May book news: eight new tomes to add to your shelves
Slacklands
By Corinna Dean
Writer and Wallpaper* contributor Corinna Dean has turned her eye to the hinterlands of the British rural experience for her new book, Slacklands. Subtitled a 'Guide to Rural Contemporary Architecture' and with a foreword by Margaret Howell, the book presents a catalogue of rural architecture with a twist. This isn't the story of bucolic barns or picturesque farmhouses, but rather the rotting tail-end of militarisation and industrialisation, the great expanses of post Cold War wasteland that has somehow emerged as a new form of picturesque and place of pilgrimage.
Published by Archive for Rural Contemporary Architecture, £18.95
Tertium Quid
By Murray Moss
Curator and gallerist Murray Moss lets his pictorial imagination run wild in his new monograph from August Editions. Tertium Quid, limited to just 1250 numbered copies, creates new stories out of the juxtaposition of old images, culled from press archives and wire services from the past few decades of American history. The result is a triumph of the strange, uncanny and ephemeral with striking diptychs set up throughout the book, complete with their scrawled, mysterious reverses.
Published by August Editions, $75
Building as Ornament
By Michiel van Raaij
It hasn't escaped our notice that architecture is getting more elaborate; the most structurally baroque examples of late period modernism are now vying with Post-Modernism's most ostentatious statements. Building as Ornament is a visual survey of the iconic structure, featuring interviews with Ben van Berkel, Winy Maas, Charles Jencks and many other proponents of ‘signature’ buildings. Author and architect Michiel van Raaij traces the style’s evolution from simplistic statement into bold, innovative design.
Published by nai010 Publishers, €22.50
Art & Ecology Now
By Andrew Brown
This survey of contemporary responses to climate change, our relationship with nature and the growth of environmentalism takes up where the 1970s-era Land Art movement left off. Comprising the work of nearly 100 contemporary artists, Art & Ecology Now runs from small-scale commentary to massive in situ pieces that change our relationship with place, such as David Maisel’s large-scale images of industry-scarred lakes.
Published by Thames & Hudson, £29.95
A Pelican Introduction
Pelicans were the ultimate self-improvement books; from 1937 to 1984 nearly 3,000 titles were publishing to introduce high concepts to mass audiences. Now the familiar hue and classically simple covers are back as the company bids to bring back the idea of big ideas in compact, affordable packages. The first set of titles delves into modern Russia, economic theory, ancient Greece and human evolution, amongst other things. At just £7.99 each (£4.99 for the Kindle - which rather negates the 'collect the set mentality' of the design), they're designed to evoke the ethos of the original series and bring back the spirit of enquiry.
Published by Pelican, £7.99
London’s New Routemaster
By Tony Lewin with a foreword by Thomas Heatherwick
One for the transport buffs, but also an interesting tale of the efforts cities need to go to in order to get what they want. Thomas Heatherwick's Routemaster is now a firm fixture on the capital's streetscape, but the bus' journey from drawing board to depot needed not just design skills but political savviness and the desire to follow the route to its conclusion. Beginning with a short history of London’s buses, the book traces Heatherwick’s competition-winning design (including a look at its rivals) through the tendering and refinement process. Eventually some 600 new Routemasters will ply the city’s streets, and are expected to stay in service for some two decades.
Published by Merrell, £25
Manhattan Classic: New York's Finest Prewar Apartments
By Geoffrey Lynch
Delve into the world of terrifying condo boards, uniformed doormen and sumptuously panelled country houses in the sky with Manhattan Classic, a journey through old money and classic style. The glassy, angular modern penthouse has largely usurped the traditional image of the rooftop apartment, but Geoffrey Lynch - an architect with a penchant for the period - has tracked down the best examples of New York's very particular breed of stately homes, with sumptuous photography and plans for the armchair snooper to peruse.
Published by Princeton Architectural Press, £30
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Behind the Green Door: A Critical Look at Sustainable Architecture Through 600 Objects
By Rotor
Published by the Oslo Architecture Triennale, Behind the Green Door is focused on the emergence of sustainable design. The catalogue of a 600 object-strong exhibition held during last year’s Triennale, curated by Belgian collective Rotor, it presents a cornucopia of ideas, thoughts, experiments and products that build up a positive set of strategies to improve the world.
Published by Oslo Architecture Triennale, €28
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
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All hail the arrival of true autonomy? On Tesla’s proposed Robotaxi and techno-insecurity
Tesla’s new marketing push predicts a future of robot cabs, automated buses and autonomous home androids. We already want to get off
By Jonathan Bell Published
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Discothèque perfumes evoke the scent of Tokyo in the year 2000
As Discothèque gets ready to launch its first perfume collection, Mary Cleary catches up with the brand’s founders
By Mary Cleary Published
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This unassuming London house is a radical rethinking of the suburban home
Station Lodge by architect Andrei Saltykov in South West London offers a radical subversion to regional residential architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
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'Moroseta Kitchen' is a new recipe book offering a glimpse into the Puglian countryside
'Moroseta Kitchen - A Window Into The Puglian Countryside' by Giorgia Eugenia Goggi is based on the essence of eating in Italy, rooted in farm to table seasonal recipes
By Tianna Williams Published
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‘Bethlehem’ is a new recipe book celebrating Palestinian food
‘Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food’ is a recipe book by Fadi Kattan that celebrates culinary tradition and explores untold stories
By Tianna Williams Published
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René Redzepi, Mette Søberg and Junichi Takahashi on Noma’s new cookbook
Lifting the lid on Noma’s secrets, a new cookbook celebrates the pioneering restaurant’s season menus, and offers a deep dive behind the scenes
By Jeni Porter Last updated
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60-Second Cocktails book shakes up summer happy hour at home
This 60-Second Cocktails book brings summer happy hour into your home with easy but sophisticated cocktail recipes and tips to guide even novice shakers
By Martha Elliott Last updated
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New cookbook transforms horror movies into terrifying food art
Horror Caviar, the first cookbook from A24, features recipes inspired by horror movies, from creatives including Laila Gohar and Chloe Wise, alongside essays by Carmen Maria Machado, Stephanie LaCava, and more
By Mary Cleary Last updated
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Edible flowers: the how, the what and the why
A new book from Monacelli, Edible Flowers: How, Why, and When We Eat Flowers, uncovers a fascinating history
By Hannah Silver Last updated
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Match point: learn how to properly pair food and wine
Learn a thing or two about fine cooking and wine selection with this new book from the London Club
By Melina Keays Last updated
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Fragile Self’s multi-platform debut album is a fervent fusion of sound and vision
The designer behind David Bowie's album covers has released a multimedia album exploring the history of psychology and the definition of ‘normality'
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated