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Recommended for its immediacy, this personal reminiscence tells readers what 1970s New York was like.
With color photography the norm today, it’s fascinating to learn about the work and life of an artist who helped launch color photography.
Those who thought they’d seen everything in street photography will find new themes and insights; newcomers will be introduced to photography that is thrilling for its inventiveness, creativity, and humanism.
A readable, accessible, comprehensive account of the stories of defunct factories, grain silos, and train stations that focuses on their possibility and promise as postindustrial sites.
With gorgeous images and accessible text, this exhibition catalogue is highly recommended for audiences interested in fine art in relation to fashion.
PREMIUM
Cowboy
A surprisingly fun blend of nostalgia and disruption that’s at once eye-opening and reassuring, and appealing to both the artsy crowd and folks in Wrangler jeans.
This is a difficult topic, but timely given current debates around public representations that celebrate the Confederacy. Though many of the book’s images depict violence and abuse, Stephens brings to light essential research that will be of interest to scholars of American history and art.
Scholars of art can learn from the detailed captions, while folklore and horror fans will appreciate the creepy images of skeletons and vicious Kasha and his burning chariot.
Fascinating, joyful, and awe-inspiring. Raiser’s text provides insight into the planning and detail that go into maintaining Burning Man’s integrity and safety while celebrating its spirit of creativity and participation.
Part history, part how-to, part creativity jumpstarter, this hefty, well-written, art-filled guide has appeal for working artists, collectors, browsers, and libraries looking to update their 750s section.
PREMIUM
The Flowers of Provence
An attractive work that focuses solely on Provence. Best suited for libraries with large photography collections or a special interest in France.
This title may be best suited to libraries with large photography collections, which can accommodate this trim size.
Rowe’s biography portrays a triumph of queer and Jewish resistance in the face of fascism and stands as a tribute to the love that surrounded the lives of Cahun and Moore, not just for each other but for humanity.
PREMIUM
Stalking Shakespeare: A Memoir of Madness, Murder, and My Search for the Poet Beneath the Paint
Anyone with an interest in the Shakespeare author controversy or academic research in general should enjoy Durkee’s colorful account of dark winters spent obsessing over “his homespun collection” of “mugshot bards.”
PREMIUM
The Story of Art Without Men
An excellent, provocatively titled work that shows what it means to celebrate the history, importance, and ongoing influence of women artists, past and present. Recommended for anyone interested in expanded views of art history.
A must for libraries with strong textile, fashion, and design collections, this gorgeously printed catalogue reveals layers of history, art, and technology behind the production of Liberty’s renowned fabrics.
Fans of both Carrington and Moorhead, as well as the newly curious, will snap up this nicely paced introduction to a famous surrealist artist/writer, which is also an account of a deepening familial relationship. What makes this unique among the plethora of books about Carrington is Moorhead’s personal and reflective perspective of family and shared space, despite some distance and time.
PREMIUM
Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty
This handsomely designed book with lovely photography that showcases Lagerfeld’s talents is recommended for fashion aficionados and fans of his designs.
A comprehensive reference book on contemporary British pottery that would be an excellent addition to an academic library with a strong art program. Ceramics lovers will find this book to be quite a feast.
This well-researched monograph is a love letter to a unique time and place. It will likely appeal to readers interested in modern art or New York City history.
The book’s free-form, nonhierarchical format allows readers to peruse at random. This homage to Noguchi will appeal primarily to fans of the artist.
An essential purchase for all libraries; as the people and places pictured here span Turtle Island, the book will be relevant to patrons everywhere.
A good-looking, valuable addition to general or fine art collections in any public, academic, or school library, this engaging overview shines a light both entertaining and erudite on a critical half of the art world.
Bringley brings emotional depth to his experiences, struggling to heal from his brother’s death and immersing himself in the museum’s beauty. Despite minor quibbles, this audio should find a welcome home in most audio collections.
Some of the heavily theoretical art-historical language might be impenetrable to lay readers, but Skov also describes incendiary punk artworks in vivid detail and with an eye for humor. The book is equally for scholars and for punk kids in cities with DIY music scenes.
This beautiful art book serves as a most welcome companion to Beatles scholarship and 1960s culture in general.
Heavily illustrated with images of the paintings, pictured both in full and in magnified detail, this catalogue is a feast for the eyes as well as the mind. One of the most comprehensive studies of Vermeer in years, worthy of any art history collection.
Overall, Beard’s life reads like the adventure it was. Recommended for both general interest readers and photography enthusiasts.
This is a very comprehensive book with beautiful, copious illustrations. Although academic in tone, it is accessible to general readers interested in the history of fashion and lace and includes a helpful glossary that explains technical terminology.
An appealing read for anyone interested in moviemaking, and an essential for aspiring costumers. Carter’s contributions to Black cinema make this a worthy inclusion in any library collection.
Some may wish all 100 objects were included among the color plates, but readers will glean an understanding of ancient Egyptian life, its influences, and its ongoing legacy.
A glossary and further reading for field guides and species accounts will satisfy the scientific reader, and artists are well served by the beautifully presented artworks and Hashimoto’s tips and personal insights. Consider also for displays on nature-related travel destinations.
Breathtaking images, accompanied by Bell’s scientific notes and comments on artistic techniques, make this an attractive choice for art, photography, and science collections.
Some of the pictures detract from the overall value of the images, but this is still an essential purchase for all libraries that support an active fine arts program.
PREMIUM
On the Verge of Domestication
Art served with an arched eyebrow, a marginal title of some interest to art teachers and students.
This global review of collage in today’s art world will serve both as a launching pad for exploration and as inspiration for creatives.
The precise, descriptive, and objective prose contrasts with the AIA Guide to New York City’s frequently arch comments. For all readers interested in New York’s built environment.
An introduction to an influential period and a diverse group of artists whose works continue to be uncovered, and whose history reverberates today.
This hydra of a book, one head assessing Picasso’s art, the other looking at how he negotiated his position in France in politically tense times, is strongly recommended to all Picasso enthusiasts.
Architectural history scholars and advanced students of Latin America will benefit from this work, but the exhibition catalogues Condemned To Be Modern and Access for All: São Paulo’s Architectural Infrastructures will serve most readers better.
For all architectural history students and urban designers, who might read Hilary Ballon’s complementary The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan, 1911–2011 alongside the guidebook.
Providing a window into the many accomplishments of Asian artists over the centuries, this illuminating and useful resource is an important purchase for larger public libraries and academic institutions.
PREMIUM
A Cultural History of Furniture
This precisely researched and well-written reference work would benefit many art-focused libraries, but not necessarily casual collections.
Quilters contemplating the leap from practical quilting to art quilting would find this book of interest. Recommended for libraries with strong fine arts, quilting, and general craft collections.
This is a welcome new voice to the generally staid conventions of art history. A lively, engaging examination of a serious and under-addressed topic.
A must for collections supporting fashion, design, theater, or costuming. The insightful, well-researched annotations highlight the historical and cultural context of each garment, including the associated fashion trend, global textile history, designer, and garment construction. The photography, with close-up insets of unique patterns and decoration, is well done.
PREMIUM
Film Noir Portraits
Fans of the genre will delight, as will photographers and graphic designers who value the style of the era.
Highly recommended for its exhaustive and authoritative treatment of the subject. Scholarly, but accessible to general readers.
An excellent and accessible brief introduction that is a personal glimpse into the life of Evans and his circle.
PREMIUM
The Only Woman
This smart and exceptional project observes photography observing power relations, and is highly recommended.
An important purchase for collections supporting women’s studies, photography, fashion design, theater, and museum studies.
Some entries are more successful than others in fleshing out who Taylor Mac is and what Mac is trying to accomplish. Nonetheless, this eclectic, no-holds-barred exposition represents an important addition to theater and gender studies.
An enchanting view into a collection of images rarely seen, and a process crucial to creating our contemporary image world.
Recommended for those who love Matisse or are interested in the work of one of the major artists of the 20th century.
Twenty-five crisp chapters on 25 separate artists allow Gompertz the room to explore both detail and concept in this well-organized labor of love. His first-person perspective places the historical artworks in the present while making all the artwork immediate and relevant. Effortless prose and laser focus on the communicative potential of art make this a worthwhile read for students, professionals, or interested observers.
PREMIUM
White: The History of a Color
Thorough research and abundant illustrations characterize this sixth and final volume in Pastoureau’s scholarly series primarily of interest to art and academic libraries.
This is an attractively illustrated global travelogue featuring a selective group of contemporary Black artists with a slim, interpretative look at theme and technique based on information culled mostly from websites and a few recent texts. A handy, colorful start for art students in particular, to explore how Black culture is being redefined through popular expression.
A fascinating glimpse beyond the surface of a person whose personal life has been thoroughly examined. It is incredible to see yet another facet of Zelda Fitzgerald’s infinite creativity and artistry.
A handsome addition to any fine art collection. It’s imaginative work with substantive themes of ecological advocacy and maritime history, all executed with a fine hand and a piratical sense of humor.
An account of unprecedented depth about a time quickly fading from memory, for aficionados of the avant-grade.
PREMIUM
The Story of Architecture
An engaging and readable account of the history of the western architectural canon.
PREMIUM
Great Women Painters
A richly rewarding overview capturing the range, depth, and accomplishments of women painters, many of whom continue to be overlooked and undervalued.
Beard’s lifetime of excess and negligence toward the maintenance of his body of work complicates his artistic legacy, which is made clear in this biography. Still, many readers will be intrigued.
This work will appeal to those interested in feminist, modern, and contemporary art, especially in the media noted above.
PREMIUM
Houses That Can Save the World
Some selections come from conceptual artists and fall well outside of realistic design applications, and this effort would have greater impact if limited to pragmatic solutions. Still, the original concept makes this a sound choice for most design collections.
Fun to browse, this is an excellent collection of vintage pictures for car enthusiasts and anyone else with an interest in mid-20th-century American culture and photography.
PREMIUM
What the Ermine Saw: The Extraordinary Journey of Leonardo da Vinci’s Most Mysterious Portrait
A story of beauty, art, and history well told by Collinsworth (Behaving Badly: The New Morality in Politics, Sex, and Business) with a clear and pitch-perfect narration by Cassandra Campbell.
Elevates an everyday item to the realm of high art. Knife collectors will appreciate the background information and details on styles and materials. The photographs will appeal to everyone with an interest in fine craftsmanship.
PREMIUM
Matisse: The Red Studio
A fascinating, well-documented study of Matisse’s artistic vision, and its introduction to popular audiences, via an iconic painting.
While this is best for those who have access to studio facilities, Dora’s guide is a clear and orderly introduction to pottery making that will benefit anyone interested in pursuing the craft.
While generously illustrated to elucidate the text, this is no coffee table book for casual readers. It’s a deeply researched, important contribution to the study of art history, with relevance to disciplines beyond the study of African art.
With interviews often meandering into the overly personal and with incidental-seeming uncaptioned photographs (their compelling views and dramatic cropping notwithstanding), this book would be more rewarding as a series of video tours.
A sensitive biography that fleshes out the personal life of a private artist who was a product of his time. Fisher’s work complements and expands on previous Sargent biographies, including Stanley Olson’s comprehensive 1986 book John Singer Sargent: His Portrait.
PREMIUM
Regenerative Fashion
This book will appeal to a broad array of readers. Fans of ethical fashion, as well as those interested in sustainability, regenerative farming, minimalism, fair trade, and climate change, will all find something to love.
This book is useful to anyone planning a renovation project to cull tips and ideas but with the caveat that its primary focus is on the design aesthetics. It does not contain information on a home’s functionality or infrastructure. An optional purchase for public libraries or where HGTV-related publications are in demand.
With the increased interest in calligraphy and hand lettering over the last few years, this is a welcome introductory instructional volume. Recommended for most public libraries.
Readers interested in Tibetan culture and Buddhist spiritual practices will find this book of interest.
This visually striking guide honors the beautiful American landscape as it appears today. Recommended for fans of Audubon or for those interested in the natural world or art.
PREMIUM
Keith Haring Journals
Unlike The Andy Warhol Diaries, which is gossipy fun but rarely introspective, Haring’s journal is beautifully written, thoughtful, and filled with passionate opinions and very personal details.
This is a good recommendation for those who like to read about family dynasties, the mid-century modern New York art world, or people who have a lasting fifteen minutes of fame.
PREMIUM
Prime: Art’s Next Generation
All readers interested in contemporary art will enjoy discovering new favorites while browsing through this carefully curated selection of global art and media.
PREMIUM
Yoko Ono: An Artful Life
An affecting and affectionate portrait. For artists, historians of 20th-century art, Yoko Ono fans, and Beatles fans too.
Though Redman’s book covers a recondite topic, it contains many touchpoints of cultural history and is a timely, engaging read. A more comprehensive title is John Simmons’s 2016 volume Museums: A History.
PREMIUM
Julie Manet
With beautiful illustrations and an accessible writing style, this book is recommended for readers interested in 19th-century French art as well as women’s history.
As a collection of women architects’ biographies, this is a worthwhile book for architecture collections. As an effort to reframe women’s impact, contributions, and participation in the profession of architecture, it is essential for collections that cover architecture or design.
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