Book of the Day > Balkrishna Doshi: Architecture for the People.  Published by Vitra Design Museum.

"The 2018 Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Balkrishna Doshi is one of India's most influential architects, renowned for his harmonious designs that merge the formal language of classical modernism with Indian building traditions and local craft skills. Always designed with a sensitivity to the social, environmental and economic conditions of a given commission or site, Doshi’s architecture honors the past while at the same time accommodating the rapidly changing conditions and needs of modern India. Doshi has designed more than 100 buildings—educational and cultural institutions, public buildings, private residences and low-income housing projects among them—and has taught scores of students over the course of his 60-year career, a career distinguished by a sense of responsibility and dedication to the country and communities he has served.Balkrishna Doshi: Architecture for the People presents the first comprehensive survey of this groundbreaking architect’s oeuvre in over 20 years. With a complete overview of all of Doshi’s projects, it provides insights into the inspiration behind his work and the background to his projects through essays written by outstanding experts in the field. The richly illustrated book is further supplemented by an interview with the architect, an illustrated biography and new photographs that document the impressive timeliness of the Indian master's buildings."

Book of the Day > Interiors: The Greatest Rooms of the Century. Published by Phaidon. "With over 400 rooms organized by designer from A-Z, the book goes beyond decorators, designers, and architects to highlight exquisite interiors designed by fashion designers, artists, style icons, and film stars who have made a unique contribution to the world of interior design. Covering work from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day, the book features everything from extraordinary chateaux, stunning town houses, and luxury penthouses – to desert ranches, beach houses, and tiny jewel-like apartments in more than 25 countries. This gorgeous volume includes the “greats” of interior design, such as Elsie de Wolfe, Billy Baldwin, and Colefax & Fowler, alongside contemporary stars including Anouska Hempel, Kelly Hoppen, and Karim Rashid. Noteworthy homes include those of fashion designers Bill Blass, Pierre Cardin, Gianni Versace, and Coco Chanel, as well as artists Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cy Twombly, and Peggy Guggenheim. Interiors has been created and commissioned by Phaidon editors and the most influential people in interior design today. It also includes an introduction by William Norwich, interior design and fashion editor formerly of Vogue and the New York Times and three original essays by Graeme Brooker (Head of Interior Design at the Royal College of Art), David Netto (interior designer), and Carolina Irving (Carolina Irving Textiles). This is the essential inspirational source book for design aficionados, anyone who is interested in beautiful rooms, and for everyone who cares about the spaces in which they live. Choose from four stunning covers, Midnight Blue, Saffron Yellow, Platinum Gray or Merlot Red."

Book of the day – truly staggeringly dense and delicious - 468 pages of wonder > Issues: A History of Photography in Fashion Magazines. Published by Phaidon. “Acclaimed photography critic Vince Aletti has selected 100 significant magazine issues from his expansive personal archive, revealing images by photographers rarely seen outside their original context. With his characteristic élan and featuring stunning images, Aletti has created a fresh, idiosyncratic, and previously unexplored angle on the history of photography. Issues, a luxury, oversized object, richly illustrated with brilliant reproductions, and enclosed in an elegant archival-style magazine-file box, is an essential addition to every book collection on photography, fashion, and graphic design. It's the first survey to explore the history of photography through the lens of fashion magazines, spanning the years 1925 to 2018. Magazines featured include American, British, and French Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, W, Details, Purple Fashion, The Face, Dutch, and many more. The book includes images rarely, if ever, republished by fashion and art photographers, including Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, Edward Steichen, Toni Frissell, Irving Penn, Diane Arbus, Collier Schorr, Inez and Vinoodh, Juergen Teller, Bill Cunningham, and Cindy Sherman." Also recommended is the New Yorker piece on Aletti and his collection.