The Fundamentals of Fashion Design


Richard Sorger - 2006
    Sections include Pattern Construction and Cutting, Fashion Movements, Textiles, Creative Thinking, and Selling Clothes. With exciting visuals and clear text, The Fundamentals of Fashion Design uses detailed diagrams, historical references, and innovative layout to challenge readers to consider the underlying principles of design.

The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs: Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals—and Other Forgotten Skills


Tristan Gooley - 2014
    The roots of a tree indicate the sun’s direction; the Big Dipper tells the time; a passing butterfly hints at the weather; a sand dune reveals prevailing wind; the scent of cinnamon suggests altitude; a budding flower points south. To help you understand nature as he does, Gooley shares more than 850 tips for forecasting, tracking, and more, gathered from decades spent walking the landscape around his home and around the world. Whether you’re walking in the country or city, along a coastline, or by night, this is the ultimate resource on what the land, sun, moon, stars, plants, animals, and clouds can reveal—if you only know how to look!

The Elements of a Home: Curious Histories behind Everyday Household Objects, from Pillows to Forks


Amy Azzarito - 2020
    Brimming with amusing anecdotes and absorbing trivia, this captivating collection is a treasure trove of curiosities.With tales from the kitchen, the bedroom, and every room in between, these pages expose how napkins got their start as lumps of dough in ancient Greece, why forks were once seen as immoral tools of the devil, and how Plato devised one of the earliest alarm clocks using rocks and water—plus so much more.• A charming gift for anyone who loves history, design, or décor• Readers discover tales from every nook and cranny of a home. • Entries feature historical details from locations all over the world, including Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa. As a design historian and former managing editor of Design*Sponge, author Amy Azzarito has crafted an engaging, whimsical history of the household objects you've never thought twice about. The result is a fascinating book filled with tidbits from a wide range of cultures and places about the history of domestic luxury.• Filled with lovely illustrations by Alice Pattullo• Perfect as a housewarming or wedding gift, or for anyone who adores interior design, trivia, history, and unique facts• Great for those who enjoyed The Greatest Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy by Rick Beyer, An Uncommon History of Common Things by Bethanne Patrick and John Thompson, Encyclopedia of the Exquisite: An Anecdotal History of Elegant Delights by Jessica Kerwin JenkinsSome of the books included in The Elements of a Home Bibliography BathtubDalby, Andrew. Empire of Pleasure: Luxury and Indulgence in the Roman World. London: Routledge, 2000. de Bonneville, Francoise. The Book of the Bath. New York: Rizzoli, 1998. Billiard TableBaird, Sarah. “The Life and Death of the American Pool Hall.” Punch, January 23, 2015. Accessed July 11, 2017. http://punchdrink.com/articles/the-life- and-death-of-the-american-pool-hall. Levron, Jacques. Daily Life in Versailles in the Seven-teenth and Eighteenth Centuries. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1968. BookshelfMari, Francesca. “Shelf Conscious.” Paris Review, December 27, 2012. https://www.theparis review.org/blog/2012/12/27/shelf-cons....Petroski, Henry. The Book on the Bookshelf. New York: Vintage Books, 2000. CandleBremer-David, Charissa, ed. Paris: Life and Luxury in the Eighteenth Century.Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Trust, 2011. Dillon, Maureen. Artificial Sunshine: A Social History of Domestic Lighting. London: The National Trust, 2002. Canopy BedBard Graduate Center. History of Design: Decorative Arts and Material Culture, 1400–2000. New York: Bard Graduate Center, 2013. Carlano, Anne, and Bobbie Sumberg. Sleeping Around: The Bed from Antiquity to Now. Seattle, WA: University of Wash-ington Press, 2006. Chaise Longuede Dampierre, Florence. Chairs: A History. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2006. DeJean, Joan. The Age of Comfort: When Paris Discovered Casual and the Modern Home Began. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2013.Chess SetBrown, Nancy Marie. Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chess-men in the World and the Woman Who Made Them.Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, 2015. Dean, George, with Maxine Brady. Chess Master-pieces: One Thousand Years of Extraordinary Chess Sets. New York: Abrams Books, 2010. Chiavari Chairde Dampierre, Florence. Chairs: A History.New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2006.ChopsticksVisser, Margaret. The Rituals of Dinner: The Origins, Evolution, Eccentricities, and Meaning of Table Manners. New York: Pen-guin Books, 1992. Wang, Edward Q. Chopsticks: A Culture and Culinary History. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2015.ClockBremer-David, Charissa, ed. Paris: Life and Luxury in the Eighteenth Century. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2011.Chevallier, Bernard, and Marc Walter. Empire Splendor: French Taste in the Age of Napoleon. New York: The Vendome Press, 2008.Cocktail Shaker Grimes, William. Straight Up or on the Rocks: The Story of the American Cocktail. New York: North Point Press, 2001.Lanza, Joseph. The Cocktail: The Influence of Spirits on the American Psyche. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995. Crystal ChandelierCooke, Lawrence S. Lighting in America: From Colonial Rushlights to Victorian Chandeliers. Pittstown, NJ: Main Street Press, 1984.Fioratti, Helen Costantino. Illuminating Their World: Three Hundred Years of Light. New York: L’Antiqu- aire and the Connoisseur, Inc., 2007. Curule Chair de Dampierre, Florence. Chairs: A History. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2006.Miller, Judith. Furniture: World Styles from Classical to Contemporary. London: DK, 2011. Deck ChairRybczynski, Witold. Now I Sit Me Down: From Klismos to Plastic Chair: A Natural History. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016. DeskGoodman, Dena, and Kathryn Norberg. Furnishing the Eighteenth Century: What Furniture Can Tell Us about the European and American Past. New York: Routledge, 2011. DollhouseBroomhall, Susan, Jennifer Spinks, and Allyson M. Poska. Early Modern Women in the Low Coun- tries: Feminizing Sources and Interpretations of the Past. Farnham, UK: Taylor and Francis, 2016.Eaton, Faith. Classic Dolls’ Houses. London: Phoenix Illustrated, 1997.Door, Knocker, and KnobBerry, Nancy E. Architec- tural Hardware: Ideas, Inspiration and PracticalAdviceforAddingHandles,Hinges, Knobs and Pulls to YourHome.Gloucester,MA: Quarry Books, 2006.Jütte, Daniel. The Strait Gate: Thresholds and Power in Western History.New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2015.DuvetWorsley,Lucy.IfWallsCould Talk:AnIntimateHistoryof the Home.New York:WalkerandCo.,2012.Wright, Lawrence. Warm & Snug: The History of the Bed.Stroud, UK: Sutton,2004.FireplaceGowlett,J.A.J.“TheDiscov-eryofFirebyHumans:A Long and Convoluted Process.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sci- ences371, no. 1696 (May 2016): 1697-1700.Lind, Carla. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fireplaces.San Francisco: Pomegranate, 1995.Flokati RugSebastian, Don. The CompleteHandbook of Flokati and Carpet Making.Athens: Nick Kokkinos, 1978.Floral CenterpieceBelden,LouiseConway.TheFestive Tradition: TableDecoration and Dessertsin America, 1650–1900.NewYork:W.W.Norton, 1983.Berrall, Julia. A History ofFlower Arrangement.Lon-don:ThamesandHudson,1953.ForkHeugel, Inès. Laying the Elegant Table: China, Faience, Porcelain, Majol- ica, Glassware, Flatware, Tureens, Platters, Trays, Centerpieces, Tea Sets.New York: Rizzoli, 2006.Lupton, Ellen, et al. Feed- ing Desire: Designandthe Toolsof the Table,1500–2005.NewYork:Assouline, 2006.Front PorchDonlon, Jocelyn Hazelwood. Swinging in Place: Porch Life in Southern Culture.Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2001.Goldstein,B.Colleen.TheEvo-lution and Significance of the FrontPorch in Amer- ican Culture.Master’s dissertation, University of Georgia,1998.Glass WindowJütte, Daniel. The Strait Gate:Thresholds and Power in WesternHistory.New Haven, CT: YaleUniversity Press, 2015.Melchoir-Bonnet, Sabine.The Mirror: A History.London:Routledge,2002.GlobeGoodman, Dena, and Kathryn Norberg. Furnishing the Eighteenth Century: What Furniture Can Tell Us about the European and American Past.New York: Routledge, 2011.Jaffee, David. A New Nation of Goods: The Material Culture of Early America.Philadelphia, PA: Univer-sity of Pennsylvania Press,2012.Ice BucketDunne, Patrick. The Epicu-rean Collector: Exploringthe World of Culinary Antiques.Boston: Little, Brown, 2002.Glanville,Philippa,andHilary Young.Elegant Eating: Four Hundred Yearsof DininginStyle.London:V &APublications,2002.IncenseAftel, Mandy. Fragrant: The SecretLifeofaScent.NewYork:Riverhead Books, 2014.Classen, Constance, David Howes,andAnthonySyn- nott. Aroma: The Cultural HistoryofSmell.NewYork:Routledge,1994.Jewelry BoxCurrie, Elizabeth. Inside theRenaissance House.Lon- don: V & A Publications, 2006.Linley, David. Extraordinary Furniture.London: Mitchell Beazley, 1996.Jib DoorBoyer, Marie-France, and François Halard. The Private Realm of Marie Antoinette.London: Thames & Hudson, 2008.Donato, Giuseppe, and Monique Seefried. The FragrantPast:PerfumesofCleopatraandJulius Caesar.Atlanta,GA:EmoryUniversity Museum of Art andArchaeology,1989.Lock and KeyBuehr,Walter. The Story ofLocks.New York: Scribner, 1953.Delalex, Hélène. A Day with Marie Antoinette.New York: Rizzoli, 2015.Louis XVI ChairCondon, Dianne Russell. Jackie’s Treasures: The Fabled Objects from the Auction of the Century.New York: Clarkson Potter,1996.Delalex, Hélène. A Day with Marie Antoinette.New York: Rizzoli, 2015.MattressBeldegreen, Alecia. The Bed.New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1995.Carlano, Anne, and BobbieSumberg. Sleeping Around:The Bed from Antiquity to Now.Seattle, WA: Univer- sity of Washington Press, 2006.MirrorDeJean, Joan. Essence of Style:How the French Invented High Fashion.New York:Free Press, 2014.Johnson, Steven. How We Gotto Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World.London: Penguin, 2016.

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments


Aimee Nezhukumatathil - 2020
    But no matter where she was transplanted--no matter how awkward the fit or forbidding the landscape--she was able to turn to our world's fierce and funny creatures for guidance."What the peacock can do," she tells us, "is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life." The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship. For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world's gifts.Warm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, World of Wonders is a book of sustenance and joy.

A Place of My Own: The Education of an Amateur Builder


Michael Pollan - 1997
    Now Pollan turns his sharp insight to the craft of building, as he recounts the process of designing and constructing a small one-room structure on his rural Connecticut property--a place in which he hoped to read, write and daydream, built with his two own unhandy hands.Invoking the titans of architecture, literature and philosophy, from Vitrivius to Thoreau, from the Chinese masters of feng shui to the revolutionary Frank Lloyd Wright, Pollan brilliantly chronicles a realm of blueprints, joints and trusses as he peers into the ephemeral nature of "houseness" itself. From the spark of an idea to the search for a perfect site to the raising of a ridgepole, Pollan revels in the infinitely detailed, complex process of creating a finished structure. At once superbly written, informative and enormously entertaining, A Place of My Own is for anyone who has ever wondered how the walls around us take shape--and how we might shape them ourselves.A Place of My Own recounts his two-and-a-half-year journey of discovery in an absorbing narrative that deftly weaves the day-to-day work of design and building--from siting to blueprint, from the pouring of foundations to finish carpentry--with reflections on everything form the power of place to shape our lives to the question of what constitutes "real work" in a technological society.A book about craft that is itself beautifully crafted, linking the world of the body and material things with the realm of mind, heart, and spirit, A Place of My Own has received extraordinary praise.

In My Shoes: A Memoir


Tamara Mellon - 2012
    Over the next fifteen years, the struggle between “financial” and “creative” would become one of the central themes as Mellon’s business savvy, creative eye, and flair for design built Jimmy Choo into a premier name in the competitive fashion industry. Over time, Mellon grew Jimmy Choo into a billion dollar brand. She became the British prime minister’s trade envoy and was honored by the Queen with the Order of the British Empire—yet it’s her personal glamour that keeps her an object of global media fascination. Vogue photographed her wedding. Vanity Fair covered her divorce and the criminal trial that followed. Harper’s Bazaar toured her London town house and her New York mansion, right down to the closets. And the Wall Street Journal hinted at the real red meat: the three private equity deals, the relentless battle between “the suits” and “the creatives,” and Mellon’s triumph against a brutally hostile takeover attempt. But despite her eventual fame and fortune, Mellon didn’t have an easy road to success. Her seemingly glamorous beginnings in the mansions of London and Beverly Hills were marked by a tumultuous and broken family life, battles with anxiety and depression, and a stint in rehab. Determined not to end up unemployed, penniless, and living in her parents’ basement under the control of her alcoholic mother, Mellon honed her natural business sense and invested in what she knew best—fashion. In creating the shoes that became a fixture on Sex and the City and red carpets around the world, Mellon relied on her own impeccable sense of what the customer wanted—because she was that customer. What she didn’t know at the time was that success would come at a high price—after struggles with an obstinate business partner, a conniving first CEO, a turbulent marriage, and a mother who tried to steal her hard-earned wealth. Now Mellon shares the whole larger-than-life story, with shocking details that have never been presented before. From her troubled childhood to her time as a young editor at Vogue to her partnership with cobbler Jimmy Choo to her very public relationships, Mellon offers an honest and gripping account of the episodes that have made her who she is today. As Mellon readies herself for her next entrepreneurial venture, In My Shoes is a definitive book for fashion aficionados, aspiring entrepreneurs, and anyone who loves a juicy true story about sex, drugs, money, power, high heels, and overcoming adversity.

Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives


Tim Harford - 2016
    His liberating message: you'll be more successful if you stop struggling so hard to plan or control your success. Messy is a deeply researched, endlessly eye-opening adventure in the life-changing magic of not tidying up' Oliver BurkemanThe urge to tidiness seems to be rooted deep in the human psyche. Many of us feel threatened by anything that is vague, unplanned, scattered around or hard to describe. We find comfort in having a script to rely on, a system to follow, in being able to categorise and file away.We all benefit from tidy organisation - up to a point. A large library needs a reference system. Global trade needs the shipping container. Scientific collaboration needs measurement units. But the forces of tidiness have marched too far. Corporate middle managers and government bureaucrats have long tended to insist that everything must have a label, a number and a logical place in a logical system. Now that they are armed with computers and serial numbers, there is little to hold this tidy-mindedness in check. It's even spilling into our personal lives, as we corral our children into sanitised play areas or entrust our quest for love to the soulless algorithms of dating websites. Order is imposed when chaos would be more productive. Or if not chaos, then . . . messiness.The trouble with tidiness is that, in excess, it becomes rigid, fragile and sterile. In Messy, Tim Harford reveals how qualities we value more than ever - responsiveness, resilience and creativity - simply cannot be disentangled from the messy soil that produces them. This, then, is a book about the benefits of being messy: messy in our private lives; messy in the office, with piles of paper on the desk and unread spreadsheets; messy in the recording studio, the laboratory or in preparing for an important presentation; and messy in our approach to business, politics and economics, leaving things vague, diverse and uncomfortably made-up-on-the-spot. It's time to rediscover the benefits of a little mess.

Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World


Scott Harrison - 2018
    At 28 years old, Scott Harrison had it all. A top nightclub promoter in New York City, his life was an endless cycle of drugs, booze, models--repeat. But 10 years in, desperately unhappy and morally bankrupt, he asked himself, "What would the exact opposite of my life look like?" Walking away from everything, Harrison spent the next 16 months on a hospital ship in West Africa and discovered his true calling. In 2006, with no money and less than no experience, Harrison founded charity: water. Today, his organization has raised over $300 million to bring clean drinking water to more than 8.2 million people around the globe.In Thirst, Harrison recounts the twists and turns that built charity: water into one of the most trusted and admired nonprofits in the world. Renowned for its 100% donation model, bold storytelling, imaginative branding, and radical commitment to transparency, charity: water has disrupted how social entrepreneurs work while inspiring millions of people to join its mission of bringing clean water to everyone on the planet within our lifetime.In the tradition of such bestselling books as Shoe Dog and Mountains Beyond Mountains, Thirst is a riveting account of how to build a better charity, a better business, a better life--and a gritty tale that proves it's never too late to make a change.100% of the author's net proceeds from Thirst will go to fund charity: water projects around the world.

Superpower: Australia's Low-Carbon Opportunity


Ross Garnaut - 2019
    We also have the necessary scientific skills. Australia could be the natural home for an increasing proportion of global industry. But how do we make this happen?In this crisp, compelling book, Australia’s leading thinker about climate and energy policy offers a road map for progress, covering energy, transport, agriculture, the international scene and more. Rich in ideas and practical optimism, Superpower is a crucial, timely contribution to this country’s future.

Quitting Plastic


Clara Williams Roldan - 2019
    Anywhere you go, plastic is within easy reach - even in Antarctica and the North Pole.We didn't quit plastic overnight. In fact, it's still a work in progress. But along the way, we have learnt a lot by researching the issue from the grass roots up, speaking to people, and finding out what works and what doesn't. We answer the tricky questions, like 'How will I wash my hair?', 'Do I have to give up crackers?', 'What about my bin liner?' and 'Is this going to be expensive?' As we continue to remove throw-away plastics from our daily lives, we've discovered we're friendlier with our local communities, we're eating healthier food, and de-cluttering happens by itself. It feels great!

Blow by Blow: The Story of Isabella Blow


Detmar Blow - 2010
    Blow by Blow is a captivating journey through Issie’s life, a one-of-a-kind look at her unforgettable impact on the fashion world, and a moving exploration of her inspiring and ultimately tragic tale.

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy


Jenny Odell - 2019
    Here, Jenny Odell sends up a flare from the heart of Silicon Valley, delivering an action plan to resist capitalist narratives of productivity and techno-determinism, and to become more meaningfully connected in the process.

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men


Caroline Criado Pérez - 2019
    From economic development, to healthcare, to education and public policy, we rely on numbers to allocate resources and make crucial decisions. But because so much data fails to take into account gender, because it treats men as the default and women as atypical, bias and discrimination are baked into our systems. And women pay tremendous costs for this bias, in time, money, and often with their lives.Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates the shocking root cause of gender inequality and research in Invisible Women​, diving into women’s lives at home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor’s office, and more. Built on hundreds of studies in the US, the UK, and around the world, and written with energy, wit, and sparkling intelligence, this is a groundbreaking, unforgettable exposé that will change the way you look at the world.

The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America's National Parks


Terry Tempest Williams - 2016
    Now Terry Tempest Williams, the author of the environmental classic Refuge and the beloved memoir When Women Were Birds, returns with The Hour of Land, a literary celebration of our national parks, an exploration of what they mean to us and what we mean to them.From the Grand Tetons in Wyoming to Acadia in Maine to Big Bend in Texas and more, Williams creates a series of lyrical portraits that illuminate the unique grandeur of each place while delving into what it means to shape a landscape with its own evolutionary history into something of our own making. Part memoir, part natural history, and part social critique, The Hour of Land is a meditation and a manifesto on why wild lands matter to the soul of America.

The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time


Keith Houston - 2016
    And everybody who has read it will agree that reports of the book’s death have been greatly exaggerated.”―Erik Spiekermann, typographerWe may love books, but do we know what lies behind them? In The Book, Keith Houston reveals that the paper, ink, thread, glue, and board from which a book is made tell as rich a story as the words on its pages―of civilizations, empires, human ingenuity, and madness. In an invitingly tactile history of this 2,000-year-old medium, Houston follows the development of writing, printing, the art of illustrations, and binding to show how we have moved from cuneiform tablets and papyrus scrolls to the hardcovers and paperbacks of today. Sure to delight book lovers of all stripes with its lush, full-color illustrations, The Book gives us the momentous and surprising history behind humanity’s most important―and universal―information technology.71 color illustrations