Book of the Day Posted Oct 30, 2021

Book of the Day > From Palm Beach to Shangri La: The Architecture of Marion Sims Wyeth

● Purchase ● Homes, pool houses, and gardens in paradise by the great architect Marion Sims Wyeth—progenitor of the fabled Palm Beach style and designer of Doris Duke’s legendary Hawaiian retreat, Shangri La—are featured here in the first in-depth book to consider his most alluring creations.
 
Beauty and elegance mingle with extravagance in the Palm Beach style of architect Marion Sims Wyeth, a kind of home design that takes the standard fixtures of paradise—palm trees, ebullient fountains, glistening pools and gardens, views of the sea—and mixes them with a dash of the exotic—a Moorish-style balcony or doorway, Venetian archways, fanciful courtyards in the Spanish style, and spiraling staircases in stone and iron.
 
Featured here are the legendary abodes of Marjorie Merriweather Post and Doris Duke—Mar-a-Lago and Shangri La, respectively—as well as the less well known but equally spectacular Hogarcito and La Claridad, to name but a few. For those unfamiliar with these dream palaces, intimate homes of repose and reflection, for the enjoyment of life and the living of it, the book serves at once as a revelation and an inspiration.
Book of the Day Posted Oct 29, 2021

Book of the Day > The San Quentin Project. Published by Aperture

● Purchase ● The San Quentin Project collects a largely unseen visual record of daily life inside one of America’s oldest and largest prisons, demonstrating how this archive of the state is now being used to teach visual literacy and process the experience of incarceration.
 
In 2011, Nigel Poor—artist, educator, and cocreator of the acclaimed podcast Ear Hustle—began teaching a history of photography class through the Prison University Project at San Quentin State Prison. Neither books nor cameras were allowed into the facility, so an unorthodox course with a range of inventivemapping exercises ensued: students crafted “verbal photographs” of memories for which they had no visual documentation, and annotated iconic images from different artists. After the first semester, Poor says, “one student told me he could now see fascination everywhere in San Quentin.”
 
When Poor received access to thousands of negatives in the prison’s archive, made by corrections officers of a former era, these images of San Quentin’s everyday occurrences soon became launchpads for her students’ keen observations. From the banal to the brutal, to distinct moments of respite, the pictures in this archive gave those who were involved in the project the opportunity to share their stories and reflections on incarceration.
Book of the Day Posted Oct 28, 2021

Book of the Day > Sue Kwon: Rap Is Risen

● Purchase ● “Sue Kwon’s undeniable hip-hop résumé should be bowed down to! Sue is definitely one of the greats in visually capturing a culture.” –Posdnuos of De La Soul
 
The last decade of the 20th century into the first decade of the 21st represent a High Renaissance age of hip hop—an era in which rap music had reached critical mass and was exploding, and in which New York City itself witnessed the worldwide ascension and cultural domination of its powerful homegrown art form. In Rap Is Risen: New York Photographs 1988–2008, celebrated photographer Sue Kwon documents this era with a combination of incisive portraits and unposed, spontaneous images that capture the energy of these ascendant artists and the city itself.
 
With access to some of rap music’s biggest legends—some stars already, some at the cusp of their fame—Kwon’s work offers an intimacy rarely seen in the hip hop photography of the time. The Wu-Tang Clan, Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Big Pun, Eminem, Mobb Deep, the Beastie Boys, Big L, Ice Cube, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest are all represented here, as well as dozens of other DJs and artists that communed with Kwon to produce these images. Method Man brushing his teeth, Fat Joe playing softball in the Bronx, Prince Paul kissing his baby son—the trust inherent between subject and photographer is evident in intimate, joyful shots like these.
 
Giving a rare glimpse into real rap culture, and featuring 300 photographs, most of which have never been published before, Rap Is Risen is a necessary offering to music history and the faithful followers of hip hop.
Book of the Day Posted Oct 23, 2021

Book of the Day > Soled Out: The Golden Age of Sneaker Advertising

● Purchase ● A riotous, 720-page celebration of sneakers and sporting legends, as told through the medium of vintage print advertising
 
More than a decade in the making, Soled Out is the definitive – and only – collection of sneaker advertisements from the footwear industry’s golden age. Lovingly written and compiled by Simon ‘Woody’ Wood, founder of the legendary Sneaker Freaker magazine, this colossal volume combines nearly 900 vintage images with a punchy narrative full of insider stories and historical revelations.
 
Featuring superstar athletes and cultural icons such as Andre Agassi, Paula Abdul, Bo Jackson, Bugs Bunny, Michael Jordan, MC Hammer, and Shaquille O’Neal, every page is laced with classic sneaker models, unforgettable graphics, and outrageous trash talk. Sit back and enjoy the spectacular scenery ahead as Soled Out powers through a 720-page marathon celebration of the rubber, leather, and mesh we wear on our feet.
Book of the Day Posted Oct 21, 2021

Book of the Day > Hayao Miyazaki

● Purchase ● A richly illustrated journey through the extraordinary cinematic worlds of beloved filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki
 
For over four decades, Hayao Miyazaki has been enchanting audiences of all ages. His animated films, often featuring children navigating unfamiliar and challenging worlds, offer timeless explorations of youth and what it means to grow up. Celebrated and admired around the globe for his artistic vision, craftsmanship and deeply humanistic values, Miyazaki has influenced generations of artists. The universal appeal of his evocative natural settings and complex characters, many among them strong girls and young women, cuts across cultural boundaries.
 
This book is published on the occasion of the 2021 inaugural exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, in collaboration with Studio Ghibli in Tokyo. It accompanies the first ever retrospective dedicated to the legendary filmmaker in North America and introduces hundreds of original production materials, including artworks never before seen outside of Studio Ghibli’s archives. Concept sketches, character designs, storyboards, layouts, backgrounds and production cels from his early career through all 11 of his feature films, including My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001) and Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), offer insight into Miyazaki’s creative process and masterful animation techniques.
Book of the Day Posted Oct 21, 2021

Book of the Day > Matthew Wong: Blue View

● Purchase ● Nocturnes and interiors in the key of blue from the acclaimed painter Matthew Wong
 
Over the course of his brief career, Matthew Wong was celebrated for his paintings evoking diverse historical references ranging from Chinese scroll painting to Van Gogh and Vuillard. His colorful, dappled vignettes of imaginary landscapes and half-remembered interiors have the uncanny ability to, in his words, “activate nostalgia, both personal and collective.”
 
This first museum publication features more than 60 of Wong’s deeply evocative blue paintings, of intimate interior scenes and luscious nocturnal landscapes, from his Blue Series made between 2017 and 2019.
 
Wong’s Blue Series paintings are notable for their saturated and richly varied blue palette and pervasive sense of melancholy, enhanced by solitary figures. The striking compositions reflect Wong’s technique of flattening the depth of space between the foreground and background with deft combinations of wet and dry brushwork. From monumental oils on canvas to smaller gouache and watercolor paintings, this body of work reveals Wong’s intimate and intense meditations on blue that is, as essayist Nancy Spector writes, “as much a mood as it is a color.”
 
With an introduction by Julian Cox, essays by Spector and Winnie Wong, and a chronology, this publication brings together scholarly voices to provide fresh insight and perspective on Wong’s work and his short-lived but exceptionally brilliant career.
Book of the Day Posted Oct 19, 2021

Book of the Day > Art of Soundtrack Covers 2022

● Purchase ● The 365 most legendary film music classics in one calendar. Daily feast for the eyes, ears and film inspiration.
 
Vinyl records and record stores are currently experiencing a revival, and so the artfully designed covers of the past decades are coming back to consciousness, presenting real music and design history in an inspiring way.
 
Now the world’s first tear-off calendar with 365 vinyl covers from the last five decades will be published in the fourth issue. Including famous and less known artists of all genres, true classics but also scurrilities. In addition to the daily music inspirations and eye candies, all responsible cover photographers, illustrators and art directors are mentioned. A must have for all vinyl lovers and design nerds!
 
And the blast: with the printed SPOTIFY Codes, you can "listen" to any album anywhere and immediately.
Book of the Day Posted Oct 19, 2021

Book of the Day > Art of Vinyl Covers 2022

● Purchase ● The fifth edition of the popular tear-off calendar with 365 vinyl covers for 2022
 
Vinyl records and record stores are currently experiencing a revival, and so the artfully designed covers of the past decades are coming back to consciousness, presenting real music and design history in an inspiring way.
 
Now the world’s first tear-off calendar with 365 vinyl covers from the last five decades will be published in the fourth issue. Including famous and less known artists of all genres, true classics but also scurrilities. In addition to the daily music inspirations and eye candies, all responsible cover photographers, illustrators and art directors are mentioned. A must have for all vinyl lovers and design nerds!
 
And the blast: with the printed SPOTIFY Codes, you can "listen" to any album anywhere and immediately. 
Book of the Day Posted Oct 16, 2021

Book of the Day > Codex Seraphinianus: 40th Anniversary Edition

● Purchase ● Published to coincide with the 40th anniversary of its original publication, this special edition of the beloved, best-selling cult classic features a new design, new cover illustration, and 15 never-before-seen drawings.
 
Featuring a handsome new package redesigned by the author himself, this edition is a must-have for fans and collectors of Luigi Serafini’s art. First published in 1981 in Milan by F.M. Ricci, the book has been hailed as one of the most unusual yet beautiful art books ever made. A visual encyclopedia of an unknown world written in an unknown language, it has fueled much debate over its meaning. Written for the information age and addressing the import of coding and decoding in genetics, literary criticism, and computer science, it has now fascinated and enchanted two generations.
 
While its message may be unclear, its appeal is obvious: it is a most exquisite artifact, blurring the line between art book and art object. This edition presents it in a new, unparalleled light complete with 15 new illustrations by the author. With the advent of new forms of communication, continuous streams of information, and social media, the Codex is more relevant and timely than ever.
Book of the Day Posted Oct 15, 2021

Book of the Day > Woman Made: Great Women Designers

● Purchase ● The most comprehensive, fully illustrated book on women designers ever published – a celebration of more than 200 women product designers from the early twentieth century to the present day
 
This glorious visual celebration of the most incredible and impactful design ever produced by women designers flips the script on what is historically considered a man’s world. Featuring more than 200 designers from more than 50 countries, including icons and trailblazers past and present such as Ray Eames, Eileen Gray, Florence Knoll, Ilse Crawford, Faye Toogood, Nathalie du Pasquier, it records and illuminates the fascinating and overlooked history of women preeminent in the field. With each designer represented by a key product and short text, this fascinating A-Z survey shines a vital spotlight on the most extraordinary objects made by women designers but, more importantly, offers a compelling primer on the best in the field of design demonstrating that design is not – and never has been – a man’s world.
more