This book sure has its fair share of interesting homes. Detailed photographs of layered interiors might just bring out your collector's side and have you itching to display all sorts of strange paraphernalia (in the most elegant sort of way, of course). Even if you tend towards the minimal, the rich rooms might inspire you to add a different sort of detail here and there.

The selected houses in this book were pulled from the pages of PaperCity, from the years 2000 to 2008. Roughly a decade of design alchemy and clinking highballs. The editors of this book foraged for both the musty and gutsy and the soaring and sensual, from a 500-square-foot bedsit to a mid-century organic architectural wonder thirty seven glorious projects, from follies to disciplined mansions, from Dominique and John de Menil s International-style house with its interior by the great couturier Charles James to artist Christian Eckart's abandoned 1940s warehouses polished to gleaming architectural wonder.

$40.95, Buy it here.

[posted by katie]

So, the new Kindle looks pretty sleek. I'm debating on whether or not the convenience would outweigh any loyalty I have to actual paper pages. It would be nice to carry a slim device instead of the 4 to 5 books I take with me when I travel, but then again, maybe I'm not ready to shell out $350 for an electronic gadget. Hmm...

Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback
Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots
Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images
Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging
More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books

$359.00, Buy it here.

[posted by katie]

I've pretty much forgotten all about poetry since leaving college and its various literature courses, but these few books have reminded me just how lovely a small collection of musings can be. I won't even begin to dissect or analyze any of them, because I'm certainly not qualified, but I will say I enjoyed looking through each of them. Also, be sure to check out Wave Books' erasure site (in relation to A Little White Shadow, see below), where you can create your own erasures. It's sort of fun.

shown left to right:
New Exercises by Franck Andre Jamme, Translated by Charles Borkhuis, $14.00, Buy it here.*

Like tiny poetic word searches, these small poems reveal themselves as tightly-packed aphorisms, asserting themselves physically in the world with a wisdom that is somehow simultaneously novel and ancient.

Poemland by Chelsey Minnis, $14.00-$30.00, Buy it here.

A fearless and uproarious litany of contentions and revelations on poetry and the poetic mind, Poemland alternates brilliantly between the deadpan, the spectacular and the outrageous.

A Little White Shadow by Mary Ruefle, $12.00-$30.00, Buy it here.

Selectively painting over much of a forgotten nineteenth-century book, Ruefle's ninth publication brings new meaning to an old story. What remains visible is delicate poetry: artfully rendered, haunted by its former self, yet completely new.

*See also the limited edition box set of twelve silk-screened broadsides from New Exercises here (I'm tempted to frame them). [posted by katie]

Does it seem like reference material on modern/contemporary gardens are a bit thin? This book looks to have quite a bit of inspiring photos to expand your landscape design ideas.

-An accessible and affordable overview of 100 contemporary gardens from the early 1920s to the present day
-Traces the history of the contemporary garden, from the experimentations of the early 20th century, David Hosack’s Rockefeller Center Roof Garden (1933) for example, to today’s conceptual creations such as Tony Heywood’s Split (2003)
-Includes gardens all over the world by leading designers such as Roberto Burle-Marx (Brazil), Tadao Ando (Japan), Adriaan Geuze (Netherlands), Fernando Caruncho (Spain) and Martha Schwartz (USA)
-Features all types of garden, including Modernist landscapes, conceptual spaces, water and roof gardens, and urban parks

$24.95, Buy it here.

[posted by katie]

Hrm, so this is a geared-towards-kids book, which usually isn't within the realms of what I normally would feature, but it's kind of too cute not to mention. So, there you have it.

To see inside, go here.
$15.00, Buy it here.

[posted by katie]

The next time I'm at the bookstore, I'm planning on checking this book out...I'm a little more than in love with the small modern homes that seem extreme in their simplicity. Such inspiration for a future home...

Modern Japanese House is an overview of recent domestic design trends in Japan and features an array of projects from a variety of architects, both known and new to the international architecture scene. The projects are divided into five chapters - Tiny Houses, Inside/ Outside, Multi Generation Houses, Work/Play, and Vacation Houses - that reflect the issues particular to residential design in Japan. Architects featured include such familiar figures as Kazuyo Sejima, Jun Aoki, Shigeru Ban, Hitoshi Abe and Shuhei Endo, as well as lesser known practitioners such as Nobuaki Furuya, Hiroshii Nakao, among others.

$47.25, Buy it here.

[posted by katie]

If you're into architecture, you must add this to your list of books to get (if you don't have it already). Be prepared for a vast amount of pictures; it's amazing.

Explore the best architecture of the 21st century in this collection of 1037 exemplary buildings sited all over the world...Divided into six world regions, the Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century World Architecture provides an important overview of global and local trends in architecture. This truly unparalleled resource presents easily accessible world data exploring the geographical contexts for 21st century architectural production in a global framework. Each of the six world regions is introduced by an analysis of urban and architectural issues.

$195.00, Buy it here. (or for $129.35 here)

[posted by katie]

We're all familiar with mail order catalogs, and, yes, they do clog up the recycling bin, but have you ever thought about how they are documenting everything from our fashion to food styles? Catalogs from decades ago chart how we lived by what we bought, and this book gives an overview of the catalog's history, from the first Montgomery Ward book to the most recent companies. My favorite: an overview of 45 years of the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book (what luxury at the time) and seeing celebrities model clothes in their pre-famous days. The background stories of how some companies began are quite interesting as well.

In Catalog: The Illustrated History of Mail Order Shopping, Robin Cherry traces the timeline of these snapshots from American history and discovers along the way how we dressed, decorated our houses, worked, played, and got around. From corsets to bell-bottoms, from baby-doll dresses and Doc Martens all the way to iPods, the history of these catalogs is the history of our lives and our culture...Insightful historical commentary places these catalogs in their social context, making this book a visual pleasure and a historically important piece of Americana.

$35.00, Buy it here.

[posted by katie]

Man, I've got to tell you this book is the 'go-to' travel bible if you care about staying in hotels that have that extra special something. Mr & Mrs Smith, the boutique & luxury hotel specialists, have compiled 30 of their favorite hotels around the world with personal reviews from well-known names, various local knowledge, tips, and things 'worth getting out of bed for'. You'll get inside information from those in-the-know: which restaurant and bars to visit, what room to book, and some worthy sightseeing if you feel like stretching your legs. Each hand-picked hotel has a unique look and atmosphere that are more than easy on the eyes (i.e. gorgeous), so you'll be able to rest and relax in style.

You also get an exclusive free BlackSmith card inside the book, entitling you to a year's membership which will garner you upgrades, discounts, and extras (massages, bottles of wine, etc.) whenever you book online at mrandmrssmith.com.

In this cherry-picked selection of the most stylish and individual hotels around the world, Mr & Mrs Smith give you the inside scoop on city slick, coastal cool and countryside chic. Original, inspirational and informative, this coffee-table edition of the acclaimed Mr & Mrs Smith hotel guides includes fairytale Provençal châteaux, happening West Coast hotspots, secret Thai hideaways and even an eco-friendly jungle lodge in Belize - each boutique bolthole has been chosen for its unique look, atmosphere and that all-important location. Next time you’re planning an escape, let Mr & Mrs Smith ensure you get the hotel address right first time.

$24.95, Buy it here.

Other Mr & Mrs Smith books available: European Cities, European Coast & Country, UK/Ireland, and UK/Ireland Volume 2.

[posted by katie]

If you have as much of a crush on Prouvé as I do, then you'll appreciate these two links that'll save you mucho denero (the list price is $250.00).

Today the oeuvre of French architect and designer Jean Prouve is considered essential to the history of twentieth century design. Prouve's furniture designs were determined by the interior spaces the pieces would inhabit, and they developed in tandem with the Modernist principles of the "art of living" and "harmonious habitat" that were so characteristic of the time. This exquisitely produced and comprehensive volume, which was put together by Paris' Galerie Patrick Seguin and New York's Sonnabend Gallery--where Prouve was the subject of a critically-acclaimed 2003 solo exhibition--fills a hole in the existing scholarship, most of which focuses on Prouve's architecture. It includes a collection of interviews with collectors and design professionals, a detailed biography of Prouve by his daughter, Catherine Prouve, and essays by design historian Raymond Guidot and architecture historian Catherine Coley.

$175.00, Buy it here.
$155.25, Buy it here.

[posted by katie]