The W* Library: flick through December’s new titles

Book of Norman Bel Geddes Designs America
(Image credit: TBC)

Norman Bel Geddes Designs America
Edited by Donald Albrecht

This comprehensive catalogue explores the life and work of Norman Bel Geddes, a prolific and eclectic industrial designer who set the template for his profession. Bel Geddes' pioneering achievement was the GM Futurama pavilion at the 1939-40 World's Fair, a vast animated panorama of a prosperous, techno-filled future that helped cement the ambition and drive of the post-war American dream. Bel Geddes began his career as a theatre designer and he never lost the love of the spectacle. Able to turn his hand to anything from automobiles to window displays, he also shaped American war games at the dawn of the Cold War.

Published by Abrams, £40

Writer: Jonathan Bell

From the book: Motor Car No. 9

From the book: Motor Car No. 9 (with tail fin), by Norman Bel Geddes, 1933

(Image credit: TBC)

Bel Geddes in 1926 designing

Bel Geddes in 1926 designing the Macy's Christmas Parade Punch and Judy float

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View of Ladies Home Journal House #3

Ladies Home Journal House #3, by Normal Bel Geddes, 1929

(Image credit: TBC)

Eugène Vernier: Fashion, Femininity & Form
Essays by Robin Muir and Becky E. Conekin

The first book to cover the life and work of photographer Eugène Vernier, the subtitle 'fashion, femininity & form' tells you all you need to know about the milieu of this mid-century fashion specialist. Contracted to Vogue during the 50s and 60s, Vernier was the last of the old school era, working alongside Beaton and Parkinson and foreshadowing the strident new world of Bailey, Donovan and Shrimpton (who he was first to photograph). Richly illustrated with covers, spreads and behind-the-scenes shots, this is an insight into the ways of high fashion half a century ago.

Published by Hirmer Publishers, £39.95, www.hirmerverlag.de

Writer: Jonathan Bell

Book of Eugene Vernier: Fashion, Femininity & Form

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From the book: Judy Dent

From the book: Judy Dent, Vogue, October 1962
Eugène Vernier/Vogue © The Condé Nast Publications Ltd

(Image credit: TBC)

June Clarke (left) and Joy Weston (right)

June Clarke (left) and Joy Weston (right), Vogue, January 1956 © The Condé Nast Publications Ltd

(Image credit: Eugène Vernier/Vogue)

Tania Mallet in Bermuda

Tania Mallet in Bermuda, Vogue, January 1961 © The Condé Nast Publications Ltd

(Image credit: Eugene Vernier/Vogue)

View of Celia Hammond

Celia Hammond, Vogue, July 1962 © The Condé Nast Publications Ltd

(Image credit: Eugene Vernier/Vogue)

View of Jean Shrimpton

Jean Shrimpton, Vogue, October 1961 © The Condé Nast Publications Ltd

(Image credit: Eugene Vernier/Vogue)

Long Island Modernism 1930-1980
By Caroline Rob Zaleski

Few periods of architectural history can claim to be as fertile as the flowering of residential architecture on the east and west coast of the US at the height of International Modernism. California usually cops most of the credit, but great things were happening out east, as well. Long Island Modernism looks at many of the major works completed in this era, including houses, churches, stores and offices by Marcel Breuer, Edward Durell Stone, Richard Neutra, Philip Johnson, John Johansen, Richard Meier, Paul Rudolph, Frank Lloyd Wright and many more.

Published by W.W. Norton & Co., £55

Writer: Jonathan Bell

Book of Long Island Modernism 1930-1980

(Image credit: TBC)

From the book: Renny and Ellin Saltzman House

From the book: Renny and Ellin Saltzman House, by Richard Meier, East Hampton, 1971

(Image credit: TBC)

View of Hamilton and Caroline Smith House

Hamilton and Caroline Smith House, by Hamilton P. Smith, Springs, 1972

(Image credit: TBC)

View of Maurice and Barbara Deane House

Maurice and Barbara Deane House, by Paul Rudolph, Kings Point, 1970

(Image credit: TBC)

Le Corbusier Redrawn: The Houses
By Steven Park

One for the true architectural fetishist, Steven Park's painstaking project has been to plot, plan, section and render twenty-two of Le Corbusier's residential masterpieces. Each house has been reduced to a crisply delineated diagram, lightly coloured and shaded to add depth and space. To the uninitiated, 200-plus pages of plans, sections and axonometrics might seem rather dense, but floorplan fans will be in their element as they traverse the master's spatial gymnastics.

Published by Princeton Architectural Press, £15.99

Writer: Jonathan Bell

Book of Le Corbusier Redrawn: The Houses

(Image credit: TBC)

From the book: Maison Guiette

From the book: Maison Guiette, Antwerp, 1926

(Image credit: TBC)

View of West-east sectional perspective at stairs

West-east sectional perspective at stairs in Maison Guiette

(Image credit: TBC)

View of Maison Planeix, Paris

Maison Planeix, Paris, 1924

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View of he north-south sectional perspective at Maison Planeix

The north-south sectional perspective at Maison Planeix

(Image credit: TBC)

Colossal: Engineering the Suez Canal, Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower and Panama Canal
By Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby

More of a social history than a straightforward tale of engineering derring-do, Colossal looks at the life and work of the men who shaped some of the major structures of the Victorian era, and the role of the engineer in all walks of life, as well as the interconnected nature of these projects (Eiffel's structure underpinned Bartholdi's giant Liberty, while the French engineer also drew immense fees for France's abortive work on the Panama canal, which in turn were ploughed into the tower in Paris). Everything is connected.

Published by Periscope Publishing and distributed by Prestel Publishing, £45

Writer: Jonathan Bell

Book of Colossal: Engineering the Suez Canal, Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower and Panama Canal

(Image credit: TBC)

From the book: The Plaster Arm and Hand

From the book: The Plaster Arm and Hand, 1881–84. Albumen print. courtesy of Musée Bartholdi

(Image credit: Christian Kempf)

View of Culebra Cut at its Most Interesting Point

Stereoview, Culebra Cut at its Most Interesting Point, 1913. courtesy of the author's collection

(Image credit: Julie Wolf)

View of construction de la tour Eiffel

Édouard Durandelle, Album sur les travaux de construction de la tour Eiffel, 16 June, 1888. Courtesy of Musée d’Orsay, fonds Eiffel

(Image credit: TBC)

Kengo Kuma: Complete Works
By Kenneth Frampton

Of all contemporary Japanese architects, Kengo Kuma is hardest to associate with any one material. Instead, the fifty-eight year old architect is adept at transforming a multitude of building materials and structural systems, exploiting each for the job in hand. A typical Kuma project might be predominantly composed from glass, timber, thatch, steel, concrete, stone, bamboo, or even clay. Kenneth Frampton, perhaps the world's most distinguished architectural historian, provides the theoretical framework while Kuma describes his complete oeuvre in detail.

Published by Thames & Hudson, £39.95

Writer: Jonathan Bell

Book of Kengo Kuma: Complete Works

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From the book: Water/Glass

From the book: Water/Glass, Atami, Shizuoka, Japan, 1995

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View of Yusuhara Town Hall

Yusuhara Town Hall, Takaoka, Kochi, Japan, 2006

(Image credit: TBC)

View of Z58, Shanghai

Z58, Shanghai, China, 2006

(Image credit: TBC)

View of Museum of Wisdom

Museum of Wisdom, Chengdu, China, 2011

(Image credit: TBC)

Thanks for the View, Mr Mies
Edited by Danielle Aubert, Lana Cavar, Natasha Chandani

This forensic overview of Detroit's Lafayette Park looks at the legacy of Mies van der Rohe's expansive housing projects. Less well known than his pristine towers at Lakeshore Drive, the Lafayette Park buildings exhibited the German architect's characteristic rigour but have enjoyed a long life with rather less exacting occupants. Thanks for the View looks at the history, surroundings and shifting perception of these icy slices of modernism, examining how some inhabitants have stepped up their game to live in period perfect surroundings, while others are just happy to have a building that works. A quirky, unconventional and intriguing monograph.

Published by Metropolis Books, £21.95

Writer: Jonathan Bell

Books of Thanks for the View, Mr Mies

(Image credit: TBC)

From the book: Lafayette Towers

From the book: Lafayette Towers, by Corine Vermeulen

(Image credit: TBC)

View of a portrait of Joe

A portrait of Joe, a resident of Lafayette Towers, by Corine Vermeulen

(Image credit: TBC)

View of Lafayette Park

Lafayette Park townhouses, by Corine Vermeulen

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View of Hillary Roby

Hillary Roby, by Vasco Roma

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View of Lafayette Park shopping plaza

Lafayette Park shopping plaza, by Vasco Roma

(Image credit: TBC)

Melina Keays is the entertaining director of Wallpaper*. She has been part of the brand since the magazine’s launch in 1996, and is responsible for entertaining content across the print and digital platforms, and for Wallpaper’s creative agency Bespoke. A native Londoner, Melina takes inspiration from the whole spectrum of art and design – including film, literature, and fashion. Her work for the brand involves curating content, writing, and creative direction – conceiving luxury interior landscapes with a focus on food, drinks, and entertaining in all its forms