SOUND OFF » Books

Secrets Beneath Paris Streets

knock out — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:00:12 +0000

The 185 miles of Parisian catacombs supposedly hold the remains of more than 6 million Parisians.

Throughout history, this underground network of quarry-stone tunnels has provided refuge for fugitives avoiding persecution, and today it is a treasure trove of urban art created by illicit artists known as “cataphiles”.

Some of the art– sculptures, paintings, mosaics, allegedly dates back hundreds of years. Some of it seems to have originated around the time of student and worker protests in the 1960’s. Most sources agree, however, that the explosion of “cataphiles” looking to create art in the tunnels in the 1980’s gave rise to the bulk of the graffiti art that can be found there today.

Photographer Gilles Tondini, led by a specialist in the tunnels and caves of Paris, Gilles Thomas, explored the art in the catacombs. Tondini’s photographs are published in the book, Paris Underground, authored by Caroline Archer and architect/self-professed “cataphile”, Alexandre Parre.

Read more about the art of Paris Underground via publisher, Mark Batty. Photographer Gilles Tondini has another book on the subject by the same publisher June 1, 2010: Painted Paris: Secret Underground Graffiti

For more in-depth reviews of the art itself, check out the reviews at Go Nomad.

[select photographs above via Go Nomad]

Zoobooks!

blkwhtgry — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:20:25 +0000

Old people like Zoobooks too cause it takes their mind off death…

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City of Angels and Streets of Saints

tatelarock — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:36:19 +0000

I am constantly enthralled with amazing art books. This one is of the very amazing kind. If a book is good, I pretty much become useless as I scroll the pages in complete awww for hours. All the Saints of the City of the Angels: Seeking the Soul of L.A. On Its Streets by artist J. Michael Walker accomplished this with ease. Walker covers, discovers and colors all 78 Sainted streets of Los Angeles. The publisher’s description is poignant but obviously doesn’t capture the entirety of what this book has to offer.

Proud, defiant, thoughtful, and at times melancholy, the saints in this beautifully designed people’s history of L.A. reveal their own unique versions of transcendence and, in doing so, challenge traditional notions of what it means to be blessed. Playfully borrowing from various artistic genres from illuminated manuscripts to comic strips and encased in a sumptuous gold cover, All the Saints of the City of the Angels combines meticulous research with creative inspiration to depict in paint and ink Angelenos both historical and contemporary. Since 2000, J. Michael Walker has been researching every Los Angeles street named for a saint. Delving into city records, hagiographies, old photographs, maps, advertisements, and history books, Walker has emerged with what he calls a loopy valentine to the City of the Angels. On San Julian Street, in the heart of Skid Row, San Julian’s legend as the patron saint of wanderers comes to life as he talks to the homeless in the shelters. A hidden path off San Sebastian Drive leads Walker to contemplate the similarity between San Sebastian who, after being pierced with arrows, was nursed back to health by an elderly woman and the Tongva Indians who, once declared extinct by the government, are now experiencing a cultural renaissance thanks to the efforts of generations of elders. Populated by the portraits of both the famous and the forgotten, and filled with stories and secrets from every age, this beautifully offbeat volume peels back layers of western history to reveal the humanity underneath. Published in collaboration with the Autry National Center Walker’s large-scale paintings, which were the source for All the Saints of the City of the Angels, will be exhibited at the Autry National Center in the spring of 2008.

I am pretty bummed I am late to this game and missed this exhibit by a couple YEARS. Oh well, i suppose the book will do for now.

Alice and Wonderland gets a facelift

babysmash — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:15:40 +0000

I cannot be any more excited about this! One of my favorite artists, Camille Rose Garcia, has done all the new illustrations for the the new release of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Check the pictures… As well there will be an opening on March 6th at the Merry Karnowski Gallery in Los Angeles where Camille will be signing these books.

Merry Karnowski Gallery
170 South La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 933-4408

J. D. Salinger – 13 Short Stories

samuelsoong — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:39:27 +0000

Known for one of the “100 best English-language novels written since 1923″ (Time Magazine), the enigmatic J.D. Salinger passes away at the age of 91. Courtesy of the New Yorker, 13 short stories from 1946-1965 have been brought out from the archives for our reading pleasure.

Enjoy!

MyOrb

blkwhtgry — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:36:50 +0000

Hand drawn, limited edition, custom engraved leather Moleskine covers from MyOrb.

Nicely done indeed.

Small Book — $150

Large Book — $200

Email for availability

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Keep Calm and…

babysmash — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 09:07:55 +0000

Taking from the book Keep Calm and Carry On, which is packed full of motivational quotes, proverbs, wry truths and mantras from Herbert Hoover, Mark Twain, Karl Marx and Benjamin Franklin. This info graphic shows all the different versions. My personal favorite “Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake.”

Pressure Cook This!

babysmash — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:00:00 +0000

These illustrations were scanned from the small book “Cucinare Bene…In Meta Tempo”, the book itself explains how to use the pressure cooker although based of these drawings I would guess the book is about how to be a vegetarian so that animals don’t come back and kill you!

BookBook

blkwhtgry — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:32:32 +0000

Looking for an original way to disguise and protect your MacBook? Check out The BookBook. Imagined and designed by the creative minds over at Twelve South – A novel way to offer your MacBook Pro the kind of unique protection it deserves.

The BookBook provides Mac users a cushy, padded interior with a rigid leather hardback cover to deliver a solid level of impact absorbing protection. Offered in classic brown or brown with red spine, each book is distressed by hand to ensure no two books are exactly alike. Available for 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models — $79.99

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‘Le SAPE’

blkwhtgry — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:43:02 +0000

Select images from Daniele Tamagni’s book Gentlemen of Bacongo.

The book provides a compelling look into the flamboyant street style of the ‘Sapeurs’, the elegant and immaculately dressed dandies from the heart of the Congo.

‘Le SAPE‘ — Societe des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes

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