Shop Cats of New York


Tamar Arslanian - 2016
    True New Yorkers—masters of people watching—they perch on wine crates, piles of books, and a classic hotel countertop, taking in the activity around them. Depending on their mood, these cats will ignore enthusiastic admirers, offer a few delightful purrs, or occasionally even take a swipe. Some even find a mouse or two to chase.Shop Cats of New York introduces forty of New York’s favorite felines—all who have an extraordinary story to tell. Popular cat blogger Tamar Arslanian and Instagram pet photographer Andrew Marttila capture these deeply loved and well cared for animals in their city habitat and reveal how they came to reign over their urban kingdoms.A celebration of some of the city’s most revered citizens and a unique look at New York life, this enchanting illustrated volume is a must for every cat lover, and every Big Apple devotee.

Permanence: Tattoo Portraits


Kip Fulbeck - 2008
    More than 40 million people in the U.S. alone have tattoos, all with unique stories about why they chose to indelibly mark their bodies. Permanence combines photographic tattoo portraits with these stories, told in the subjects' own words and handwriting. Kip Fulbeck brings together young and old of all races, religions, and political persuasionsfrom celebrities to suburban moms to Hells Angels. Including interviews with celebrity tattooers Kat Von D and Oliver Peck (Miami Ink), hardcore legend Evan Seinfeld, and some regular folks, Permanence is an entertaining and enlightening portrait of the tattooed population today.

Old Faithful: Dogs of a Certain Age


Pete Thorne - 2015
    After his grandmother’s 100th birthday party, photographer and dog lover Pete Thorne found himself taking photos of elderly dogs. In their aged, imperfect faces, he saw a depth of life, joy, and wisdom missing from more youthful subjects. He gathered these rich and powerful portraits into a web series he called “Old Faithful.”The reaction was instant—and astounding—from media outlets as diverse as Huffington Post and BuzzFeed to Esquire and ABC, to thousands of people around the globe who reached out to Thorne with their heartwarming stories of their own faithful companions. The photos triggered a wide variety of emotions, eliciting smiles and tears, and unleashing a flood of anecdotes and memories. “Old Faithful” became a shared platform for dog lovers all over the world.Based on his web series, Old Faithful features dozens of color photographs that bring these dogs vividly into focus, accompanied by poignant descriptive sketches that capture the spirit and personality of each, illuminate his life and experiences, and celebrate the shared relationship with a beloved human companion.A sweet and moving keepsake, Old Faithful demonstrates that aging can be beautiful, and offers profound lessons for all of us, no matter our age.

ZooBorns: The Newest, Cutest Animals from the World's Zoos and Aquariums


Andrew Bleiman - 2010
    Featuring fascinating animal facts and background stories on each pictured baby, ZooBorns illustrates the connections between zoo births and conservation initiatives in the wild for animal lovers of all ages.

Be Wild Be Free


Amber Fossey - 2020
    Looking at life through the eyes of Sloth, Bear, Koala, and even Blob Fish, these animals tell the stories of the raw beauty of life on our planet, encouraging us to let go of fear, stick our fingers/paws up at societal pressure, and love ourselves and one another with abandon.

My Brother's Book


Maurice Sendak - 2013
    With influences from Shakespeare and William Blake, Sendak pays homage to his late brother, Jack, whom he credited for his passion for writing and drawing. Pairing Sendak's poignant poetry with his exquisite and dramatic artwork, this book redefines what mature readers expect from Maurice Sendak while continuing the lasting legacy he created over his long, illustrious career. Sendak's tribute to his brother is an expression of both grief and love and will resonate with his lifelong fans who may have read his children's books and will be ecstatic to discover something for them now. Pulitzer Prize–winning literary critic and Shakespearean scholar Stephen Greenblatt contributes a moving introduction.

Of Cats and Men: Profiles of History's Great Cat-loving Artists, Writers, Thinkers, and Statesmen


Sam Kalda - 2017
    Appealing to both men and women, the “cat men” approach is a fun twist on the “cat lady” stereotype and makes for a highly giftable book. The 30 men profiled range from writers and artists such as Haruki Murakami, T.S. Eliot, William S. Burroughs, and Ai Weiwei, to historical luminaries such as Sir Winston Churchill, Nikola Tesla, and Sir Isaac Newton. In addition to the portraits, the book features beautifully hand-lettered quotes about cats by some of the men, including Twain’s “When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade, without further introduction.”

I am a Pole (And So Can You!)


Stephen Colbert - 2012
    "The sad thing is, I like it" - Maurice Sendak"The perfect gift to give a child or grandchild for their high school or college graduation.Also Father's Day.Also, other times." - Stephen Colbert

A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog


Dean Koontz - 2009
    A retired service dog, Trixie was three when Dean and his wife, Gerda, welcomed her into their home. She was superbly trained, but her greatest gifts couldn’t be taught: her keen intelligence, her innate joy, and an uncanny knack for living in the moment. Whether chasing a tennis ball or protecting those she loved, Trixie gave all she had to everything she did, inspiring Dean and Gerda to trust their instincts and recapture a sense of wonder that will remain with them always. Trixie lived fewer than twelve years; in this wide world, she was a little thing. But in every way that mattered, she lived a big life.

How to Massage Your Cat


Alice May Brock - 1985
    Now out on the prowl with a new cover that's the cat's meow, it's ready to inspire a second wave of cats and their owners to relax into a catnap. Author and illustrator Alice M. Brock (of Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" fame) counsels cat owners to approach the cat quietly with palms "up and open." Beginning at the rear, the masseur works all the way around the cat using a "vigorous kneading motion," then rubs, presses, twists, and tugs the cat into a state of complete relaxation. We are assured that a well-massaged cat may remain in a state of prolonged calm "for some time." Brock's instructions are accompanied by charming illustrations sure to inspire a mischievous chuckle in both friends and foes of felines everywhere.

Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History of '80s and '90s Teen Fiction


Gabrielle Moss - 2018
    The pink covers, the flimsy paper, the zillion volumes in the series that kept you reading for your entire adolescence. Spurred by the commercial success of Sweet Valley High and The Babysitters Club, these were not the serious-issue YA novels of the 1970s, nor were they the blockbuster books of the Harry Potter and Twilight ilk. They were cheap, short, and utterly beloved.PAPERBACK CRUSH dives in deep to this golden age with affection, history, and a little bit of snark. Readers will discover (and fondly remember) girl-centric series on everything from correspondence (Pen Pals and Dear Diary) to sports (The Pink Parrots, Cheerleaders, and The Gymnasts) to a newspaper at an all-girls Orthodox Jewish middle school (The B.Y. Times) to a literal teen angel (Teen Angels: Heaven Can Wait, where an enterprising guardian angel named Cisco has to earn her wings “by helping the world’s sexist rock star.”) Some were blatant ripoffs of the successful series (looking at you, Sleepover Friends and The Girls of Canby Hall), some were sick-lit tearjerkers à la Love Story (Abby, My Love) and some were just plain perplexing (Uncle Vampire??) But all of them represent that time gone by of girl-power and endless sessions of sustained silent reading.In six hilarious chapters (Friendship, Love, School, Family, Jobs, Terror, and Tragedy), Bustle Features Editor Gabrielle Moss takes the reader on a nostalgic tour of teen book covers of yore, digging deep into the history of the genre as well as the stories behind the best-known series.

Odd Jobs: Portraits of Unusual Occupations


Nancy Rica Schiff - 2002
    In sixty-five intimate portraits, photo essayist Nancy Rica Schiff captures the personalities and occupations of these oddball professionals, providing a short profile of each. A photograper for twenty years, Schiff has spent a good portion of that time discovering the behind-the-scenes people who do what others can't (or won't) do. Along the way, she discovered in the land of the free, the brave, and the quirky, some folks will do almost anything to make an honest buck.

Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod


Gary Paulsen - 1994
    For seventeen days, he and his team of dogs endured blinding wind, snowstorms, frostbite, dogfights, moose attacks, sleeplessness, hallucinations--and the relentless push to go on. Winterdance is the enthralling account of a stunning wilderness journey of discovery and transformation (Chicago Tribune), lived and told by the best author of man-against-nature adventures writing today (Publishers Weekly).

Clueless in the Kitchen: A Cookbook for Teens and Other Beginners


Evelyn Raab - 1998
    There's food in there, but then what? It'll have to be cooked... or at least peeled. Probably both. It's enough to scare even the foolhardy, but then so is a diet of macaroni and cheese. And you can't afford to keep ordering pizza. Aaarghh!Relax! You're not alone. Author Evelyn Raab (mom to two teenage sons) understands that the kitchen is alien territory, and she is going to teach you everything you need to know to produce something deliciously edible out of actual ingredients -- in other words, cook -- and live to tell the tale.Incredibly thorough, never condescending, and with a dash of humor, Clueless in the Kitchen leads culinary neophytes through the entire range of kitchen experience -- from cleaning a stove and outfitting a first kitchen (cheaply), to unplugging a drain and identifying that stuff in the bulk-food bins. Two hundred easy-to-follow recipes show how to make all kinds of simple and scrumptious dishes for every meal and occasion, beginning with "Breakfast: A Cruel Joke" and ending with Snacks and Munchies." There's even a chapter devoted exclusively to the "Vehemently Vegetarian."And there's more! Each recipe is coded with an icon symbolizing vegetarian meals, cheap eats, couch potato, mom, or family food, food to impress, and snacks and munchies. And useful menu planners will help you tailor the perfect meal to every guest, whether that guest is your shallow but fun boy/girlfriend, your aunt Gladys, or (gasp!) your entire family.Whether you're living on your own for the very first time or you're just on your own for dinner, Clueless in the Kitchen will be the first and -- hopefully -- only guide you will ever need. You may never eat macaroni and cheese again!

Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Comic Book Universe


Tim Leong - 2013
    This book by one of Wired magazine's art directors traverses the graphic world through a collection of pie charts, bar graphs, timelines, scatter plots, and more. Super Graphic offers readers a unique look at the intricate and sometimes contradictory storylines that weave their way through comic books, and shares advice for navigating the pages of some of the most popular, longest-running, and best-loved comics and graphic novels out there. From a colorful breakdown of the DC Comics reader demographic to a witty Venn diagram of superhero comic tropes and a Chris Ware sadness scale, this book charts the most arbitrary and monumental characters, moments, and equipment of the wide world of comics.