Disturbing, macabre and moving: the images in this book examine our endu- ring desire to make peace with death. Chosen from the spectacular collection of a death-obsessed print dealer from Chicago, Richard Harris, they include art from an array of time periods, places and traditions.

Works by Linda Connor, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Otto Dix and Francisco Goya are shown alongside Renaissance vanitas paintings, Japanese Ukiyo-e woodcuts, photographs of Mexico’s Day of the Dead and eerie snapshots from the 1900s of anonymous sitters posing with skulls and skeletons.

The book is divided into five sections (Contemplating Death, The Dance of Death, Violent Death, Eros & Thanatos, and Commemoration), each accompanied by a short introductory text. In these pages we are presented with some of the many faces of death: violent and cruel, benign and playful; death the friend and death the enemy. The epitome of terrible beauty, this book is a reminder of the end awaiting us all.

Editors: Wellcome Collection / Format: 16,8 x 21,6 cm / Features: 80 pages, linen hardcover, full color, bookmark ribbon / Language: English / Available here.

This visually stunning new title is dedicated to the seemingly magical transformation of spaces and structures. It covers an amazing range of residential and commercial architecture as well as large-scale urban renewal, showcasing projects that frequently cross functional boundaries.

The dramatic scope of the renovations included in this title give the reader a visceral shock to the system: an office auditorium converted into an urban oasis, an old airplane repurposed into a must-visit hostel, and 19th century ruins updated to become a modern family home.

Some transformations not to be missed include The Alan Voo House in Los Angeles, which doubled in size from a 1,000 square foot residence to a 2,000 square foot residence through the insertion of a new 16ft linear house into the existing house (Neil M Denari Architects Inc); or the refurbishment of a 1975 office building in Mexico City into a residential block with 23 apartments. Its main and rear facades having been replaced with a chopped metal facade in the style of the Mexican handcraft papel picado, creating a liveable artwork (Hierve-Disenaria Architects).

Other works include an alpine hut conversion in Slovenia, Blue Frog Lounge in Mumbai; and the Jumbo Hostel in Stockholm.

Available here.

W: The First 40 Years celebrates the fortieth anniversary of leading fashion magazine W with a collection of the most influential and iconic features and photos culled from its first four decades. This volume explores W’s visual panache, unparalleled access, and cultural smarts, all of which have maintained the magazine’s position at the forefront of fashion, art, design, style, and society. Filled with the work of fashion’s most sought-after photographers and images of the world’s most talented and beautiful people, W: The First 40 Years is a stunning representation of W’s history, complete with newly commissioned essays from writers Lynn Hirschberg, Marian McEvoy, and Vince Aletti.

Ed. Stefano Tonchi and Christopher Bagley. Hardcover, 340 pages. Imprint: Abrams. 13.5in / 34cm x 10.5in / 26.5cm x 1.5in / 4cm / Available here.

‘Avant-garde’, ‘anti-fashion’, ‘an artistic genius’ – since the launch of his eponymous label in 1994, Rick Owens’ directional approach to fashion has inspired a phenomenal cult following, and this large-format hardcover book is a stunning documentation of the journey. Featuring interviews and eye-catching images hand-picked by the designer himself, it’s a luxurious coffee-table must-have, or the ultimate gift for a style-conscious friend. Available here.

“Carrie Bradshaw loved them; Beyoncé sang about them; princesses wear them.” So begins ‘Jimmy Choo XV’, an irresistible hardcover book that celebrates Tamara Mellon’s fabulous shoe empire, introduced by the designer herself. Packed with glossy editorial images, advertising campaigns and images from the red carpet, each chapter looks at what has made the megawatt brand “the stuff of fashion fairy tales”, from ‘Celebrity Icons’ to ‘Technical Innovation’. With a foreword penned by the renowned fashion writer Colin McDowell, this glamorous tome is an absolute must-have for shoe lovers. Available here.

Model and food fanatic Cesar Casier’s hotly anticipated new book cleverly combines his two main passions. Illustrated with mouth-watering photography by Kai Z Feng, this colorful cookbook features 75 ‘clean living’ recipes from Casier and his high-profile friends – including Lily Donaldson, Karlie Kloss and Lindsey Wixson.

Available here.

A comprehensive compilation showcasing the finest creative work, ‘Stylists: New Fashion Visionaries’ is a tribute to innovators of the styling field. This visually stimulating tome is packed with glossy ad campaigns, runway shots and editorial photography that exhibit the industry’s evolution. Featuring interviews with Lady Gaga’s stylist Nicola Formichetti, Marc Jacobs’ collaborator Katie Grand and Melanie Ward of Harper’s Bazaar, this must-have edition is the perfect read for aspirants and appreciators alike.  Available here.

I bike, therefore I am.

About This Book:

Choosing to ride a particular bike conveys an attitude and a way of life. Velo—2nd Gear illuminates and celebrates contemporary bicycle culture’s diverse scenes. From classic racing bikes to high-tech speed machines, from rough fixies to fashionable city cruisers and hardworking cargo bikes, this book showcases today’s most outstanding and unusual bicycles and their riders.

Velo—2nd Gear not only introduces coveted manufacturers, specialized boutiques, and historical tours. It also explains how each bike-related scene cultivates its own distinct codes through the choice of certain frames, jerseys, caps, or bags or by visiting specific events or key establishments. In doing so, the book shows why, for more and more people, bicycles have now replaced cars as the vehicles that best express their identity.

Riding a bike is easy. Once someone can do it, they will never forget how. Riding a bike can be addictive—in the best cases for life. Understanding the subtleties of contemporary bicycle culture can be challenging. Like it or not, choosing to ride a particular bike—whether an old-fashioned city bicycle, a high-tech machine, a mountain bike, a touring bike, a fixie, or a beach cruiser—means being associated with a certain lifestyle.  Velo- 2nd Gear Style  is available here.

In November 2012, Louis Vuitton and Les Éditions de La Martinière are set to publish an updated edition of the book Louis Vuitton, The Birth of Modern Luxury, which was released in October 2005. Available in a limited edition exclusively in Louis Vuitton stores, this elegant volume traces the history of the Maison, from its creation in 1854 to the present day. The exhaustive account offers unique insight into the developments and inventions of the brand which turned travel into an “art de vivre”.

How did Louis Vuitton, which created the first modern luggage in 1854, become today’s global benchmark for luxury? This book with nearly 800 illustrations and original testimonials traces the irresistible and compelling rise of the world’s leading luxury brand. It details the evolution of a company that has always been in step with even ahead of its time, a legendary history that spans more than 150 years. In the mid-nineteenth century Louis Vuitton, the company’s founder, designed a revolutionary trunk. With a flat poplar frame covered in waterproof canvas, Vuitton’s trunk was elegant, functional, and light-weight. It was ideally suited to the new means of transport. Ine one stroke it made all previous trunks obsolete, and its success was instantaneous. As society’s elite discovered the new art of travel following the lead of the French Empress Eugénie and other monarchs, head of state, explorers, artists, and magnates the LV monogram appeared on the great ocean liners, in the Gobi Desert, and in the world’s grandest hotels. With Louis Vuitton, travel had acquired a soul.

Driven by impeccable craftsmanship and infinite creativity, the company thrived through the years, even when venturing beyond the frontiers of its traditional territory. In 1997 it expanded into fashion, and once again its success was spectacular.

From the masterpieces by Louis, Georges, Gaston-Louis Vuitton and their successors, to the current designs inspired by artistic director Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton has never ceased to surprise and enchant, and to redefine luxury.

The ten chapters have been updated so the reader is immersed deep into the heart of the brand: whether through an account of its founder’s background or by revisiting the know-how, fashion, advertising, architecture and collaboration of Louis Vuitton with the world of art, sport and culture. This edition shows that beyond all of its revolutions, the Maison has never stopped writing its own history.  Source ILVOELV

Written by Lodovico Pignatti Morano, Contribution by Antonio Colombo, Felice Gimondi, Barry McGee and Sir Paul Smith

A beautifully illustrated survey of more than sixty-five years of work by one of the most pioneering and influential names in bicycle design. Since Cino Cinelli began making frames in Italy in the 1940s, Cinelli has set the standards for bicycle and component design.

Cinelli has led the evolution of professional cycling and defined the ideal of the classic bicycle: from the classic Supercorsa racing frame to the cutting-edge MASH fixed-gear pursuit bikes ubiquitous on the urban riding scene; from innovations such as the first plastic racing saddles to the controversial Spinaci handlebars, banned from competition; and from timeless components, such as the Alter stem, to iconic meetings of art and design such as Keith Haring’s treatment of the hour record-setting Laser.

With contributions by legendary riders such as Felice Gimondi and Gilberto Simoni, and by collaborators, from artists like Mike Giant to designers such as San Francisco’s graphic impresario Benny Gold, and featuring a conversation between fashion designer Sir Paul Smith and Cinelli president Antonio Colombo, Cinelli is the definitive look at how beauty and technology can meet in this simplest form of design.

About the Author:

Lodovico Pignatti Morano is a writer and consultant based in Milan. Antonio Colombo has been the president and owner of Cinelli and Columbus since 1973, and is the director of a contemporary art gallery in Milan. Felice Gimondi is one of only five cyclists in history to win all three Grand Tours: the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and the Vuelta a España.

Benny Gold is a graphic designer and artist living in San Francisco. Barry McGee is a painter and graffiti artist from the Bay Area whose work has been exhibited in galleries worldwide. Sir Paul Smith is an icon of international style and fashion, and a passionate cycling enthusiast. Available here.

Jacket of the edition exclusively designed for Louis Vuitton showing the emblematic dots pattern used on Louis Vuitton products.

The origin of artworks by Yayoi Kusama is a hallucination which took place at a dining room: the red flower patterns on the tablecloth started to spread across the walls, the floor and on herself. The artist, born in 1929 in Japan, seized all techniques (sculpture, painting, film-making, photography, and writing) to transcribe this disorientation. In the 1950’s, she made a name for herself with the Infinity Nets, the monochrome networks composed of a miniscule unique element repeated to infinity. In 1958 Yayoi Kusama settled in New York where she mixed with the avant-garde world and exhibited alongside Claes Oldenburg, Andy Warhol and Donald Judd. In her installations, she recovered everyday objects of soft prominent forms, and carried out performances in symbolic areas of the city. Since her return to Japan in 1973, the artist who describes herself as obsessive resides in a psychiatric hospital and goes to her studio everyday to create. Yayoi Kusama became famous tardily from the late 1980s and she showcased prestigious exhibitions, in particular at the Venice Biennale, the MOMA in New York and the Maison de la Culture du Japon in Paris. The travelling retrospective which is dedicated to her today confirms her status as an indispensable figure of contemporary art.

Marking the collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama, this limited-edition monograph, with a cover exclusively designed for Louis Vuitton, presents an in-depth examination of the Japanese artist’s career and creative process. It features contributions from internationally renowned authors and curators, and includes many previously unpublished documents, photographs from the artist’s archives and reproductions of her original works.  Written by Bengt Enrique – ilvoelv

Yayoi Kusama Monograph was edited by Louise Neri, published by Rizzoli NY in 2012. This exclusive edition is only available in Louis Vuitton stores for US$85.

Very impressive, the RGB Colorspace Atlas is a beautiful picture book by American artist Tauba Auerbach. The book displays the full RGB gradient in 3,632 pages.

“The book binding was co-designed by both Tauba and book artist Daniel E. Kelm. The actual book binding itself was done by Daniel E. Kelm at his independent The Wide Awake Garage studio, with assistance from Leah Hughes.”