ERIK HEYWOOD

2012-02-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

BOOK/SHOP

POP UP FINAL NIGHT/ LESLIE WILLIAMSON SLIDESHOW

If you're in the Bay area tonight (Feb. 2nd), it's the last night of our pop-up shop at Gravel and Gold in SF. Come by between 7-8 and see Leslie Williamson give a slideshow & discussion on her excellent book, Handcrafted Modern. See you there!

2012-02-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

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BOOK/SHOP

FEBRUARY ADDITIONS

Another month, another carefully selected collection of books at BOOK/SHOP. This month's theme is Books about Books & there are some beauties in there. Also added are 12 new prints and broadsides, and February's Book Club instructions.

2012-01-27T09:38:00.000-08:00

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ETC.

TWO VIRTUAL TOURS

Two panoramic tours of two remarkable book destinations. You can take a virtual walk through Daunt Books in the UK, with its tall Palladian windows and towering shelves of quality books, or take a spin around the Morrison Library reading room at UC Berkeley, a beautiful hideaway with its deep leather wing chairs, LP listening station, and a small but intelligent collection packed into the walls and balcony alcoves (be sure to go fullscreen on this one).

2012-01-13T17:32:00.000-08:00

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PARIS

BARBER & OSGERBY

The "Paris" system (designed in 2008 by Barber & Osgerby for ClassiCon) is like an elegant re-thinking of the classic cinder-block-and-plank shelving found in a million college dorm rooms. They've taken the bulk out of that old standby with open rectangles of powder-coated steel and walnut or lacquered shelves. These supports also allow for more books to go where the blocks would have normally taken up so much space. Another beautiful solution from these masters of playful simplicity.

2012-01-11T21:36:00.000-08:00

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ETC.

BOOK REVIEWS BY NICHOLAS HOARE

I did a double take when I first saw these video book reviews by Canadian bookseller Nicholas Hoare. Could this soft-spoken reviewer, dressed in a variety of silk smoking jackets and perfectly knotted bow ties, be for real? He is, and he's fantastic. Utterly un-self conscious (if a tiny bit tounge-in-cheek), Hoare reviews quality British books of all kinds. Kid's books (reviewed in the company of Alastair Cookie Monster), cookbooks, art books, novels and memoirs all get thoughtful examinations and enthusiastic recommendations from the comfort of Hoare's oak Windsor chair, while Oscar, an orange tabby cat of the classic "bookshop cat" variety, occasionally strolls through uninvited, or interrupts abruptly with a loud, off-camera "meow". A genuine delight.

2011-12-15T08:10:00.000-08:00

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GEORGE WHITMAN

DECEMBER 12, 1913 – DECEMBER 14, 2011

George Whitman, a legendary American bookseller in Paris, passed away today in the apartment above his landmark bookshop, Shakespeare & Co. For 60 years, the shop has offered a crammed-to-the-rafters selection of English language books in a charming corner of the Left Bank, and crammed it still further with beds for visiting writers, or anyone in need who was willing to put in hours working the register (see last photo, above).

George was a generous host and committed shop owner who understood what books, and the places that serve them, could mean, and do mean to people. I was thinking of George just the other day while reading an interview with Amazon head Jeff Bezos, who said "Our version of a perfect customer experience is one in which our customer doesn’t want to talk to us. Every time a customer contacts us, we see it as a defect." How different from George's motto, written in tall letters on a wall in the shop: "Be not inhospitable to strangers / Lest they be angels in disguise". Thankfully, his daughter, Sylvia Beach Whitman, continues the tradition. A good overview of the shop narrated by Sylvia can be seen here.

2011-12-10T14:50:00.000-08:00

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BOOK / SHOP POP / UP

Gravel & Gold

Take a peek at our San Francisco pop-up shop here. Installed with our good friends at Gravel & Gold.
Shop open from 12/09/11 - 01/06/12.

2011-12-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

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Open now!

book---shop.com

2011-11-22T16:48:00.000-08:00

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COMING SOON

THE SHOP

Postings around here have been pretty light since summer, but for a good reason. Besides doing a pile of summer reading (thanks everyone for your amazing lists), and bringing home a baby boy (thanks, Jess!), I've been working on a (very small) retail project. Above are a few sneak peeks at what's to come...

2011-10-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

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ROBERT BRIDGES
POEM

Today is the birthday of poet Robert Bridges. I've had his short poem, "I love all beauteous things" rattling around in the back of my head for years now. It serves as a motivation to create & try new things without worrying too much about whether they'll work out. Sometimes the process of trying or making something new is enough. Speaking of which, some "beauteous" new things will be announced here soon...

I love all beauteous things,

I seek and adore them;

God hath no better praise,

And man in his hasty days

Is honoured for them.

I too will something make

And joy in the making;

Altho’ to-morrow it seem

Like the empty words of a dream

Remembered on waking.

2011-10-22T16:39:00.000-07:00

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BOOKS

OLD BOOK SMELL

“Lingnin, the stuff that prevents all trees from adopting the weeping habit, is a polymer made up of units that are closely related to vanillin. When made into paper and stored for years, it breaks down and smells good. Which is how Divine providence has arranged for secondhand bookstores to smell like good quality vanilla absolute, subliminally stoking a hunger for knowledge in all of us.”
--Perfume: The Guide.

via the Vintage Books & Anchor Books Facebook page.

2011-07-14T23:46:00.000-07:00

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READING LIST

LESLIE WILLIAMSON

Earlier this year I picked up Leslie Williamson's beautiful book, Handcrafted Modern. I thought it did everything right in presenting the warm, lived-in interiors of a few of my design heroes. I felt confident she would be able to present a great reading list, but I was floored by her offer to send images of each book, set in her ideal spot to read it. This will be the last reading list I'll post for this year, so feast your eyes on Leslie's recommendations and have a happy summer of reading!

Here are some of Leslie's comments on her list:

-Hammershoi by Felix Kramer, Naoki Sato & Anne-Birgitte Fonsmark

Wilhelm Hammershoi is one of my favorite painters and I find myself reaching for one of my monographs on him every so often. I dream of shooting the home he painted so often at Strandgade 30 in Copenhagen. The silence in his paintings speaks to my heart somehow. This book is shown sitting in my favorite seat in the living room of my house. In the morning the sun comes in and it is a sublime place to sit. I like to start some days quietly with a coffee and beautiful images. Hammershoi always fits that bill. I never tire of looking at this book.

-Home-Made : Contemporary Russian Folk Artifacts by Vladimir Arkipov

I cannot put it down right now. I am just embarking on a new project and this book is really inspiring me at the moment. Hilarious, weird, fantastically human. The "artifacts" in tandem with the stories about the objects and how/why they were made I find myself reading and re-reading it... I shot it in the workshop of one of the subjects of my new project on craftspeople. It seems like the perfect place to read it because I can look up and see something that could actually be in the book. Of course I will be covered in sawdust from sitting there, but well worth it in my opinion.

-In Secret and Shadows: Discovering Light in the South of France by Janet Pullen

I just finished this and it moved me. I actually read it in this spot in Glen Park Canyon. One woman's journey into the history of the Cathar in the S. of France, the root of personal enlightenment/religion and the transformative effect that it has on her. Seriously fascinating and a beautiful tale of having faith in the signs life sends you and being open to listening to them.

- Gidropark by Yelena Yemchuk

Yelena is one of my dearest friends and her project and mine were basically going on at the same time. I marvel at the things she just finds spontaneously happening around her. I have seen this project from its earliest stages and throughout so I look forward to just getting lost in it again in its finished form. If I could, I would bring it to Coney Island, but I would more likely just curl up on my bed with this book.

-Black Mountain: An Exploration in Community by Martin Duberman

I actually started reading this book back when I was writing Handcrafted Modern and quickly learned I cannot READ a book and WRITE a book at the same time. So I hope to pick this back up. I shot this image at a house in the Redwoods, a sublime place to read, frankly, and I imagine I would hear similar sounds if I was in N. Carolina, where Blk Mt. was located...

2011-07-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

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ETC.

BASTILLE DAY MIX

Today is Bastille Day, and this blog is celebrating with 3 amazing French designers and one poet.

2011-06-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

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BOOKS IN NEW YORK

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

Camping this weekend on a misty bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, I marveled at how much I love living in California. But in the morning, when rain came streaming into the tent, I found myself longing for the warm protection of the Rose Reading Room. Located safe on the 3rd floor of the main research branch of the NYPL (so placed in 1911 to put it above the smell & noise of horse-drawn carriages), it was my favorite rainy-day hideout when I lived in New York. I missed it on that rainy morning, and I still miss the fantastic bargains I could find in the (now closed) sale section of the Mid-Manhattan circulating branch. Above are my well-worn cards from both libraries, and looking at them now is a reminder that sometimes New York is at its best when the weather is at its worst.

2011-06-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

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READING LIST

JEFF MASER

Serious book-lovers can't live by the internet alone. When I first learned about the Moschatel Press, Google wasn't much help; but rare book dealer Jeff Maser had a whole pile of their productions to show me. And those fantastic London Magazine editions I've started collecting? Jeff has found two of them for me already. He leaves dusty leather-bound rarities to the stiffs, and focuses on packing his Berkeley warehouse with excellent (and obscure) 20th century small press editions and literary journals, while still stocking enough solid British and American literature and "books on books" to keep people like me happy. This list represents the 6 books Jeff has read in the last few weeks. Not bad for a guy who spends 10 hours of every day out collecting & cataloging.

*don't forget to click reading list covers!

2011-06-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

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DANESE

SARMIENTO

One of the vexing problems of shelving design is depth. Most cases err on the side of very deep, 11-12 inch shelves, to accommodate art books as well as small paper backs. But sometimes the art books still hang over the edge, while the rest of the books end up looking lost on the shelf, either pushed way back, or pulled to the front with 8 inches of wasted space behind them. Francisco Gomez Paz has looked ingeniously at this problem with the Sarmiento, designed for Milanese innovators Danese. The design is very shallow (under 5 inches), with the shelves angled at 20 degrees, meaning that while almost every book will exceed the shelves' depth, the angle will keep them in place.

2011-06-13T23:57:00.000-07:00

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READING LIST

PAZ LOPEZ

Paz is a Spanish illustrator and artist whose colorful, exuberant style seems fully in love with life. I can think of few things more "summer". It all seems very Spanish as well, though her reading list is international. She explained: "I love 20th century literature. The kind of books I like are not about adventure, mystery or comedy. I like long stories, well and simply written; I look for the atmosphere of the whole book." Classics in her mother tongue are available in very nice series editions, and I especially appreciate her introducing me to Blackie Books. Muchas Gracias, Paz!

2011-06-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

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TOM KÜHNE

SUPERSYSTEM SHELVES

I blogged about the Supersystem elsewhere a few years back, but a recent conversation about them with a friend made me go back to Kühne's beautiful site, where he's posted better images than when I first mentioned them. A beautifully simple frame in wood or aluminum, the Supersystem also provides some inspiring thinking for the ambitious DIYer.

2011-06-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

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READING LIST

DUNCAN HANNAH

Duncan Hannah is a painter and a jolly good fellow. He paints women, sports cars, and battleships, but does so in a way that's less men's magazine and more Graham Greene. After all, he also paints imaginary Penguin covers and idyllic afternoons punting on English rivers. He & Megan Wilson have a fantastic library, and Duncan has sent "a list to make any flaneur's summer an edifying one". Indeed. I already have Brazilian Adventure on hold at the public library. Most gracious of you, Duncan!

2011-05-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

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The Library from Sergey Stefanovich on Vimeo.

ETC.

DUNCAN FALLOWELL'S LIBRARY

This one's been making the blog rounds for a little while, but I couldn't resist posting this gorgeous tour of Duncan Fallowell's personal library.

via even*cleveland

2011-05-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

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READING LIST

ELODIE LALÉOUS

I posted Elodie's color blocked shelves recently, and the illustrious names she listed as design influences made me want to get her summer reading list. She admitted that her new business leaves her little time for reading, but sent along a stellar list of French favorites. Click on the covers for more info or images of each. Most have been translated into several languages & the "international" lists I've been getting have been wonderful reminders and introductions to some important authors. I can't wait to get to know them better. Merci, Elodie!

2011-05-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

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READING LIST

BREE CLAFFEY

Blogger and shopkeeper Bree Claffey sells lovely, well-chosen books in her sun-washed Melbourne shop, Mr. Kitly, so it's no surprise that she's sent a lovely, well-chosen list. Like Juan, she's in the Southern Hemisphere, and heading towards winter, not summer; but with everything from politics and fiction to art and biography, hers is a list for all seasons.

2011-05-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

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READING LIST

JUAN IGNACIO MORALEJO

Juan Ignacio Moralejo is a journalist who makes some of the most beautiful magazines I've ever seen. He produces them from his warmly minimal home/office in Buenos Aires, and immediately after asking him for a summer reading list, I realized that he would be heading into winter where he is. Perhaps that's why this grouping of reads looks so cozy & autumnal. His unfailing eye has seen the worn out, chipped up covers of these books as a plus. Bien hecho, amigo!

The opened book is Christopher Hassall's biography of Rupert Brooke.

2011-05-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

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AUTHORS

H.E. BATES

Today is the birthday of H.E. Bates, known in his time as "The English Chekhov" and one of my favorite short-story writers. A prolific writer with a long career, he first gained fame under the pen name "Flying Officer X" when he was commissioned by the RAF to write stories of flying life during WWII. Bates wrote as authoritatively about flowers and country life as he did about violent plane wrecks and bleak wartime landscapes, and his keen, sometimes heartbreaking observations of the small joys and disappointments of human life more than earn him his Chekhovian nickname.

2011-05-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

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SUMMER READING LIST

ERIK HEYWOOD

These are a few of the books I plan to have tagging along (along with a few favorite magazines) on this summer's coast-side camping trips, sunny weekend mornings, and picnics in the park. Last year I posted summer reading lists from old friends & new acquaintances, and I look forward to seeing more lists from more good people this year. They'll be here, so keep looking...

2011-05-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

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LIBRARIES

SUBSCRIPTION LIBRARIES

I've posted a little about membership libraries before. I love public libraries, but it seems true that people take better care of things when they have to pay for them. That's why subscription libraries can be what public libraries so often can't; they can be clean, comfortable, and well-stocked. These private club-like spaces range from the sunny & cozy to the outright grandiose, and they can be found everywhere from big cities to green scenic places. Modern life could use a little more old-fashioned civilization, and the fact that a modest yearly fee can mean a person has a wing chair, tall windows, & piles of beautiful books at their disposal is a good start.

Excellent lists of libraries here, and here.

2011-04-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

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BOOKS

PUBLISHERS' HISTORIES

It seems like much of the current hand-wringing over e-books stems from the difference between two types of readers. On the one hand, there are those who see paper books mainly as outdated sources of information, easily replaced by a device. On the other, there are those who see books as worthwhile objects in themselves, carrying not only information, but unique aesthetic and tactile experiences, as well as personal memories (the trip where it was bought, the friend who recommended it).

They also carry the stories of the often large group of people it took to bring it all together (publishers, authors, agents, designers, printers, typographers, etc.). Perhaps rich histories of e-publishing will someday delight future generations -stories of how staff were cut, product made more uniform, costs brought down- tales of breathtaking efficiency. For now, I'll take publishers' histories of the traditional sort, the ones with all those inefficient personalities working to make something beautiful and lasting. Above are a few I've enjoyed over the last few years, along with biographies of some very entertaining insiders.

2011-04-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

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BOOKS IN MENDOCINO

MOORE USED BOOKS

Located on the oceanfront Main Street of Mendocino, California, the white and airy house that is Moore Used Books holds two floors of strange and wonderful titles. Among the stacks I found this lovely little rarity, a memoir of the British sculptor Barbara Hepworth printed in 1982 by a small Scottish press.

2011-03-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

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SUSPENDED SHELVES

LAB

Elodie Laléous started Lab in France, using local craftsmen to produce furniture and textiles "inspired by the '50s, from Charlotte Perriand to Eames to Finn Juhl, but with a slightly rustic touch." These suspended shelves certainly show their pedigree and come in custom color combos, painted with care in well-chosen palettes from Farrow and Ball.

via Ensuite

2011-03-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

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HOW TO SELL A RARE BOOK ONLINE

ROOKE BOOKS

Rare book dealers could learn a thing or two about displaying their wares from the clean, beautiful, and thorough job done at Rooke Books' website. Above is an example of the care taken to show a prospective buyer just one of a seven-volume set of James Lees-Milne's diaries. Too many dealers would have used a very small, very blurry shot of the books, stacked, in a dark room; Rooke's seem to remember that books selling for a small fortune deserve better presentation.

2011-03-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

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WALL MOUNTED BOOKSHELVES

FREDERICK KIESLER

They don't make them like Frederick Kiesler anymore. Kiesler studied at the Technische Universität Wien and the Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien during the golden age of Austrian design, received commissions from Joseph Hoffman, collaborated with Adolf Loos, was a member of the De Stijl group, worked on the era-defining Ballet Mechanique with Leger and Man Ray, exhibited work with MoMA, Sidney Janis, and Leo Castelli, and became a director in the Department of Architecture at Columbia University (despite dropping out of architecture school decades earlier). This is just a small sampling of his accomplishments. He also designed furniture. Most of it was experimental, but this wall mounted bookcase, designed in 1935, is fully functional- and it predates many similar designs by decades. Collectors know a good thing when they see it, and this rarity sold for double its estimate at Sotheby's last year.

2011-03-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

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DETAILS

LIBRARY AVIARY

The first day of Spring was brought home to me by waking up to birds, singing brightly in our nectarine tree. When I raised the blinds in my library, the morning light poured in on the bookshelves and seemed to pick out the many birds that publishers use as a colophon. From the Smithsonian's Owl of Minerva and Norton's solitary seagull, to the classic Penguin/Pelican/Puffin trio and Duckworth's equally literal duck, they were all over the shelves. I saw them as welcoming the new season, and this day will always mean a lot to me.

2011-03-08T17:00:00.000-08:00

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ETC.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Today marks 100 years of International Women's Day. It put me in mind of Djuna, Frances, Elizabeth, Stevie, Christina, Marina, Penelope and Olive, a few of the brilliant women I'll always enjoy reading.

2011-03-07T16:17:00.000-08:00

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BOOKS IN OAKLAND

TBW BOOKS

Artist/publisher Paul Schiek runs TBW Books out of this sunlight-soaked studio. The space is a lot like his publications: spare, beautifully thought through, and made by hand in Oakland, CA. From here he makes small, richly printed volumes of art photography that in only 5 years have turned into collector must-haves. I love that he's done it all against the grain of current conventional wisdom about publishing. Cheap printing in China? Digital editions? Not for TBW, whose every paper and ink book is printed & handmade in California. Twitter? No Thanks, says Schiek, who lets subscribers, as well as outlets like Colette and Dashwood, do the talking for him. And that's worked out just fine; many TBW editions sell out almost immediately. You can get your own copies if you order early, but, (as yet another jab against conventional wisdom) he'll even show you what it takes if you want to try doing it yourself.

2011-02-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

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ETC.

VITSOE ON FACEBOOK

Vitsoe is up on Facebook now, where they update their most recently submitted customer images (like this one). I love the Carravagio next to the Complete Calvin & Hobbes in this shot. More here as well.

2011-02-14T14:03:00.000-08:00

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BOOKS IN PORTLAND

MONOGRAPH BOOKWERKS

Most spots with gallery-white floors and walls give off a rarified, "don't-touch" feel, but Monograph (opened in 2010 by artists Blair Saxon-Hill and John Brodie), is a beautful exception. The small shop is cozy and colorful, and its fantastically smart selection is enlivened by equally well chosen objects and artwork, as well as events that even much bigger shops would be lucky to have.

2011-01-29T11:08:00.001-08:00

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WIRE AND MESH SHELVING

MATHIEU MATEGOT

Mathieu Mategot's time as a WW2 prisoner of war proved to have a silver lining. Having designed planting boxes using perforated metal during his gardening duties as a POW, Mategot turned the material to good use by creating some of the most distinctive furniture of post-war France with his patented version, Rigitulle. While most of his chairs have striking and inventive lines, it seems more inviting to lounge about reading in his take (above) on the Barcelona daybed. Though produced in small numbers, his work abounds in auction houses, and it looks like a few designs have even been re-issued.

2011-01-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

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LITERARY JOURNAL

BOOKS AND BOOKMEN

Published from the mid 1950s to the mid '80s, Books and Bookmen had a good run during the last few decades that a book review could maintain itself while focusing on literature rather than politics & current events. UK bookseller Gary Walker stocks a nice selection of copies & he's graciously scanned many of the remarkable covers.

2010-11-23T20:56:00.000-08:00

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2010

BOOKISH GIFT LIST: HERS

1. KAST BOOKCASE BY MAARTIN VAN SEVERIN

The smart but soft color palette of this Vitra bookcase seems ideal for a girl's library. It comes in several configurations.

2. MORRISSEY QUOTE POSTER

A poster featuring a quote from the famously bookish Morrissey. The line comes from the song "Handsome Devil", is printed large on blue paper, and sums up a certain mentality quite nicely.

3. BL3 FLOOR LAMP BY BESTLITE

Simple and modern, while still carrying itself with elegance and charm, the BL3 is the quintessential English reading lamp. It figures, though, that it takes the craftsmanship of the Danes to produce it today.

4. LIBRARY SCENTED PERFUME

The good folks at CB I Hate Perfume prefer scents of everyday things to the unreal blends of traditional perfume. In the Library is a warm blend of English Novel , Russian & Moroccan Leather Bindings, Worn Cloth and a hint of Wood Polish. A little on the wrists will let a girl take her library with her everywhere she goes.

5. A-BOOK-A-MONTH FROM PERSEPHONE BOOKS

Persephone Books issue beautiful editions of classic books by neglected female authors. They're bound in thick grey paper with patterned endpapers culled from archival fabrics & wallpapers. A 6 or 12 month gift subscription means a different book gets posted in the mail from the very scenic Persephone bookshop every month. You can even choose the books & the order in which they'll arrive.

6. PARIS REVIEW TOTE

Spacious enough to cart home a whole pile of library finds, this tote from the legendary Paris Review is made of heavy duty canvas with hunter green bottom and shoulder-length straps.

7. FACSIMILE DUST JACKETS

These exact reproductions of classic bookcovers will give beloved (but ragged) copies of Franny and Zooey or A Common Reader (or any of a thousand other titles) a new lease on life. Also makes great wrapping paper for a small gift.

8. URCHIN POUF BY FLOCKS

Sometimes a girl just needs a tuffet to park it on in front of her shelves. The hand knitted Urchin Pouf uses massive strands of New Zealand wool yarn to create a perfect little seat.

2010-11-22T22:06:00.000-08:00

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2010

BOOKISH GIFT LIST: HIS

Books are possibly the easiest gifts to give, but the person who has a million of them may like a little something to store them in, read them with, or surround them. Here's a list of "bookish" gifts for the guy who loves books. (Generally speaking. I know plenty of bookish girls out there will like this stuff, too. A "hers" list is coming soon...)

1. THE PENGUIN DONKEY: MARK 2 BY ERNEST RACE

An ideal chairside bookcase. 3 versions of the Donkey are still in production. The Mark 2 was designed by Ernest Race in 1963, but its timeless simplicity and perfect proportions mean vintage versions still sell for the price of new ones.

2. BOOK COVER PAINTINGS

Screen printed onto stretched canvas in a variety of sizes, some great vintage book covers are available from Art Meets Matter.

3. BOOK & LIBRARY SCENTED CANDLES

By Paris-based art book publisher Assouline, these beautifully packaged candles smell of leather and paper or a wood paneled library.

4. TOLOMEO LETTURA

A less frequently seen version of the classic Tolomeo Desk lamp, the Lettura is a perfect height for reading in bed or a favorite armchair.

5. MEMBERSHIP IN A PRIVATE LIBRARY

Access to a beautiful and peaceful book haven in a busy city is like a spa visit for a book-lover. The London Library, New York Society Library, or the Mechanics' Institute Library and Chess Room in San Francisco are just a few of the amazing private libraries that offer gift memberships.

6. BOOKBAG FROM C'H'C'M'

Nothing but the best guys' gear at Clinton Hill Classic Mens. These canvas bags are no exception. (Check out their new storefront at 2 Bond St. in NYC.)

7. CUSTOM BOOKPLATES

One of those things that very few people would splurge on for themselves, but that anyone with a good-sized library would want. Wood engravers like Simon Brett and Andy English make bespoke bookplates based on an individual's interests and life history.

8. MANUFACTUM STAINLESS STEEL BOOKENDS

German retailer Manufactum specializes in finding elusively simple, well made things; and when it comes to simple things, bookends can be the most elusive. These stainless steel beauties are a cut above basic library supplies, without being overly decorative.

2010-11-17T12:37:00.000-08:00

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ONECASE

ONECOLLECTION

When Søren Ulrik Petersen was stranded at an Italian airport (thanks, Eyjafjallajökull!), he found himself exploring bookcase ideas with the guys from OneCollection. Before the plane even touched down in Denmark, the Onecase was completely designed and went rapidly into production. One long strip of lacquered 4 mm Alu-debond is scored to be folded and self-adhered into 2 side-by-side boxes that hang on the wall, and the boldly colored backs can be changed as often as you like. The razor-thin boxes give a lovely minimalist pop to the wall that I'd almost hesitate to block with books.

2010-11-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

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CANO

HAY

Danish company Hay make the Cano, a sweetly cartoonish take on standard metal garage shelving. The system rounds off the corners, outsizes the fittings, and punches up the colors of a workhorse classic. It was designed by architect Johannes Norlander, the man responsible for one of my favorite dining chairs as well as some seriously beautiful little houses.

2010-10-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

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VARIOUS

LONDON MAGAZINE EDITIONS

Designed by Ron Costley and published by Alan Ross, the complete set of 1966 London Magazine Editions consists of at least 26 kraft-paper bound books, each featuring writers who were regular contributors to London Magazine. Ross was a brilliant and energetic editor who was able to bring everyone from the most promising unknowns to the biggest of big literary names to his magazine, and the Editions series shows off that range . There continued to be later series published through the rest of the '60s & '70s, but the earlier editions seem to be the best. Of course, the full series could be found online, but I've enjoyed picking up them up in shops as I've come across them.

Update:

I recently had the opportunity to learn a little more about the history of the London Magazine editions from Ron Costley himself (thanks, Ron!):

“I designed the London Magazine Editions in 1966 when I was designer at the Shenval Press. I had already re-designed the London Magazine for Alan Ross when he took it over in 1961. Later he wanted a small format suitable for publishing essays, reviews, short stories & poetry. I chanced on an attractive paperback in Hachette, the French bookshop in London, that set me thinking of a possible solution.

The interior typography is mine, set in Linotype Juliana (a face I chose for its narrow set to harmonise with the slim format), the cover design is the work of my then-assistant. Nine LMes were published in 1966 and by 1968 twenty had been published. Nos. 9 & 13 did not follow the narrow format tho’ they were published under the LMe imprint. The series continued after no. 20, but the quality deteriorated. — I have a copy of no. 26, 1974: the size is the same but the cover is a poor imitation of the robust designs of the earlier editions and the cover stock is a conventional paper. The text is not set in Juliana, the typography is ill-considered and the press-work uneven. The only redeeming feature is that the book is sewn, which the earlier LMes were not…”

2010-10-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

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BOOKS IN BIG SUR

HENRY MILLER MEMORIAL LIBRARY

Camping in Big Sur last summer, I visited the Henry Miller Library, tucked in a grove of trees set right off of the breathtaking Pacific Coast Highway. Miller was a fixture among the bohemian royalty that has found it's way through Big Sur since the 1940s, and his spirit is still evident in the selection of new and used books lining the cabin-like interior of the library (it's a bookshop, really) that bears his name. And though it's 3 hours from anywhere, the concerts held there are sell out immediately (Arcade Fire played last week, and Cat Power hits the redwood stage shortly).

2010-10-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

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BOOK/VIDEOS

A few favorite book related videos. A remarkable reading from The Waste Land by Fiona Shaw, a churchyard chat between Philip Larkin and John Betjeman, and W.H. Auden's Night Mail.

2010-10-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

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PORTICO

LIVING DIVANI

As the name suggests, Living Divani is primarily a manufacturer of sofas. Earlier this year they launched their first ever bookcase, the Portico. While the lines hint at ancient Roman aqueducts (paying tribute to the firm's Italian heritage), the Portico's calm and natural demeanor give away the fact that it was created for Living Divani by a Swedish design partnership.

2010-09-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

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BOOKS IN PARIS

SAN FRANCISCO BOOK COMPANY

One of my favorite stops in Paris is the San Francisco Book Company, an English language used bookshop on the rue Monsieur le Prince. I always find something good there as the stock runs from inexpensive but immaculate Pelicans to rare first editions. It's a tiny little place, but the books are carefully chosen. Above are a few of the books I've picked up on past trips (with a sprig of leaves I got from Villiers de l'Isle-Adam's grave site pressed in his biography). I'll be visiting Paris again soon, and I'd love your recommendations on any favorite bookshops (as well as any other recommendations, like charming, cheap lodging).

2010-09-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

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COMING DOWN THE SEINE

ROBERT GIBBINGS

I'm not sure why my attention was turned so much to rivers this summer, but after revisiting Three Men in a Boat, I read Coming Down the Seine, by Robert Gibbings. The book is a charming and leisurely telling of the author's travels down the whole length of France's principle river and his encounters with the people and countryside along the way. The people are by turns funny, touching, or scandalous, but the scenery is always dreamy and beautiful. I picked up my vintage copy at a library booksale, where I fell instantly for Gibbings' idyllic journey. It didn't hurt that the book was peppered throughout with masterful woodcuts, also made by the author. Gibbings was a prolific artist, writing and illustrating a series of books detailing his many river travels (and writing several others besides), all while running the legendary Golden Cockerel Press.

2010-09-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

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SKETCHBOOKS

FAIRFIELD PORTER

60 years worth of letters, personal photographs and sketchbooks once belonging to painter and art critic Fairfield Porter can be viewed at the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art. Porter's calm but boldly colored paintings of interiors and landscapes are often compared to those of Vuillard (if Vuillard had lived in Maine and Southampton in the '50s and '60s and hung out with New York School poets). It's a wonderful compliment, but Porter moved in the same art world as the Abstract Expressionists, and though he found critical success there, he was often misunderstood for staying true to his Realist intuitions. Those intuitions revealed a genius for magically turning, say, a small breakfast into the most beautiful meal of the day, or an uneventful afternoon into a sunny archetype of American summer, and his sketchbooks reveal that the secret to that magic was practice, and lots of it.

2010-09-05T17:42:00.000-07:00

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READING FURNITURE

BASSAMFELLOWS

Channeling Poul Kjærholm by way of Børge Mogensen (with a little bit of Eames thrown in for good measure), BassamFellows make furniture in a great modern tradition, though any of it would look right at home in the most traditional library. Long available only through a small handful of showrooms around the world, a fuller selection of BassamFellows will soon be available (via special order) from DWR.

2010-09-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

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DETAILS

PASTING IN BOOKPLATES

A mini master-course in pasting bookplates into your books found at the wonderful site of wood engraver/bookplate designer Andy English. He gives advice ranging from the philosophical ("This is an enjoyable task; do not rush it but, instead, take the opportunity to spend time with - and enjoy - your books.") to the technical ("I recommend PVA (Polyvinyl acetate) glue as it is flexible, acid free and is easily thinned with water." ). English takes due time with all his work, and the results are lovely.

2010-09-03T16:59:00.001-07:00

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BOOKS IN PORTLAND

AMPERSAND GALLERY AND BOOKSHOP

While in Portland this summer, I had a chance to visit Myles Haselhorst's airy and open space. Old and new books mix nicely with vintage bird prints, found photos and visually arresting documents of neglected history, creating a pocket-sized "retail archive" of pre-computer age visual culture.

In Haselhorst's own words:

"We believe that a collection of photographs, slides or photo postcards, deliberately selected & organized, provides a complex account of the visual language of everyday life.

The same is true of the transient & often incidental paper items that filtered through the hands of people now gone. Old letters, pamphlets, broadsides, menus, identification cards, invoices, advertisements & postcards (the list goes on & on) convey the little details of human routines that often get lost in broader studies of history."

All this history actually makes for a very current shop, which also provides a look at the future through gallery exhibits and hard-to-find monographs of contemporary photographers. Thanks to Alisha Henson for pointing me there.

2010-09-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

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BOOKS & PRINTS

THE MOSCHATEL PRESS

Poet, installation artist and gallerist Thomas A. Clark started the Moschatel Press in 1973 with artist Laurie Clark to publish books "as imaginative space, the page [acting] as a framing device or as quiet around an image or a phrase, the turning of pages as revelation or delay". Though older productions are museum-worthy, new productions continue to be issued from the Scottish press. From his poetry to his blog to his alternative maps, everything Clark does speaks with a calm beauty both quietly pastoral and thoroughly modern. It's a mixture the Scots seem to do very well.

2010-08-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

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AUTHOR PORTRAITS

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

The lion-guarded main research branch of the New York Public Library is full of enticing, private study-like Special Collections rooms, whose upholstered chairs and Persian rugs are not for the general public. The doors are wide open on thousands of beautiful photos and prints from those rooms, however, thanks to the library's online Digital Collection. Although they look like members of a particularly intimidating art-rock band, the above are actually images from the "Author Portraits" holdings of the Berg Collection.

2010-08-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

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5 / 5 / 5

LEANNE SHAPTON

I couldn't post about Leanne's wooden books (see next post down) without asking her to play 5's. Seeing her shelves (above) make me wish I'd asked her to also share the 10th book, then 20th, etc., etc...

The rules are simple. I ask someone brilliant to go to their bookshelves, count 5 shelves up from the floor, 5 books in from the left, and then answer 5 questions. Artist and writer Leanne Shapton plays along.

1. What's the book?

la PROSTITUTION

2. What's it about?

It is a french paperback-- a report on prostitution published in1959. My french is not perfect but it is part of a collection that "...Addresses the complex problems of the modern world facing mankind
in 20th century France." Other books in this collection are titled "LeCatholicisme", "La Scienece Nucléaire" and "La Pèche", (but I think that means sin, not peaches.) The author appears to have
been a high-ranking judge with plenty of experience in "la pègre" (the underworld).

3. What memories do you associate with it?

This takes me right back to my old apartment in Toronto, 158 Argyle Street. I bought this book for it's cover, and for the crude photo-collages illustrating the chapters inside. At the time I was art-directing Saturday Night magazine, and Jason Fulford and I had just started J&L Books, so I was collecting any and every piece of text and image that caught my eye. I loved the use of pink, the cutout
composition, and the black and white photograph, of a perfectly groomed woman's legs, a man, smoking, headed for her corner. Other free-associated memories accompanying this cover: A green medicine ball, lattes from Faema on my drive to Don Mills, and the blue-grey gloss enamel paint halfway up the wall and on the banister in the hallway of that apartment.

4. Where did you get it?

Most likely from a used bookstore on Queen Street near
Euclid that is no longer there.

5. What kind of shelves does it rest on?

Now the book sits in a wooden built-in bookshelf in my studio. I
had the shelves made and painted (F&B Hardwick White) when I could not
find the ping pong table under all of the books, paper and art supplies.

2010-08-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

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WOODEN BOOKS

LEANNE SHAPTON

Leanne Shapton is an artist, illustrator, writer and publisher. She designed one of my favorite covers of this year, so I was happy to learn that she doesn't always wait for a commission to create them. These charming "wooden books" are wood blocks hand-painted with imaginary covers in her loose, colorful style. The books are available at John Derian in NYC and Lutyens & Rubinstein in London, but they will go "out of print", so don't dawdle.

(Leanne kindly sent me these images, and you can see more of them here.)

2010-08-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

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READING LAMPS

WRIGHT AUCTIONS

A few reading lamps from names like Arne Jacobsen, Greta Magnusson Grossman, and Ben Seibel, found at Wright Auctions.

2010-08-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

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BOOKS ON BOOKS

THE OAK KNOLL PRESS

There's Reading, and then there's Books. The materials and methods of making books, the shops that carry them, and the people that produce them constitute a whole category of publishing: Books on Books. It's a subject that gives proper due to things like scholarly works on bookplates, publishing house histories, collector's biographies, and bookshop memoirs that people like myself can't get enough of. Founded in 1976, Oak Knoll Press is a leading publisher and distributor of books on books. Their output is astounding for what might seem a rather niche field, but they seem to be doing pretty well for themselves. Oak Knoll not only adds 35 new titles a year to their 23,000 strong inventory, they've also opened a beautiful shop devoted to bibliographic books in a disused opera house near their press in New Castle, Delaware. All this at a time when bookstores are closing everywhere and some say the book as an object is breathing its last.

2010-08-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

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FRANCO ALBINI

LB7 SHELVING

Although he was a major influence on 20th Century design, Franco Albini is hardly the household name he deserves to be. Only a small number of his designs are in production, but what there is shows a clear and powerful design mind at work. Originally designed for Poggi and still coveted on the secondary market, Albini's LB7 (or 835 Infinito) was designed in 1957 and has been re-issued by Cassina, as part of their Albini "I Maestri Series". I hope to see more of his inventive shelving resurrected in the future.

2010-08-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

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5 / 5 / 5

MEGAN WILSON

After stumbling across Megan's book covers blog, I realized that I had quite a few editions on my shelves that were bought because of her handiwork. Her work is fantastic, as is her shop, Ancient Industries.

Here, she takes part in my summer feature, 5/5/5. The rules are simple. I ask someone brilliant to go to their bookshelves, count 5 shelves up, 5 books in from the left, and answer 5 questions. Designer and merchant Megan Wilson plays along.

1. What's the book?

Sara & Gerald by Honoria Murphy Donnelly, published in 1982.

2. What's it about?

This is a memoir of the author's parents, the Murphys. Wealthy American ex-pats who "discovered" the Riviera off-season (ie summer), and set up a beautiful home in Juan les Pins, called Villa America. They created a life style that was both admired and envied by their artist friends, including Picasso, Léger, Fitzgerald and Hemingway. Some abused their hospitality and friendship (Fitzgerald) while some respected it (Léger). Gerald was an important painter and a rather snappy dresser, Sara a beautiful, gracious hostess. Together they were very dedicated parents but were dealt the double blow of losing their two sons in adolescence. Honoria was the only surviving child.

3. What memories do you associate with it?

When I was at art school in London in the mid-80s, I went through my F. Scott Fitzgerald phase (I'm still in it). My flat mate suggested I read Living Well is the Best Revenge by Calvin Tomkins, as she had just read it and her head was full of it. I'm not sure why I didn't just borrow her copy but Honoria's memoir was the only book on the Murphys that I found at the book shop. It was indeed a revelation and told from a unique perspective. I didn't read Tomkins' book til years later, but it is Honoria's book that stays with me because it represented a curtain lifted.

4. Where did you get it?

The Angel Book Shop, in Camden Passage, Islington. An excellent local bookshop that closed recently.

5. What kind of shelves does it rest on?

This was plucked off the shelf in my library (see last image, above), a drab spare room that we then painted Scottish red*. A carpenter custom built the shelves, floor to ceiling on all 4 walls and around the windows. We painted these an off white and you can still see the red peeking through above the books and around the door. The books are arranged alphabetically, by necessity.

* a Scottish country house red, the kind of bold colour that they use in dining rooms, sitting rooms or hallways.

2010-07-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

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POSTERS

WRITERS' HOUSES

I am completely feeling these posters, designed by M+E and commissioned by A.N. Devers to announce the launch of her Writers' Houses website. More posters are in the works, but actual writer's homes abound on the Writers' Houses website, a catalog of links, images and stories about houses where the literary great have lived, created, and in some cases, drank themselves to death. It promises to become a heaven for bookish snoops like myself; people who want to look at poet James Merrill's well worn Eames Lounge and amazing wallpaper, or the attic room where a 22 year old F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote This Side of Paradise so he'd have enough money to marry Zelda Sayre.

Visited a famous writer's house yourself? You can submit your photos & experiences here.

2010-07-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

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DETAILS

ENDPAPERS

It doesn't take much to give a book a nice beginning and a beautiful ending; which is why I appreciate publishers who put a little extra effort into a book's endpapers. Though I've seen some lovely examples, marbled versions aren't my favorites. I prefer interesting graphic patterns or hand-drawn illustrations. There are some good online galleries of them out there. Above are a few selections from my own library.

2010-07-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

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5 / 5 / 5

CHARLES TRUEHEART

The rules are simple. I ask someone brilliant to go to their bookshelves, count 5 shelves up, 5 books in from the left, and answer 5 questions. Charles Trueheart, Director of the American Library in Paris, plays along.

1. What's the book?

The File by Timothy Garton Ash.

2. What's it about?

The book is a memoir written by Garton Ash, a journalist who spent many years reporting in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall, where the government agency assigned to spy on its own citizens, the Stasi, kept a close eye on him. After the collapse of the Wall, Garton Ash was able to go into the agency's records and examine the file they were keeping on him.

3. What memories do you associate with it?

I wouldn't have been able to answer this question if it weren't for the fact that I always note the city and date of where I begin reading a book on the book's title page. I see here that I began this one in Oslo in September of 1997. I remember I was there as a journalist [Trueheart's long-time profession] covering a conference on banning land mines for the Washington Post.

4. Where did you get it?

Brentano's in Paris. It was 180 francs.

5. What kind of shelves does it rest on?

The File sits on a 7-shelf high cherrywood bookcase, one in a row of 4 cases. The shelves are organized alphabetically by author within sections by subject, and Garton Ash's books nearly begin my non-fiction section (right after James Agee). I should probably shelve it under G not A, but...

2010-07-17T10:36:00.001-07:00

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BOOKS IN PARIS

THE AMERICAN LIBRARY IN PARIS

How I've been to Paris as many times as I have and never visited (or known about) the American Library in Paris is beyond me. It's an oversight I look forward to correcting. The Library, located in the legendary 7th arrondissement, has a fascinating history. Founded in 1920 as a home for books sent by the Library War Service to US soldiers in France, the ALP has continued its mission unabated for 90 years. It's as alive and current as ever, serving expats and locals alike with a bright and welcoming interior, a smarter-than-average collection, and lively, sophisticated events. With the location and book culture of Paris and the service level (not to mention English-language books) of a great American institution, it's a remarkable meeting of two worlds.

Charles Trueheart, director of the ALP, tells me that all the Library needs now is more members. Luckily, a Parisian pied-à-terre is no requisite to belonging to the Library. In fact, a library card from the ALP can grace the wallets of every book-loving Francophile on this side of the Atlantic. The cards come with a membership, and carrying one is a subtle but meaningful way to show off your bookish savoir-faire. It also lets you pledge allegiance to one of the most welcome American guests Paris has ever had.

(Library interior photos courtesy of David Bacher.)

2010-07-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

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5 / 5 / 5

JONATHAN SCHILDER BROWN

The rules are simple. I ask someone brilliant to go to their bookshelves, count 5 shelves up, 5 books in from the left, and answer 5 questions. Jonathan Schilder Brown of the beautiful Leadapron galleries in Los Angeles, plays along. (The Leadapron book gallery shown above.)

1. What's the book?

Tokyo by William Klein
Crown Publishers, New York, 1964. (INSCRIBED by William Klein)

2. What's it about?

Published in 1964 Tokyo rounds out the set of four city books by photographer and graphic designer William Klein. The first and most famous of which Life is Good and Good for You in New York was published in 1956 and was a completely new approach not only to photography but to photobook design. In each of his city books Klein captures the unique personality of each metropolis with his chaotic, chiaroscuro double page images that throw the viewer head first into the vibrant street life of New York/Rome/Moscow/Tokyo.

3. What memories do you associate with it?

My first trip to Japan. The wonderful Rat Hole Gallery. Cherry Blossoms. Since I don’t speak Japanese, having to rely purely on visual information to navigate and select books and the striking graphics of this cover.

4. Where did you get it?

This book was purchased in a collection from a photographer.

5. What kind of shelves does it rest on?

The shelves are custom made crit-bar type shelves for displaying books face out. (you can see the shelves on our website in the South Gallery Photos)

2010-07-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

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READER'S DELIGHT

MCKENZIE FINE ART

Fantastic books-related art show going on at McKenzie Fine Art in Chelsea. The show features breathlessly white-toned photographs by Mary Ellen Bartley, book paintings by Richard Baker, "fired books" (what can that mean? I just know they're awfully pretty) by Yohei Nishimura, and collage work by Mamiko Otsubo, among many others. The show ends on August 6th, so hightail it down to 25th St. (Thanks, Mary!)

2010-07-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

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MK SYSTEM

MOGENS KOCH

The library systems of Danish designers like Mogens Koch achieve an almost weightless modular wooden cabinetry by making the walls as thin as possible. The cabinets lose very little by way of strength because they are made of solid wood and dovetail joined. This is consummate Danish craftsmanship, still executed with exacting detail in the beautiful Rud. Rasmussen workshop. The boxes of the Koch system can stack on top of and beside each other without looking bulky or clumsy because the total thickness of two sides placed together is still amazingly thin. Also remarkably thin are the company's profit margins (craftsmen this good don't come cheap), meaning no overseas dealerships for now. You'll just have to visit the charming showroom next time you're in Copenhagen. (Poul and Hanne Kjaerholm's library, with MK shelving, shown above.)

2010-07-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

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BOOKS IN SEATTLE

PETER MILLER BOOKS

32 years in the bookselling business, Peter Miller has one beautiful bookstore. The striking white shelves are vertical, meant to mimic "a row of spears" (Peter couldn't bear the thought of "long, sad, sagging shelves"). A collection of what must be every book currently available on the subjects of architecture and design shares space with an astute selection of design objects, creating a bright and colorful spot in a rainy city.
And despite the hardships of modern bookselling (the hordes of browsers that use Peter's expensive overhead and deep expertise simply make their "I'll get this from Amazon" lists, the coffee drinkers that get huffy when asked to not hover over expensive volumes with their drinks), Peter still maintains an idealistic devotion to his trade. "I'm not going anywhere" he says. "Booksellers just have to get better and smarter at what they do." I agree. The best and smartest will always do amazing things, and I look forward to seeing how Peter Miller Books evolves. In the meantime, don't be so cheap; if you found it there, buy it there.

2010-07-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

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VARIOUS

MIDCENTURY LITERARY MAGAZINES

While trying to track down information on several literary "little magazines", I found that many of the publications I was looking for were posted at Reality Studio. Amazing digital archives to be found there. I especially love the straightforward typewriter issues of The Floating Bear.

2010-06-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

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BOOKCASE PAINTINGS

BELLA FOSTER

I first met Bella while freelancing at MSLO. She was a soft-spoken girl with an amazing ability to create sweet, lovely little crafts. Imagine my surprise then when I saw her bold and exuberant artwork. Bella has a penchant for depicting bookshelves & interiors with lots of books in them & tables piled up with books. How could I not love her paintings? See more here.

2010-06-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

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HOMEMADE BOOK CART

JASON FULFORD

Jason is not only a noted photographer and publisher, he is also a home handyman to be reckoned with. He recently sent me these images of carts and cases he made for his own home, inspired by those found at his local library. Taking orders yet, Jason?

2010-06-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

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5 / 5 / 5

CHAD BURI

The rules are simple. I ask someone brilliant to go to their bookshelves, count 5 shelves up, 5 books in from the left, and answer 5 questions. Colette blogger (and fellow Arizona native) Chad Buri plays along.

1. What's the book?

Sun Father's Way by Bertha P. Dutton.

2. What's it about?

The book explores the mythological symbolism of the Kiva murals discovered at Kuaua, a 15th and 16th century pueblo ruin on the west bank of the Rio Grande near Bernalillo, NM.

3. What memories do you associate with it?

Growing up in Arizona, I was surrounded by Native American symbolism. The sparse, vibrant images are so direct, but mysterious, strange and loaded with meaning. The book is a nice balance between archeological detail and the mythological stories the murals tell.

4. Where did you get it?

I found the book at Guidon Books in Scottsdale, AZ. Guidon is a quirky bookshop specializing in the American Civil War and Western Americana. Guidon, lunch at the Tee Pee Tap Room, and a drink at the Coach House is a perfect afternoon home. If I had my way, I’d arrange an evening rain shower, and cap off the day taking in the smell of the desert.

5. What kind of shelves does it rest on?

Sun Father’s Way lives on the top shelf of an old barrister bookcase.

.

2010-06-25T23:41:00.000-07:00

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THE LIBRARY AT MOUNT ANGEL ABBEY

ALVAR AALTO

A recent trip to Portland took me to the serene and beautiful Mount Angel Abbey, a Benedictine Monastery founded in 1882. The monks' library was destroyed in a fire, but rebuilt with a design by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto in 1970. The lovely modern building is a perfect counterpoint to the light and airy (but more traditional) religious architecture on the green and leafy premises, and is outfitted top to bottom with with Aalto-designed furnishings. The library is open to the public, has a large booksale section, and is friendly to picture-takers. It's hard to imagine a more perfect spot for reading.

2010-06-13T23:33:00.000-07:00

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BROADSHEETS

JACK B. YEATS

While on the subject of W.B. Yeats (see below), it's worth noting that he wasn't the only great artist in his family. His brother Jack is a noted painter and illustrator. I recently came across these broad sheets he designed in 1902 for Elkin Mathews. A broadsheet (or broadside) is essentially a one page book, posted in public places, and usually consisting of poetry, pictures, news or satire. The practice of putting up broadsheets is centuries-old, but fell out of usage when newspapers became widespread and readily available, though they experienced a counter-culture resurgence in the 1960's. An excellent collection of old broadsheets can be found here. Jack Yeats' broadsheets are collected here.

2010-06-13T00:13:00.000-07:00

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THE SONG OF WANDERING AENGUS

WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS

Today is the birthday of Irish poet W.B. Yeats. I think of Yeats as someone who, no matter how many birthdays he had, never really got old. When most of us are young, we worry that we'll lack the commitment to live our youthful ideals as time goes on. Most of us are right. That's how we get old. It's not always for the worst, of course, but there's something pretty great about the way Yeats continued to seek out the mysterious and beautiful right till the end of his life. Even his few years in the Irish Senate couldn't kill his youthful ambitions to seek out the strange and lovely, an ambition set out wonderfully in the last stanza of this early poem:

The Song of Wandering Aengus

I went out to the hazel wood
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.

When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire a-flame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And someone called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.

Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.

2010-06-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

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BEDSIDE BOOKCASES

CHARLES EAMES & EERO SAARINEN

I've lamented the difficulty of finding a good basic bedside bookcase in the past. While they may have been designed as part of a larger cabinet system, I think theses pieces by Eames & Saarinen- made around 1940 in Red Lion, PA- are great bedside candidates. Handmade in an American factory of Honduran hardwood, they're a bit deep for my needs perhaps, but if they're good enough for MoMA...

2010-06-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

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BOOKS IN BERLIN

ENGLISH-LANGUAGE BOOKSHOPS

After corresponding with Bertrand Fleuret (see next post down), I got thinking about Berlin. For a while now, It's been a go-to place for artists needing an affordable, art-minded, world-class city to live in. I know a few folks who've packed up and moved there. They love it. And I can see why, especially when I see these images of Berlin's gorgeous English-language bookstores (see above- I love the bag of clubs in picture 2). I wonder if they'd still take the old deutschmarks I got from my 5th grade penpal?

2010-06-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

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BOOKS

BERTRAND FLEURET

Bertrand Fleuret is generous. His books of dream-like photographs are beautifully produced by J&L (last image, above), but he gives away free PDF versions on his website, which you can then Xerox. He also generously gives away his inspirations (a few shown above). The giving doesn't stop there. His project, "Remora", seeks to beat the systems, not just of book publishing, but of the Internet as well- of the way images are searched, found, and shared.

From an interview about Remora :

I Xerox 100 copies, place them in transparent envelopes and glue them in the street. It is anonymous so the people who find them have no idea about who does it etc. I often see some copies torn apart on the sidewalk as if someone had been really irritated. Only once I witnessed someone looking at a copy carefully and taking great care to put it back in the envelope and then in his bag to take it home, it was nice.
It works a bit like a blog, except that it costs money, I have to go out in the cold, it’s anonymous, Google can’t find it and people cannot comment. It’s done in pure waste but I enjoy it.

2010-06-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

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RAY NOBLE SHELVES

PHILIPPE STARK

I'm not the world's hugest Philippe Stark fan, but these simple leaning shelves, designed by Starck for V.I.A. in 1984, are kind of speaking to me. A pared down version could make a lot of sense.

2010-06-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

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READING LIST

ANDY BEACH
(Reference Library)

A double-header to wrap up the Summer Reading Lists. Andy Beach, designer, blogger, and dad, (as well as excellent small-scale retailer) sent me both his own personal list as well as the list he'll be reading with his daughters in the months to come (see below). Andy runs Reference Library, and you can bet that he's always found that thing you found before you found it. That's what makes his site so (depressingly) awesome.

READING LIST

ANDY BEACH & FAMILY
(Stork Bites Man)

Andy has got a talented family. His daughter drew the picture of him above, and his wife made him the coolest birthday cake I've ever seen. Andy's kid-related blog Stork Bites Man will make you want to spoil your kids, and if you don't have any kids, the blog will make you start planning a family as an excuse to pick up some of Andy's killer finds.

2010-06-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

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READING LIST

KIP KOTZEN

I caught up with Kip in between his various travels on behalf of neo-utility, his fantastic design distribution venture. A quick glance at his website shows he's got an unfailing eye for great furniture, but it looks like his eye for books is just as sharp. I like to think of Kip on a 10 hour plane ride, alternating between games of Soltaire with the Idea Label playing cards and long chapters of Lawrence Osborne. (So, when is a bookcase coming to the collection, Kip?)

2010-06-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

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THREE MEN IN A BOAT

JEROME K. JEROME

I spent a good part of Monday barefoot in a creek. I took in the summer sunlight filtering through the leaves and the smell of river grasses and wet sand; it was a beautiful day. While the woodland scene was miles from the English countryside, my mind went back to Three Men in a Boat, Jerome K. Jerome's comic masterpiece. A sunny, carefree feeling pervades Jerome's tale of three hapless friends out to spend a Late Victorian summer on the canal towpaths of the Thames, despite the countless misfortunes that befall them along the way. Dreamy and hilarious by turns, it's a perfect summer story that was turned into a light and thoroughly enjoyable screenplay by Tom Stoppard, and made into a film starring Tim Curry and Michael Palin in the 1970's (see above- nice stripes!). The film and book are both great, and I always love seeing '60s and '70s versions of other periods.

SAMPLE TEXT:

There is something very strange and unaccountable about a tow-line [rope]. You roll it up with as much patience and care as you would take to fold up a new pair of trousers, and five minutes afterwards, when you pick it up, it is one ghastly, soul-revolting tangle.

I do not wish to be insulting, but I firmly believe that if you took an average tow-line, and stretched it out straight across the middle of a field, and then turned your back on it for thirty seconds, that, when you looked round again, you would find that it had got itself altogether in a heap in the middle of the field, and had twisted itself up, and tied itself into knots, and lost its two ends, and become all loops; and it would take you a good half-hour, sitting down there on the grass and swearing all the while, to disentangle it again.

That is my opinion of tow-lines in general. Of course, there may be honourable exceptions; I do not say that there are not. There may be tow-lines that are a credit to their profession - conscientious, respectable tow-lines - tow-lines that do not imagine they are crochet-work, and try to knit themselves up into antimacassars the instant they are left to themselves. I say there may be such tow-lines; I sincerely hope there are. But I have not met with them.

2010-05-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

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READING LIST

MATT SINGER

I worked for a while at Jack Spade when Matt was the main designer. He would spend a huge amount of time getting details just right, so I knew his reading list would be a well-considered one. This is by far the most summer-y list I've been sent; the covers are all girls, bikes, and hammocks. It seems perfectly Matt, blending his sharp wit, thoughtful intelligence, and great sense of fun; qualities also evident in his new brand. If you haven't heard of it, you're a nerd.

(Matt hosts a nice thematic book list with Idlewild on his website, here.)

2010-05-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

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READING LIST

MARY MANNING

After seeing Mary Manning's website, I knew I wanted to get her summer reading list. In between taking her quiet, spacious photographs, she kindly sent it along. I loved her honesty in admitting to me that "Joyce is on the list every summer and I never make it happen". I know the feeling. For me, it's a copy on my shelves of "Swann's Way" with the bookmark at page 50. This is the summer for you, Mary!

2010-05-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

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READING LIST

JESSICA HEYWOOD

There is quite a bit going on right now in our lives that makes me awfully glad I was smart enough to marry Jess. She's a beautiful girl, an outstanding cook, a great little artist (that's her self-portrait above) and a much better reader than I am. I wanted to kick off the next run of reading lists with hers.

2010-05-25T00:50:00.000-07:00

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DETAIL

DYED TOP EDGES

In a time when books weren't kicked out of presses by the millions, books made to last were traditionally covered in gold leaf at the top, bottom and side edges of the pages. Not only did this communicate the importance and handcraft of the book, but it also created a metallic finish which protected the pages themselves from corrosive dust. Later, this practice was often confined to where the dust actually settles, on the top edge of a book. The tops of books gilded in this way can be dusted. Then came the purely decorative practice of dyeing the top edge of a book, adding a bit of color to communicate the artfulness of the volume. I occasionally find a paperback with color around the whole edge, but no-one (that I've seen) does it as beautifully as J&L Illustrated, with their heavily saturated edges that soak well into the page (see last image.)

2010-05-24T00:47:00.000-07:00

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BOOKSHELVES

ERNEST HEMINGWAY'S FINCA VIGIA

Even I have to agree that it's possible to have too many books in a house (not to mention hunting trophies), but Hemingway pulled off the books-in-ever y-room look quite nicely in his Cuban home. His 8,000+ volume library was divided onto clean white shelving nearly everywhere (I especially like the bathroom bookcase) without looking like they were overwhelming the place. And lest anyone look at his collection and think he was an egghead sissy, he paired some shelves with lion skulls (last photo) as super-tough accessories.

2010-05-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

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READING LIST

MARY MATSON

Mary is one half of Mary & Matt. Mary & Matt are married designers and Pop chocolatiers. That they are extremely talented is obvious from their work. That's great. What's even better is that they're also the friendliest people on earth. Honest. They are also great for introducing me to the Spumoni Gardens. How did I live in Brooklyn for 7 years and not know this place? M&M are great like that; they know stuff about spumoni and pizza. Mary also knows a lot about art and mythography, classic clothes and all kinds of other things that are good to know, so it's good to know Mary.

2010-05-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

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BOOK FURNITURE

BRUNO MATTHSON

Swedish designer Bruno Matthson is described here as being "at work" in the picture above. My kind of work, Bruno. It helps explain why he designed so much fantastic book furniture, much of it now available from Bruno Matthson International's beautiful showroom (shown at bottom).