zondag 28 november 2010

Christmas book gifts

Here are some of the books on my wishlist, maybe you'll like them as well?

The End of the Game, by Peter Beard.
Beard lived in Kenya in the 1960s, bought land next to his friend Isak Dinesen (who wrote the memoir Out of Africa) and wrote and photographed wildlife, especially elephants. A fashion photographer (he discovered Iman in Africa), as well as a writer and visual artist, Beard takes his readers on a safari without leaving home.

Focusing on the widespread destruction of the African elephant, in 'The End of the Game' Beard tells of the enterprisers, explorers, missionaries, and big-game hunters whose quests for progress and adventure were to change the face of Africa for ever.

These include Theodore Roosevelt; Ernest Hemingway; Denys Finch-Hatton, the romantic hero of Out of Africa; legendary game warden J.A.Hunter; and railway engineer J.H.Patterson, who became famous as the pursuer of the "Man-Eating Lions of Tsavo." The End of the Game is a classic work, one that explores the intricate and complex relationship between man and animals and how both struggle to adapt to their changing environments. It is not always a happy story. But it is an important one. The End of the Game is not a book you will soon forget.

It is too late to undo what has been done.


The laws of inevitability which have ruled Africa for millions of years must now be accepted by Africa's conquerors. To understand this is to begin to realize that we have conquered nothing at all. Man and his ways have intruded with little regard for Africa's customs and privacy. She has been pursued and despoiled. The End of the Game tells part of this story because it deals with the essence of African life, the animal. And with that very license of humanity by which we have presumed to conquer, we are challenged to reflect upon our defeat.

"The ruined wood we used to know won't cry for retribution - the men who have destroyed it will accomplish its revenge "
- William Faulkner -

Take Ivy by Powerhouse Books
The first American printing of the seminal Japanese book, which captured 60's Ivy League style long before it went mass market.

Baked Explorations
The Red Hook, Brooklyn bakery's claim to fame may be its brownie (Oprah's favorite), but every recipe in the book (from caramel apple cake to chocolate salt to pepper sandwich cookies) turns out perfectly—and the lush photos are enough to give you a toothache.

Jean-Michel Basquiat by Glenn O'Brien
Constantly referenced by artists and designers alike, Jean-Michel Basquiat—the dreadlocked graffiti artist who died in 1988—left an indelible mark in just 27 too-short years. This book (by, among others, GQ Style Guy Glenn O'Brien) celebrates Basquiat's legacy, with works, essays, and commentary by those who knew the artist.

Kate Moss by Mario Testino
A behemoth collection dedicated to the willowy supermodel that might weigh more than she does.

Not really a book, but a subscription :) Anthology Magazine, a cool new shelter mag founded by two Bay Area design obsessives.
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