Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Book Nook: Amazing Gift Books from Monacelli

 I had a chance to see a few gift books from Monacelli publishing. They were awesome. While I didn't see all of the titles below, if they're anything like the two I did receive (Dynamic Human Anatomy and Drawing World Wildlife) they would make excellent gifts for the people interested in the topics they cover!

Flower Flash by Lewis Miller
The official book of the "Flower Flash" by the acclaimed floral designer whose hugely popular guerrilla flower installations have earned him the nickname "the Banksy of floral design." A gorgeous and poignant visual diary tracing the phenomenon from the first spontaneous Flash to the even more profound creations during the pandemic through a kaleidoscopic collage of installation photos, behind-the-scene snapshots, inspiration material, fan contributions, and more.

Edible Flowers by Monica Nelson
A beautiful and illuminating guide to the use and cultural history of 100 edible flowers, organized alphabetically from acacia to zinnia. Featuring original photography, simple recipes, and thoughtful personal essays on eating flowers by leading voices including Fanny Singer, Julia Sherman, Laila Gohar, and more, the book offers in each entry handy reference notes and an enlightening text describing its flavor profile and suggested and traditional uses, all accompanied by a vibrant photographic portrait. 

Blue Violet by Cig Harvey, afterword by Jacoba Urist
Part art book, botanical guide, historical encyclopedia, poetry collection, and tribute to a recently lost friend, this new monograph is a compendium of beauty, color, and sensory abundance, employing plants, flowers, and our experience to the natural world as the threads that tie it all together. With a vivid printed cloth color, French fold pages, and hot pink end papers, this is a one-of-a-kind vibrant celebration of the natural world from an artist whose practice seeks to find the magical in everyday life.

Stunning illustrated tomes for architecture & art aficionados
Breuer's Bohemia by James Crump
Explores a vibrant period of midcentury modern design and culture as seen through the influential New England houses designed by Breuer for his circle of clients and friends. Heavily illustrated with vintage and contemporary photographs and rarely seen archival material, this is a remarkable keepsake album that puts an important emphasis on an enclave of houses and the community of progressive intellectuals and artistic elite who commissioned them. 

The first career-spanning book of Gorgoni's epoch-making photographs of Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, Michael Heizer's Double Negative, Walter De Maria's Desert Cross, and more that brought the Land Art movement to the eyes of the world and have come to constitute the defining record of its achievements. Published to coincide with a corresponding exhibition of the same title at the Nevada Museum of Art on view now.

Authored by his daughter Catherine Cody, design historian Jo Lauria, and architectural historian Don Choi, this is the first comprehensive retrospective and a valuable and long-overdue book on one of the most influential modernist architect’s life and work. Replete with nearly 500 photographs, this authoritative resource spotlights Cody's extensive design portfolio that defined the emerging West Coast lifestyle and positioned him alongside the most notable American architects of the time.

Luxurious and inspiring interiors books for design enthusiasts 
Shawn Henderson by Shawn Henderson with Mayer Rus
The first monograph from the highly sought-after designer renowned for creating serene and sophisticated interiors. Heavily illustrated with all new stunning images by celebrated photographer Stephen Kent Johnson, this new book collects fourteen projects including city townhouses and lofts, historic farmhouses and country estates, and modern mountain and beach retreats across the US.

Santa Fe Modern by Helen Thompson
The first book to survey the modernist and contemporary architecture and interiors of Santa Fe, it includes a remarkable collection of twenty Southwestern houses drawn from the rich architectural heritage of New Mexico. Featuring more than 200 images from photographer Casey Dunn of homes elaborately filled with eye-catching art, as well as Pueblo-style modest adobe dwellings, this book is an important demonstration of the synergistic relationship between architecture, art, and the land.

From the acclaimed Southern designer comes a lively collection of vibrant interiors and insightful advice for colorful living. Showcasing a range of projects, Molster invites readers into country cottages, a riverside retreat, and her own urban farmhouse, exploring different styles, from glamorous and soulful to contemporary and eclectic. She gives a master class on layering color, pattern, and texture to make spaces that are bold and captivating, but always comfortable and personal.

Step-by-step art instruction books for experienced & beginner artists 
In her ninth book, best-selling author J.C. Amberlyn takes readers of all ages step by step through the entire process of creating drawings of animals from around the world with her easy-to-use methods. This new book continues a rich tradition of animals in art and gives readers the basic information on art materials, fundamental mechanics of drawing, species and locale-specific details, and process instructions.

Understanding Caricature by Greg Houston
A truly comprehensive and laser-focused examination of this expressive art form, this new book offers a lively guide to an old and respected technique. It takes an in-depth look at this specific sub-specialty of illustration using artwork from the author, as well as dozens of practicing illustrators working today, also providing insights into the art and business of the genre. 

Dynamic Human Anatomy by Roberto Osti
This follow-up to Basic Human Anatomy (2016) offers artists the tools to master the advanced anatomy skills they need to create realistic figurative art. Through beautiful illustrations, expertly executed instruction on technique, hands-on exercises and demonstrations, and inspiring examples of a wide variety of figurative art from the past and present, this is an essential, accessible visual guide for practicing artists.

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