiebaud, Harry Gruyaert.

See/order them here and see/order everyone's choices here!

The books of the day are > Jess’s Holiday Staff Picks! Jess’s (@habituela) picks are: Tilda Swinton & Olivier Saillard: Impossible Wardrobe ,), Both Sides of Sunset: Photographing Los Angeles (@metropolisbooks), Noguchi: A Sculptor's World, James Mollison: Playground (@apertureNYC), Semina Culture; Wallace Berman and His Circle, Airline Visual Identity 1945-1975, Ed Templeton: Adventures in the Nearby Far Away (@ed.templeton), The LEGO Architect, Jabberjaw: It All Dies Anyway  by Bryan Ray Turcotte (@bryanrayturcotte), Grafted: Plants by Kohei Oda, Pots by Adam Silverman  (@white1977), The Rap Yearbook, Henri Cartier-Bresson : The Decisive Moment (@steidlverlag), Sun Ra: Space Is The Place, The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music 1965 to Now, Charlie Chaplin: The Keystone Album - The Invention of the Tramp, Paul Kooiker: Nude, Animal, Cigar.

See full descriptions of Jess's picks here and ALL staff picks here!