Books
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100 New American Des...
For any of you that scour street fashion blogs (such as The Sartorialist, one of my favorites), you'll be please to know you join the company of some of the designers featured in this book. If you're curious who the emerging 'movers and shakers' of fashion today are, then this is worth a flip-through. It showcases the best 100 new creatives in fashion design. $40.00, Available at Urban Outfitters.
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Martin Parr
Contemporary photography seems to catch the eye everywhere nowadays; I think I'll be adding this monograph to my list of books to check out. The work of Martin Parr (b. 1952) bridges the divide between art and documentary photography. His studies of the idiosyncrasies of mass culture and consumerism around the world, his innovative imagery and his prolific output have placed him firmly at the forefront of contemporary art. $24.95, Buy it here or $18.21 here.
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Graffiti Japan
Man, there's some impressive artwork captured in this book. I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of graffiti, but this book kind of changed my mind. It's pretty incredible how the artists' interpretations of popular culture are morphed into such provocative compositions, usually on a very large scale, and it's even more amazing to see crew efforts where different graffiti artists collaborate on a single piece. And, jeez, some of the artwork is just so sharp...you'll have to see it for yourself; you can visit Camerota's Graffiti Japan website for a preview. Photographed by Remo Camerota, Graffiti Japan captures the…
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Over and Over: A Cat...
This is a complete treasure trove of patterns. I swear, even if you're not an artist or a designer, it'll have you itching to pick up a pencil and mess around, or maybe at least overcome any objection to defacing a book so that you don't have to feel guilty when you take one of the pages out to frame it. Or maybe you'll just enjoy perusing all the hand-drawn patterns and that'll be enough for you. Either way, it's a refreshing compilation of work from a lot of talented designers. While patterns have been around forever, there's a recent…
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FOUND Polaroids
If you've ever browsed through Found Magazine then you'll know what to expect from this collection of Polaroids. There are photographs, and then there are Polaroids. This hardbound beauty is stuffed with 100+ specimens and curiosities from the Polaroid age, when gratification was as instant as the digital camera but far easier to lose. It's filled with an incredible collection of photos - some of them very funny, others strangely moving and affecting. $16.49, Buy it here.
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Cypher
I'm a big fan of b-boys (as witnessed by anyone who has seen me watch SYTYCD), so this book had me before I even opened the cover. Acclaimed rock photographer Charles Peterson is back with a new subject—the world of contemporary breakdancing. B-boying, as it’s referred to by its adepts, centers around the “cypher” (circle) created when b-boys and b-girls gather to practice or to “battle.” Bigger and badder than ever, breakdancing has grown since its beginnings in the early eighties to become a global youth phenomenon today. Yet it remains a highly individualized practice—all one needs to get down…
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Old Masters: Fra Ang...
So, if you're in the mood for a little art quiz, try matching the artist to the picture...and don't worry if you get some wrong. I took a load of art history classes and I got one mixed up (the shame!). Answers below. Fra Angelico: $39.95, Buy it here. or $30.36, here. "Fra Angelico (c.1390/95–1455) was the most celebrated religious painter of the early Italian Renaissance" Ingres (Ingres is pronounced 'ang', fyi): $39.95, Buy it here. or $26.37, here. "A new monograph charting the entire career of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867), one of the most influential painters of the French Neo-classical…
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The Polaroid Book
I'm sure everyone's heard that Polaroid has discontinued their instant film, much to the dismay of the general public. This special edition celebrates the medium with 351 pages of over 400 works from the Polaroid Collections. Selections from the Polaroid Collections of Photography 25th Anniversary Special Edition. In existence for over 50 years, the Polaroid Corporation's photography collection is the greatest collection of Polaroid images in the world. Begun by Polaroid founder Edwin Land and photographer Ansel Adams, the collection now includes images by hundreds of photographers throughout the world and contains important pieces by artists such as David Hockney,…
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Amsterdam Design Gui...
Danielle over at the style files has a great design guide on Amsterdam. She has put together lists of where to stay, eat, shop, and other things to see while you're there. I love it when people take the time to do nice stuff like that.
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Creature by Andrew Z...
This looks like it could be an excellent coffee-tablish book, if you're into that kind of thing. Photographer Andrew Zuckerman's striking images of animals from around the world are as arresting as they are inspiring. These 150 astonishing studio portraits of wild creatures - from baby mountain lions to parrots, bears, porcupines & more - depict their subjects with rare sensitivity, insight, humor and wonder. $60.00, Buy it here or for $36.00, here.
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Area_2
It seems like Phaidon just can't go wrong with their curated collections; this large volume of recent contemporary graphics seems to call for some serious sit-down-and-absorb-everything kind of time. Area_2 is the second volume in the graphics version of Phaidon's award-winning series of curated compendiums, which includes Cream, Fresh Cream, Blink, 10x10, 10x10_2, and Spoon. Covering all manifestations of printed graphics created by the world's most visionary designers, Area_2 presents the posters, books, magazines, typography, packaging, and ephemera that has influenced visual culture over the past five years. An international, up-to-the-minute overview of graphic design today 100 of the most…
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Bent Ply by Dung Ngo...
There have been countless amounts of furniture made from plywood, several designs of which are considered iconic, and it's impressive to think of the process and history behind the widely used material. Plywood is arguably the most modern design artifact: it is a material born of natural wood and formed by vigorous industrial processes that can assume the most organic of shapes through bending, laminating, and molding. plywood truly fulfills that most modern of dreams: bridging the gap between technology and nature. Bent Ply is the first book devoted to plywood in modern design. The book consists of two parts:…
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Le Corbusier Le Gran...
One of the greats of architecture, Le Corbusier, now has an enormous monograph available. At 768 pages with 1000 colour illustrations and 1000 black and white illustrations, it might take a while to get through it, but man, I think it would be worth the time spent. A spectacular visual biography of the life and work of Le Corbusier (1887–1965), one of Modernism's most influential architects, urban planners, and theorists Approximately 2,000 images and documents, many previously unpublished, feature his major built works, urban plans, paintings, publications, and furniture as well as sketches, archival photographs, and personal correspondence Rarely seen…
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Planting Green Roofs...
To coordinate with today's Green Roofs/Wall Panel post in the remodel section, this book seems like it would be a good accompaniment to any ideas you might have for your own home. Booklist $23.07, Buy it here.
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Naoto Fukasawa
One of my favorite objects from the MUJI store is Naoto Fukasawa's cd player, and that alone makes a browse through this book somewhat necessary, though at this price (why is it so much?) I'm absolutely positive I won't be buying it anytime soon.