Books

Unknown Enid Blyton Story Found In Archives

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 23rd 2011 at 11:00AM

Before there was J.K. Rowling there was Enid Blyton, a prolific English writer of children's stories that delighted generations of young readers. Writing across fantasy, mystery and adventure genres, she penned nearly 800 books which have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 500 million copies worldwide.

Back in September, the Seven Stories children's book center in Newcastle, England paid around £40,000 for a collection of manuscripts. The books included Malory Towers and Secret Seven books which have already been published as well as a manuscript for Mr Tumpy's Caravan, an 180-page fantasy story. There is in existence an Enid Blyton book called Mr. Tumpy and His Caravan but that is a picture book. This manuscript is a different story, telling the adventures of a magical caravan with feet and mind of its own.

Imogen Smallwood, Blyton's youngest daughter confirmed to BBC News that it is a whole book about a different Mr Tumpy and a different caravan.

Seven Stories has a mission to save and celebrate great British children's works and plans to hold an Enid Blyton exhibition in 2014. The charity cannot publish the newly-discovered work, because Blyton's publisher Chorion retains the rights to all of her works.

Tags: books, childrens books, chorion, enid blyton, manuscripts, seven stories childrens center

Rare Book Set On Egypt Crowns Christie's Sale In Paris

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 22nd 2011 at 12:01AM

It was one of the most ambitious projects the world had ever seen. After taking command of the Egyptian campaign around the turn of the 19th century, Napoleon gathered a staff of France's top scientists, artists, explorers and others to undertake a concept like no other, a complete and comprehensive survey of the country's monuments, plants, animals and more. The result was the Description de l'Egypte, a multi-volume set which began in 1803 but wasn't completed until 1830.

Christie's has announced the sale of the Michel Wittock Collection, Part IV, which will be held in Paris on May 11 which will include an exceptional copy of the Description de l'Egypte, bound by Jean-Joseph Tessier in polished and richly decorated calfskin. The 23 volumes in their original mahogany display case are expected to sell for €500,000 to €700,000. This is the first edition of the publication and is printed on woven paper with handcolored ornithological plates. The final work included more than 900 engraved plates. This copy was bound by the Parisian binder Jean-Joseph Tessier using tools specifically cut for the project. This particular copy belonged to Jean-Joseph Courvoisier (1775-1835) who was appointed the minister of justice in 1829 and received this set as a gift commemorating that occasion.

Tags: antiquities, christies, description de egypte, napoleon, rare books

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James Bond's New Bentley

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) — Feb 9th 2011 at 10:01PM

It may be a while before everyone's favorite spy is back on the silver screen, but fortunately for Bond fans, there's a new series of books to keep our interests piqued. But while 007 drives an Aston Martin in the latest movies, in the books (old and new) Bentley is his ride of choice.

The latest book Carte Blanche is set to launch in the UK on May 26, but its author Jeffery Deaver recently stopped by its setting in Dubai to check out the new Bentley Continental GT in white over red which Bond drives in the book. Not a subtle choice, to be sure, but neither is Dubai. See for yourself in the image gallery below.

Gallery: Jeffrery Deaver & the Bentley Continental GT

Tags: 007, bentley, bentley continental gt, bond, carte blanche, dubai, emirates, james bond, jeffery deaver, uae

Luxist Giveaway: Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships 2011

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 8th 2011 at 10:01AM

Calling all cruisers, this is your giveaway. Berlitz gave us a couple of copies of its massive tome, the 2011 edition of Cruising and Cruise Ships, to give away to two readers chosen at random. This indispensable guide to all this cruise is now in its 26th year of publication. The book is written by cruise-guru, Douglas Ward, who spent 17 years working in the cruise industry before becoming a cruise reviewer. The website for this book states that Ward has logged in over 5,600 days at sea, participating in more than 1,000 cruises, 155 transatlantic crossings and plenty of shipyard visits and maiden voyages.

The book reviews 285 cruise ships and also offer at-a-glance charts compare the major cruise lines for cabin facilities, food and service. The book doesn't just review the ships, the first few sections are devoted to broader issues designed to narrow down what you might be looking for. There is advice on cruising with families, cruising for seniors, nature cruises, river cruises and more. Every conceivable angle of traveling via cruise ship is covered from etiquette to safety concerns and whether or not you can cringe your golf clubs or check email while cruising. Ward is also an incredible compendium of cruise facts. He goes into the history of the various cruise lines and also delivers behind-the-scenes details of the logistics of running a large cruise ship. His knowledge both as an avid cruiser and as a former cruise ship professional gives him a unique point of view.

Tags: berlitz, crime, cruise, cruise guide, cruise ship, cruises, luxist giveaway

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Luxist Giveaway: Pinhole Press 13-Photo Day Planner

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) — Feb 7th 2011 at 10:01AM

Pinhole Press is an online boutique that lets you create and personalize beautiful, inspirational photo gifts. Created as a collaboration between paper giant Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc. and high design firm Rosebrook | Peters | Funaro it offers more than 150 stylish products that are easily customized with your personal photographs and memories. The holidays are over and we just started a new year so this is the perfect time to go through those stacks of family photos and maxed out memory discs and create lasting and meaningful gifts for yourself and your loved ones. PinholePress.com offers countless possibilities including greeting cards, calendars, framed photos, "Brag books", and day planners. There's quite literally something for everyone.

And speaking of day planners who couldn't use one right about now to keep those pesky New Year's resolutions on track and make the rest of winter bearable by planning out your summer vacation? One lucky Luxist reader will get to do just that as Pinhole Press is giving away one of their luxurious 8x10" 13-Photo Large Day Planners, available in your choice of four colors and featuring your own personal photographs inside and on the cover, as well as personalized text on the cover and interior title page. Worth $78.99 it's bound to be the best and most sentimental day planner you've ever owned.

THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER. THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED!

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before February 14, 2011 at 5:00pm Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing and notified by email.
* One winner will receive a Large Day Planner from PinholePress.com, a prize worth $78.99.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See full giveaway rules here.

Tags: giveaway, luxist giveaway, photo books, photos, pinhole press

Photo Tour: Bonhams & Butterfields Fine Books & Manuscripts Auction Preview

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 5th 2011 at 12:01AM

Sometimes in these days of iPads and smartphones it's a pleasure to look at real writing, at old books, scrawled signatures, the things that could be mere curiosities to future generations. Bonhams & Butterfields Fine Books & Manuscripts auction is coming up on February 13. One of the showcase lots is a book, prominently featuring California backdrops, of 100 hand-colored lithograph plates and accompanying text by famed German-Russian painter and explorer Louis Choris. Choris' volume has more than 100 plates depicting areas of San Francisco, such as the Presidio, the Mission, and the Bay; as well as the Hawaiian Islands; Alaska; the Philippines; Chile; and Easter Island. It is estimated at $100,000-$150,000.

The illustrated auction catalog for the Fine Books & Manuscripts Sale is available online for review and purchase at www.bonhams.com/18686. Take a look some other items after the jump...

Tags: Bonhams Butterfields, BonhamsAuction, mahatma gandhi, mark twain, rare books, samuel clemens

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Jerry Schatzberg's Timeless Beauties

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Feb 4th 2011 at 4:01PM

Photographer and filmmaker Jerry Schatzberg did more than just chronicle the fashion and celebrity scenes of the '50s and '60s – he was a part of the action. Perhaps best known for the cover of Bob Dylan's 1966 album Blonde on Blonde, The Classicist covered his groundbreaking work for Esquire at the Paris fashion shows in 1962 in this 2008 column. His journalistic, documentary style ran counter to the usual carefully-posed fashion shoots of the time and influenced many to come. A conoisseur of gorgeous women with an unmatched eye for beauty, Schatzberg's alluring new book Women Then: Photographs 1954 - 1969, pays homage to 15 years of favorites. Featured in the lavish volume are the likes of Nico, Edie Sedgwick, Sharon Tate, Catherine Deneuve and Faye Dunaway, to whom he was once engaged. It also contains a few surpises, including the Rolling Stones dressed in drag.

Tags: art books, Bob Dylan, books, Catherine Deneuve, coffee table books, Edie Sedgwick, fashion, Faye Dunaway, Jerry Schatzberg, Photographer, photography, Rolling Stones

Maine Magazine Launches 2011 Guide Books

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Feb 4th 2011 at 3:03PM

Maine magazine, the stylish bible of "more than just lobsters and lighthouses", has debuted its 2011 guides to the best the Pine Tree State has to offer. This year in addition to the Eat Maine edition launched last year they've added Art Maine and Home Maine versions with help from sister publication Maine Home + Design. Indispensable for both visitors and natives alike, the pocket-sized booklets act as a Baedeker to the best in dining, decor and the arts around the beautiful northern and easternmost bit of New England. Of course they do list the best lobster rolls in the Eat edition but that's just the tip of the icecap. The guides are priced at $5.95 and come free to subscribers; alternatively they can be found at many Portland businesses and are also available from the magazine directly.

Tags: art, decor, dining, eat+maine+2011, eatmaine2011, guide, lobster, magazines, Maine, Maine Home + Design, Maine magazine, New England, travel

Luxist Giveaway: Margot van Voorhies--The Art of Mexican Enamelwork

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Jan 28th 2011 at 10:01AM

Margot van Voorhies--The Art of Mexican Enamelwork the latest title from Schiffer Publishing, is a lavish art book that showcases the work of one amazing and prolific jewelry designer. Van Voorhies created a jewelry company, Margot de Taxco, in Taxco Mexico in 1947 producing a stunning amount of intricate and now highly collectible pieces in silver with semiprecious stones and brilliantly colored enamel.

Her story isn't just one of a designer but as a woman of the early 20th century, finding her way as both an entrepreneur and an artist. She was, in many ways ahead of her time, living as an independent woman and making choices that were outside societal norms. In 1937, after the murder of her mother and a divorce, she moved from San Francisco to Mexico. She had previously worked as a cosmetologist but found new work in a photography shop and in 1938 she married Antonio Castillio (who was 20 years her junior) and moved to Taxco. Castillo was a silversmith working for William Spratling and after the marriage, Castillo and his new bride established their own workshop. Influenced by the Mayan aesthetic as well as other regional imagery, van Voorhies created silver jewelry sets that quickly drew attention and business. In 1947, Margot created her own business, Margot de Taxco, where she continued to innovate in silver and champlevé. It was under this new label that she envisioned some of her most elaborate and memorable designs.

Tags: art books, collectible silver, luxist giveaway, margot de taxco, mexican silver, taxco

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Original Little House On The Prairie Art Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Jan 26th 2011 at 3:02AM

Many of us grew up with the much beloved Little House on the Prairie book by Laura Ingalls WIlder. The cover art used starting in the 1950s and continuing up to present day, a soft-pencil drawing of the Ingalls family in a covered wagon by illustrator Garth Williams will be part of Heritage Auctions' February 11 Signature® Illustration Art Auction in Beverly Hills. This piece is expected to bring in over $8,000 and joins 99 other Little House drawings, spread across 30 lots, in the auction.

Williams' scenes of the close-knit frontier family replaced the extremely stylized versions by Helen Sewell that had been used since the 1930s. "So many of us saw America's heartland through the eyes of Garth Williams, through these exact drawings," said Barry Sandoval, Director of Operations of Comics & Comic Art at Heritage, "and the cover is the most famous of them all. With his wonderful soft-pencil art, Williams conveyed the majesty of the prairie, but also the warmth of a family that had to stick together through all of its hardships." Sandoval goes on to say that Williams went on a six-month trip to research his drawings, meeting with Wilder in Mansfield, Missouri and also visiting other states where the Wilder family lived.

Tags: Heritage Auction, Heritage Auction Galleries, heritage auctions, laura ingalls wilder, Little House books, Little House on the Pr, little house on the prairie

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The Classicist: The Year's Best Luxe Books

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Jan 24th 2011 at 9:00AM

Followers of The Classicist, the weekly column devoted to timeless style, enduring elegance, and true, built-to-last luxury as opposed to mere extravagance, are familiar with the fact that we take pains to search out every season's most luxurious books and bring you exclusive glimpses. 2010 was a particularly good year for top-drawer tomes; if you've any space left in your library we suggest you stock up on the following titles which we declare to be the best of the best from those that made our grade in 2010. Featuring our favorite subjects ranging from Savile Row to classic Louis Vuitton luggage, high equestrian style to high society, and classic architecture to the perfection that is is Porsche, this is a chance to catch up on the must-have volumes you might have missed.

Topping the list are our two favorites, Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks (Abrams) and Bespoke: The Men's Style of Savile Row (Rizzoli), both dealing with icons of luxe style, the first a legendary French luggage firm, the second a street synonymous with the world's best men's tailoring. Can you imagine anything better than a suite of Vuitton trunks full of Savile Row suits? Didn't think so. While you're busy assembling a collection these books are the next best thing. Men's style also comes into play in two other titles on our can't-miss list, the bible of Ivy League style Take Ivy (powerHouse) and We Want Miles: Miles Davis vs. Jazz (Skira Rizzoli). They're more closely related than you might think; the jazz legend had a not-so-hidden passion for preppy finery in his early years, while Take Ivy's title is a reference to jazz.

Gallery: The Best Luxe Books of 2010

Tags: Abrams, architecture, books, coffee table books, equestrian, Flammarion, jazz, Louis Vuitton, luggage, mens style, Miles Davis, Paris, Porsche, Rizzoli, Savile Row, Scotland, Take Ivy, teNeues, The Classicist

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New Photography Book Brings Rat Pack To Life

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Jan 17th 2011 at 4:00PM

The legendary Rat Pack is celebrated in a new luxury book by Reel Art Press that brings you inside the inner circle of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. The limited-edition volume includes photographs from the Cal Neva Resort in North Lake Tahoe and parties at Peter Lawford's Santa Monica beach house. Hollywood and Las Vegas images also feature many of the glamorous women surrounding these gentlemen such as Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall.

The LA Times reports that editor and Reel Art Press co-founder Tony Nourmand worked with Andy Howick of the MPTV photo agency to trace shots from the entertainers' glory days unearthing unprinted negatives and rarely seen images. The book starts at $650 for the Masters Edition and $1,650 for the Deluxe Edition, which includes a wooden slip case and a bonus image of Sinatra and Martin signed by the photographer, Gerald Smith. The customizable, $4,000 Heritage edition, which is limited to 30 copies adds in a rare, vintage photograph of your choice and signatures from Nourmand, Levy and art director and designer Graham Marsh. Certain rare photographs are also being sold individually. The images are well worth a look: there's a great sequence of the Rat Pack goofing around in a hotel room taking a swing at each other. The book can be ordered off the Reel Art Press website.

Tags: art books, frank sinatra, photographs, rat pack

"Obsessively Wonderful:" Valerie Hird's Dream Book

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) — Jan 17th 2011 at 11:01AM

Valerie Hird's "Trinity," a handmade art book is a work of art. Hird's delicate paintings in miniature are mysterious, but also captivating, lyrical, and expressive. They form a narrative whose meaning is often hidden but at the same time, tantalizing. Hird's book, a handmade creation immensely appealing to collectors of art books, exists in a numbered edition of 20. Each is in its own box with paintings reminiscent of Tarot cards. They are printed in archival inks on beautiful, white handmade paper. The book is small, 3 5/8 by 4 5/8 inches, with four endpapers that fold to make a little box. Within are some 15 paintings plus a colophon (printer's imprint) in a limited palette of blues, greens, reds and orange with touches of silver leaf. Each is signed with handwritten annotations. Trained as an archaeological illustrator, Hird spent some 25 years with semi-nomadic tribes in the Middle East. Her background and extensive travels inform her art, but today she is based in Burlington, Vermont, where she spends most of her time painting on canvas. "Making an artist book is so labor intensive, it is truly a labor of love," she says. "I don't do them unless the concept calls for an obsessively wonderful object that someone can touch, hold, and carry with them."

Tags: art books, dream analysis, Nohra Haime Gallery, Trinity, Valerie Hird

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Luxist Giveaway: Atlas of Remote Islands Book

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Jan 11th 2011 at 10:02AM

Many of the books that are offered to Luxist for giveaway are big lavish coffee table books with rich photography. We love those but there's also a lot to love about today's more modest tome too. Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky (Penguin Books) is magic in its own way, a fascinating compendium of 50 remote islands far from the mainland, from people, from airports and from the public eye. Schalansky gives each of these little treasures individual attention on a single page with an accompanying map. The result is a cross between a history lesson and a short story, full of spare poetry and fascinating historical details.

Some of the islands from Pitcairn Island (the place the Mutiny on the Bounty settlers chose to inhabit) to Easter Island are familiar, others, like Russia's Lonely Island or Mexico's Socorro Island are less known but no less worthy of exploration.

Schalansky's opening chapter is titled "Paradise Is An Island, So Is Hell" and the islands that the book covers range from tropical atolls to frozen, rocky spits of land. The author is a writer and designer who lives in Berlin and lectures on the fundamentals of typography. She not only wrote the text but designed and typeset the book, an act perhaps as solitary as a life lived on a remote island.

We are giving away one copy of this book. The book sells for $28 and we are giving away one copy to a reader chosen at random.

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before January 18, 2011 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive a copy of Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky, which has a retail price of $28.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See complete giveaway rules here.

This contest is now closed. Thank you for your participation.

Tags: atlas of remote islands, islands, luxist giveaway, private islands, travel, travel books

The Classicist: Inside the Embassies & Historic Mansions of Paris

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Jan 10th 2011 at 9:01AM

Very rarely do any of Paris' remaining private palaces come on the market; when they do the properties invariably rank among the world's most expensive, such as the 1912 mansion built for the Duchesse de Montmorency recently listed at $140 million that we told you about back in November. The reason there is so little movement among these magnificent monuments to wealth lining the famed city's storied avenues is that most are occupied as embassies and ambassadorial residences. An equally magnificent new book, Historic Houses of Paris: Residences of the Ambassadors from Flammarion by Alain Stella with photography by Francis Hammond offers a guided tour of 22 of these amazing edifices, some seen for the first time, most originally built for members of the aristocracy and now the setting for lavish diplomatic entertainments and intrigues.

Gilded halls, formal sitting rooms, stately dining rooms, paneled libraries, perfectly landscaped gardens, chambers filled with rare antiques, luxurious wallcoverings and private living quarters are all examined in delectable detail, in mansions ranging from a 17th-century hôtel particulier to a Belle Epoque palace and even a couple more contemporary examples, now occupied by the ambassadors of the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, China, India and more. The cover (above) depicts the Sicilian theater of the incredible Italian Ambassador 's residence, aka the Hotel de la Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville, built in 1732. Some, like the Indian Ambassador's residence, aka the Hotel de Marlborough built in 1910 by architect René Sergent, who also designed Claridge's in London and Rome's Grand Hotel, are named for famous former owners; in this case the Duchess of Marlborough, aka Consuelo Vanderbilt, one of the world's richest and most beautiful women at the time.

Gallery: Historic Houses of Paris